Vā Kōrero: Julian Hooper & Albert L. Refiti
Vā Moana would like to invite you to a Vā Kōrero with our own taʻitaʻi fono, Lealiʻifano Albert L. Refiti, and our colleague and friend, Julian Hooper.
In April, Albert L. Refiti, Rau Hoskins (Principal Investigators) and Emily Parr (Post-Doc) visited Sāmoa for the Artefacts of Relations project.
Albert, Rau, and Emily travelled to Upolu and Savai‘i to document faletele and interview tufuga and supporters of traditional practice. Emily photographed 14 fale, continuing Albert’s earlier photographic surveys of 1998 and 2011. We recorded interviews with Tui Ātua Tupua Tamasese and Masiofo Filia, Seiuli Matā‘upu and La‘aitumua Sosaiete of the ‘Au Tufuga, Maulupe Fa‘atali Faigā, Fonotī Fituafe Wong Soon, Lesā Laufale Fa‘anū, Tuatagaloa Folasaitu Joe Annandale, and Galumalemana Steven Percival. Through the fale visits and talanoa, we were able to assess the health of traditional building practices and the social, political, and financial complexities surrounding fale building today.
Header image: Rau & Albert, tia at Pōtini, Sa‘anapu (photo: Emily Parr)
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