Pasifika Views of Learning

 Pasifika Views of Learning



Collage by Ximena Parsons

The theme of my collage was how the pacific value of family creates a protection against harmful influences and reaches out to individuals inspiring them to push further in their goal of education. The collage is made of hundreds of hibiscus and frangipani flowers that I individually placed to form the image of a loving family. The image of the family is supposed to represent the values common to Pasifika learning, as noted in the Pasifika Education Plan (Ministry of Education, 2013). These values include, family, love, respect, belonging, inclusion and other social values associated with happiness. Hence the way the parents are tenderly embracing each other and the next generation. Also note how the border surrounding the family is the repeating symbol of the starfish or the Samoan Fa’a Aveao. This is the symbol of protection (Janet's Samoa, 2020) and represents how the family values within the border can protect the individual from harmful any extreme negative influences that may arise from popular culture. This value clash was indicated by John Dickie (2011). Furthermore, the spear symbols pointing outwards at each corner of the collage represents many things according to Samoan culture, including warriors and death in times of war and the fisherman fishing in times of peace, either way they are a symbol of sacrificing and providing for your family (Janet's Samoa, 2020; Tattoo Tribes, n.d.). The spears point outward in the collage to suggest exploration into the outside world, how in education we learn to grow and solve challenges that help us conquer the chaos around us. But again, the point of the spears is to bring that reward home to help nourish and strengthen our families. An excellent example of this would be how Dr Hunter (Education Counts, n.d.) was able to lovingly support the children as they conquered new challenges. She also made it even more exciting for them when she made it relevant to how their efforts related to their families and could make a real impact back home. This was discovered by Hunter et al. (2016) to be of real importance for developing equity for Pasifika learners. Thus, Pasifika views of learning fill individuals with a sense of connection with others, contribution and self-growth, rewarding the individual with a truly meaningful life and sense of purpose.

I really struggled with the monotonous task of placing over a thousand flowers one by one to make this collage. However, the thought as to what the collage of Pasifika Learning represented: Love, growth, belonging, joy motivated me to keep going because I wanted to make something that lovely as well. It was interesting looking at the tattoo symbols because even in the same country i.e. Samoa, different people had different opinions to each symbol. For example, one person (Janet's Samoa, 2020) said that the spear was a sign of catching fish, someone else (Tattoo Tribes, n.d.) said the spear was only the symbol of a fighter. In order to gain a holistic understanding of the symbols, I had to think about what catching things, death, warrior, fighting, fishing all had in common. I would say that is to be a hero for your family.


 

References

 

Education Counts. (n.d.). Ministry of Education - Education Counts. www.educationcounts.govt.nz. https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/topics/bes/ambitious-mathematics-for-young-pacific-learners


Hunter, J., Hunter, R., Bills, T., Cheung, I., Hannant, B., Kritesh, K., & Lachaiya, R. (2016). Developing Equity for Pāsifika Learners Within a New Zealand Context: Attending to Culture and Values. New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies, 51(2), 197–209. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40841-016-0059-7


Janet's Samoa. (2020, January 12). Janet’s Presents - The Importance of Samoan and Pacific Symbols – The Legacy of the Lapita People – Samoan Tattoo, Carvings and Artwork. Janet’s. https://www.janetssamoa.com/blog/janets-presents-the-importance-of-samoan-and-pacific-symbols-the-legacy-of-the-lapita-people-samoan-tattoo-carvings-and-artwork/


Ministry of Education. (2013). Pasifika Education Plan. https://assets.education.govt.nz/public/Documents/Ministry/Strategies-and-policies/PasifikaEdPlan2013To2017V2.pdf

 

Tattoo Tribes. (n.d.). Polynesian Tattoo Symbols explained: spearheads. Www.polynesiantattoosymbols.com. Retrieved September 12, 2022, from https://www.polynesiantattoosymbols.com/symbol-spearheads.html



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