FUT URE GENERATIO N S
Mr Dion Enari is an advocate for Samoan language and culture.
Culture of success DION ENARI IS PRESERVING THE LANGUAGE AND HERITAGE OF SAMOA FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS by Reon Suddaby
M
r Dion Enari speaks softly – but carries a message he hopes will echo through generations. The 31-year-old New Zealandborn Samoan recently submitted his PhD thesis exploring the perceptions of Fa’a Samoa (Samoan way) held by New Zealandborn Samoans living in Brisbane, Australia, bringing an end to nearly four years of study at Bond University. But while Mr Enari may have come to the end of his immediate academic ambitions, his quest to preserve the language and culture of his homeland is only just beginning. It’s a task he takes seriously. “I push the importance of the Samoan culture at all levels and in all ways that I can, whether it be speaking at public events,
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speaking to educators and policy makers and arguing and lobbying for implementing and including our languages and cultures in school curriculums, particularly where there are high Samoan and Pacific Island populations.” Mr Enari says. “Any language can disappear within three generations if we’re not careful, particularly for our migrant communities. It’s a very real threat and we’re seeing that it’s going to take a lot more than just asking people to speak the language at home, the language they speak at home should also be supported in curriculum as well, so they know there’s a home for their mother tongue beyond just their household, that it’s also supported in their place of education.”
As part of his research, Mr Enari interviewed New Zealand-born Samoans residing in Brisbane, exploring their perceptions of the Samoan culture and their lived experiences. He also spent time in the local Samoan community, observing how they used their language and practised their culture. While expecting his research to show his participants identifying more strongly with Australia or New Zealand, he found that overwhelmingly they strongly identified as Samoan, first and foremost. “Quite a lot of their values and beliefs were centred around Samoan values and beliefs, even though they were born outside of the motherland,” Mr Enari says.
