A week for Tongan students to “awaken” their culture

The Bachelor of Nursing student at Ara Institute of Canterbury-Te Pūkenga says some Tongans may not feel a strong connection to their culture, but that Tongan Language Week helps strengthen those cultural bonds. “It helps our sense of belonging and makes it easier for us to really celebrate as Tongans together,” she says.

Palu spent her first 12 years of life in Tonga before moving to Auckland in 2013. She struggled with the language and the culture at first, despite attending a bilingual school in Tonga.  “Even now,” she says, “the Tongan word may be in my head, but the English word just won’t come out.”

Tongan music is especially meaningful for Palu as it draws heavily on metaphor. “You really need to understand the metaphorical nature of the songs to understand their meanings,” she says.  The music of Tu’imala Kaho, ‘the Tongan Nightingale’ resonates strongly for her.

Sioeli Ofa, also a nursing student at Ara-Te Pūkenga, loves the way the Tongan community draws upon the strength of other Tongans, which is embodied in the expression ‘Si’i pe kae ha’ meaning we are small, but we when we come together, we are strong. “It’s kind of a beautiful way to say that all these people from the same cultural background can be really different from each other, have different vibes, different energy, but we are so good when we’re together.”

For both nursing students, the four golden pillars of Tonga – Faka’apa’apa (Respect) Tauhiva (Fulfilling expectations of one’s position) Mamahi’ime’a (being passionate about one’s beliefs) and Lototo (Humility) - provide a solid foundation of values for becoming a nurse.  Together with empathy, another common Tongan characteristic, Palu says Tongans “have so much to offer our patients.  These values, which are dear to me, mean we are able to care for others with their own different cultural beliefs and values, and of course for our Tongan patients who hold a special place in my heart.”

Palu and Ofa are both recipients of one of only nine Pasifika Medical Association Scholarships, worth $10,000 each, and serve as Pacific mentors to other Pacific students at Ara-Te Pūkenga.

Ofa says he became a Pacific mentor to support other Tongan students on campus because “our community is very small, and it can be intimidating for some people when they first start. They shy away from others sometimes.  Mentoring supports those that may not be comfortable – we bring them in, welcome them, and make them feel more like they can be themselves.”

Tongan Language Week is important to Ofa to keep his culture and language alive in New Zealand. “You may easily lose those values if you’re not around a lot of other Tongans, so using those practices such as cultural performances and speaking Tongan, it sparks the Tongan inside of you. Then, we can share it with other people, bringing them together with laughs and smiles,” he says.