Youth Mental Health Forum 2000

Presenters from Daughters of the Pacific: Ana, Catherine, Stephanie, Lesa, Maria.

Introduction
Talofa lava my name is Lesa. Welcome to our session on Pacific Island Youth.

Our group has come together to present some perspectives on being Pacific Island youth and some of the differences that exist between Pacific Island New Zealanders and other New Zealanders. Our group are probably among the oldest presenters at this conference. We don't think that's inappropriate because within Pacific Island cultures we are considered to be YOUTH. We'd like you to remember that we our giving our own perspectives and obviously we don't represent all Pacific Island youth.

Daughters of the Pacific introduce themselves.

I was born in Wellington, my father is Samoan and he came here in the 1960s, my mother is Palagi, from Scottish roots, and the first of her ancestors came here in the 1870s. I grew up in Nelson and I came to Christchurch just over a year ago.

In our session we aim to briefly explore a number of issues such as Who is a Pacific Islander? the Conflicting Cultural values and the Importance of Identity. We'll be doing this by hearing a number of Pacific Island voices - those of our group and others.

Lesa
Who is a Pacific Islander?
More recently the term Pacific Island is being used to describe where we are all located geographically - in the Pacific.

But most commonly in New Zealand, Pacific Islander is a generic term encompassing people from Samoa, Tonga, the Cook Islands, Niue, Fiji, Tokelau and a number of other Pacific Nations and people born here in New Zealand with genealogical links to these countries too.

However, it's not just a matter of cultural differences between individual Pacific nations. Within Pacific Island communities there are a number of differences. We live in communities of PI born parents, NZ born parents, PI born youth, NZ born youth, youth with parents from the same culture or from dual PI cultures or PI / Maori or PI / Palagi or PI / other. Some of us can speak our Island languages, some of us can't, some of us look very PI, some of us don't, some of us staunchily identify as PI and some of us dont. All this cultural diversity and difference can be a source of strength and immense cultural richness. However it can also be a source of conflict and confusion. A different site of struggle at an already complicated stage of life - there are so many challenges that youth face so for some PI youth it is easier not be PI. This is a message we heard recently at the Pacific Waves Conference - 'we don't get into the PI stuff, we do what we're into'. Like all youth, PI youth espouse different values from their parents but in their case the difference goes much deeper.

Conflicting Cultural Values
In New Zealand the PI population is a very youthful one and also an overwhelmingly urban one. This has a number of implications.

These extracts from Graeme Lay's book - Pacific New Zealand, provide some useful insights but shouldn't be taken as being the reality for all PI youth.

"For the children of PI immigrants the usual anxieties of adolescence are intensified by pressures unique to their social and cultural circumstances. Firstly, they are expected by their elders to conform to a village code of conduct while living in a city where to the young such a code is meaningless. Curfews and prayer hours are still adhered to in Samoa and Sunday is still sacrosanct, as it also is in Nuie, Tonga, Tokelau and the Cook Islands, but in Porirua, Otara [or Christchurch city], there are many other ways to fill in the leisure hours after school or in the weekends. […] Moral codes may effectively be a century apart, with the Island villages being virtually Victorian in their codes of conduct. Consequently, tensions between young and old are inevitable and difficult to reconcile. NZ born PI youth face the difficulties of issues such as that of sexuality presented to them in a candid and easily available form of media which shocks older PI people raised in much less liberal circumstances."

PI children are raised strictly and respect for elders and obligations and responsibilities to extended family and community are all basic tenets of PI life. Also church activities can consume an inordinate amount of time.

"As a major motivation for their parents' emigration, PI children are often accorded high levels of educational expectation. Education is the key to success, opening doors of opportunity to careers and material benefits, and PI parents are keenly aware of this […] however, PI parents can underestimate the financial and academic obstacles which must be overcome in the process. Many PI parents toil in low-paid work to ensure that their children succeed at school, and indeed many do - the numbers of PI students in universities and technical institutes is clear evidence of this - but others do not. Statistics that measure educational achievement by ethnic groups show that PI New Zealanders consistently underachieve.

[…] Books, both fiction and non-fiction, are taken for granted in many Palagi homes, but are not commonly found in PI households, the gospels excepted. […] Large families also mean a lack of space for study - constant television or videos deny students essential quietness for reading, writing and reflection.

[…] Within the schools too, there are more subtle factors working against PI children. Researchers have found that classroom dynamics reflect wider social patterns. Most PI parents are conservative and traditional in their attitudes towards education, they see the teacher as the dispenser of factual knowledge and their children receivers of it. […] It is not the students' role to question methods of content. However, discussion and questioning (an integral part of learning and academic exploration) is valued by most Palagi parents, especially those who received high levels of education themselves. However it is not looked on in the same positive way by Pacific Islanders, who view such questioning as disrespectful.

Also, in island society collective concerns usually override individual, competitive ones, but the New Zealand education system is geared to individual self-improvement. […] The scholastic results are predictable - mainly exam success for one group, mainly failure for the other."

Summary
Source: Jemima Tiatia's book Caught Between Cultures.
PI youth can be in danger of being caught between cultures - their island culture and that of New Zealand society. The conflicting cultural values are:

		Communalism versus individualism
		Unquestioned obedience and respect for seniority versus critique
		Island language versus English language
		Island way of doing things versus Kiwi way of doing things
		Priority for church and extended family obligations versus priority for education and work

Being caught between these two different cultural systems can lead to identity conflict. Expressed by Melanie Anae as "I am a Samoan, but not a Samoan, to my family in Samoa, I am a Palagi; I am a New Zealander, but not a New Zealander, to New Zealanders, I am a bloody coconut at worst, a Pacific Islander at best, I am to my Samoan parents, their child."

The importance of identity to a PI youth should not be underestimated - our identity helps us to navigate our own pathway through life. It is intensely personal, uniquely individual and highly significant to our sense of self worth and well being. Its a key to our aspirations, expectations and our needs.

Ana
How I identify with my Samoaness is very personal. At times I have found it unsettling when my Pacific Island identity has been defined by others whose own experiences of being Pacific Island are far removed from mine. Just as there can be comfort and strength gained out our commonalities, we need to acknowledge and accept our differences. Furthermore, as NZ born or raised Pacific Island people, we need to feel safe in expressing our individualities.

I am a Samoan woman born and living within a predominantly Palagi culture here in Aotearoa. I view my identity as being a healthy blend of both of these, and other influences. Though my Samoaness may not be outwardly manifested in ways other than my physical appearance and my limited practice of gagana and fa'aSamoa, it is inherent in my spirit. To me this is most important. The ethnic and cultural makeup of this society is constantly changing, and as the identities of its people move with those changes, it is important to carry with me that strong foundation of who I am.

This is where I am at. I accept that my position may change, especially as I open myself up to the experiences of my Pacific Island brothers and sisters born or raised here in Aotearoa.

I share with you this poem titled te vaka, and a Tokelauan song by Te Vaka from which the poem was inspired. This poem is an expression of the feelings that the music of its namesake evokes in me.

Catherine
OHP presentation - NZ-Born Issues for Discussion

Actual and Projected Pacific Population from 1986 -2051
Source 1996 census

		6% of Aotearoas total population
		fastest growing population from 1986 -1996
		40% < 17yrs
		NZ-born 57.8% of total Pacific population
		By 2051 - well over 60% of Pacific population will be NZ-born
		In 2051 - 1 in 5 kids will be of Pacific descent
		By 2051 - our population will increase to 12% of the total population

Mixed Ethnicity Issues

		By 2051 - 1 in 3 Kiwis will be of either Maori or Pacific descent
		Estimated that 60% of kids attending Kura Kaupapa Maori in South Auckland are of Maori and Pacific descent
		Not only are the numbers of NZ-born increasing dramatically but we will be of different ethnic groups eg, Samoan +Palagi, Niuean+Cook Island, Tongan+Samoan, Maori+Cook Island
		Pacific society needs to recognise the changes and be more accepting of those of mixed ethnicity
		By 2051 - well over 60% of Pacific population will be NZ-born
		In 2051 - 1 in 5 kids will be of Pacific descent
		By 2051 - our population will increase to 12% of the total population

Language … Culture

		Prevailing idea that to be Pacific you must have your language and if you don't you are not 'pure' 'real' or 'full' Pacific
		Analysis of whether you can ever be a pure anything example below

Samoan Culture Example

		There is no static conception of what Samoan culture is
		The context in which Samoan culture has evolved needs to be recognised eg, are the traditional values after colonisation by the missionaries or before?
		Cultures are for ever changing therefore you can never accurately say this is what it means to be Samoan
		There is an assumption that ones language, beliefs and practices change together and in the same direction need to recognise that if one doesn't have the language it DOESN'T mean that one's practices and beliefs will not reflect Fa'asamoa
		To believe that only language makes a Samoan a Samoan does not recognise other valid markers of identity and culture eg, attending church, participating in extended family activities and fa'alavelave
		That increasing familiarity with one language and culture leads to declining familiarity and commitment to another exposure to one culture eg, Palagi DOES NOT necessarily lead to the alienation of another eg, Pacific - it depends on the individual
		Although some NZ-born may reject parts of Fa'asamoa this DOES NOT mean a total acceptance of Palagi values or the total rejection of their Samoan identity

Criteria other than language play a more relevant role for group membership … it is after all not language but people who provide a sense of community and belonging (Scourby 1984)

For example - to identify as an American Greek the major prerequisite is NOT the ability to speak Greek but the participation in ones extended family activities

Stephanie
The way our dreams and desires as Pacific people can be expressed in different ways. Some of these ways might seem foreign, alien, disrespectful or hostile to our parents or to other generations. Even though this mightnt be the case.

One of the most successful ways I think identity gets played out is through contemporary arts especially in terms of creative storytelling. Increasingly people are helping to create a New Zealand born culture, one that draws from the island traditions, local histories and experiences as a source of inspiration. In this way artists acknowledge their parents journey while giving assertion and validation to the contributions Pacific people have made to New Zealand culturally and historically.
Andy Leilei, is a New Zealand born Samoan artist who lives in Auckland, speaks fluent Samoan. After leaving school he worked in a factory to help his parents pay their mortgage, became a union representative and came into the art scene through the back door. (99) Macmillan Brown residency (98) he was resident artist at the Kasula Power house, Sydney. Hes considered the most controversial and politically confrontational Pacific artist, as his work deals directly with his response to being a New Zealand born Samoan.
 
 
 
 

Andy Leilei Works  I miss you my Polynesian me Grandparents  (Know via photo) Portrait of an immigrant no image Working blues welcome to Aotearoa  (Oppressed)  Language Why you post me back The Brownest Dawn  (Learnt about Dawn raids, searching to understand his heritage as a New Zealand born Samoan) Silence I dare you to say it  (Racism. There's a huge risk involved in voicing your opinions and feelings about the realities of being New Zealand born. We're not supposed to talk about some topics and to speak critically about or against your elders is considered unacceptable) Relief tied to a tree  (Not being able to communicate or find a place, friends suicide 97) its funny now aye Domestic Violence  (Disturbed about domestic violence in New Zealand)  All Samoan born ministers (Risked threat of physical violence Auntie came to his aid and also a couple of ministers that recognised it was a painting done in anger. While some people were angry Andy said he hadn't painted it for the ministers. He said he realised why he painted the work when a young man came up to him and explained the painting and then said I know because thats what happened to me. This slide is one of Andys most controversial works.  It's not being shown to be disrespectful to Samoan born ministers but to illustrate how far apart our voices as New Zealand born can be and how important it is for us to share our stories) Buzzy Bees (New Zealand icon in jig saw pieces, all about trying to fit into Kiwi culture is a bit of a puzzle)

Andy Leilei Gallery I miss you my Polynesian me  Grandparents Language BuzzyBees Portrait of an immigrant Why you post me back The Brownest Dawn Silence I dare you to say it its funny now aye All Samoan born ministers Domestic Violence Relief tied to a tree

Ani Oneill is a young Cook Island artist. Art school graduate, considered one of our art stars, works bought by public institutions e.g Te Papa, Dunedin Art Gallery, Rita Angus fellowship in Wellington. Ani's work utilises the traditional art skills her grandmother taught her.

Ani Oneill Works  Restless tivaevae Tangaroa  (comment on the tourist industry but also plays with traditions the idea that women can't carve) Wooden fish

Ani extends the tradition of tivaevae into field of Contemporary New Zealand art, conceptual art. This work is done in towelling and suggests its time to slough off the old stereotypes of what it is to be a Pacific Islander and to recognise our traditions are still relevant and powerful but that they are also changing. 

What all these artists do is acknowledge their own Pacific Island heritage and give the experiences and traditions of Pacific people a place within the wider fabric of New Zealands cultural and social history. 
 

Maria
Facilitated open forum.