Words you will see on this site

Short, plain explanations of the Samoan, Tongan and other terms we use. Meanings differ between communities and families, so treat these as a starting point, and tell us if something should be said differently.

Aiga (Samoan)

Family, usually meaning the extended family and not only the people in one household.

Fa’aaloalo (Samoan)

Respect, especially towards elders and within family and community relationships.

Fale and Fonofale (Samoan)

Fale means house. The Fonofale model, developed by Fuimaono Karl Pulotu-Endemann in Aotearoa New Zealand in 1984, pictures health as a house: family as the foundation, culture as the roof, four pillars (spiritual, physical, mental and other), all inside the wider context of environment, time and circumstances.

Kai

Food or a meal. Widely used in Aotearoa New Zealand, including in Pacific families.

Kakala (Tongan)

A garland of flowers. Konai Helu Thaman uses kakala as a way of thinking about gathering, weaving and giving knowledge.

Pasifika and Pacific

Words used in Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia for people with heritage from the Pacific Islands. They cover many different nations, languages and cultures, and people often prefer to be named by their own community, for example Samoan, Tongan, Fijian or Cook Islands Māori.

Talanoa

Open, unhurried conversation that builds trust and understanding before getting to the point. The term is Tongan in origin and is used in many Pacific communities.

Tautua (Samoan)

Service to family, church and community. A strong value that can also become heavy when the load is not shared.

Te Whare Tapa Whā (Māori)

A model of health by Sir Mason Durie (1984) that pictures wellbeing as the four walls of a house. It is a Māori model, not a Pacific one. We mention it because it is widely used in Aotearoa.

Vā

The relational space between people, and between people and place, ancestors and the sacred. Caring for it is called teu le vā in Samoan and tauhi vā in Tongan.

Sources are listed on the clinicians and approach page. Corrections welcome: hello@pasifikapsychologyhub.com.