Sue Copsey – författare

Teine Samoa means Samoan girl. It's a label that carries with it an unspoken duty to obey, serve and respect your family and Samoan culture. But who can be teine Samoa? When should you be teine Samoa? And how can you be teine Samoa outside of Samoa?Lani is an afakasi, and is unsure of her Samoan heritage and what being Samoan even means. But one thing she knows for sure is that she's afraid of Vai and the 'Real Samoans'. Masina, the free-spirited daughter of a Church Minister, is bound by parental expectations and struggling to fulfill the destiny set by her parents. Teuila is the good Islander girl and proud teine Samoa who realises she doesn't want to be a 'switcher' anymore.How will these junior high school students learn to be, understand and fulfill their obligations as Teine Samoa, living in New Zealand?Teine Samoa is a journey of cultural identity and discovery for four junior high school students, their families, their teachers and, most importantly, anyone who has ever faced the challenges of being a teine Samoa.

Sione, Lima, Tavita and Filipo are high school friends, uso or brothers. They are part of a special letter-writing project that helps to start a brave new conversation, an open and honest talanoa with themselves starting with the words, Dear Uso ... Here they share the cultural challenges they face, and without realising it, their need to belong, to be accepted and the impact this has on their wellbeing overall.Tama Samoa is not just a story of friendship, brotherhood and healing. Tama Samoa helps us all to reflect, reconnect and reunite in better supporting each other as who we are. It is also a story of self-discovery and hope for a new tama Samoa code to be created based on real talanoa and understanding.Includes:- Study Questions For Students- The Tama Samoa Project:A space created for fourteen Samoan male students and educators to share their own boys-to-men stories, lessons and journeys to help today's tama Samoa, our tama Pasifika, to be better understood and supported in succeeding as themselves.