Teine Samoa

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 a teine Samoa? When should you be a teine Samoa? And how can you be a 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 fulfil 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 fulfil 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.

Teine Samoa was originally written and published as an ebook during the New Zealand lockdown in May 2020. The story follows the journey of cultural identity and discovery for four junior high school students, their families, and their teachers and, most importantly, anyone who has ever faced the challenges of being a teine Samoa.

The paperback edition of Teine Samoa includes the original Teine Samoa story, study questions for students, and the Teine Samoa Project, a space created for teine Samoa to share their real life stories.