THE SAMOAN SCIENTIST

We meet Amy Maslen-Miller, who is researching the traditional Samoan diet of the 19th century to see if it can play a part in addressing the onset of type 2 diabetes among Samoan New Zealanders.

Amy Maslen-Miller is in the second year of her PhD. She is part of the team at University of Auckland looking at how genes unique to Māori and Pacific people affect the way energy is stored and used and how this might link to type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, gout, and cancer.

‘My research is trying to address type 2 diabetes by learning more about our genes so our people can live healthy and longer lives.’

Known as the Samoan Scientist on social media, she posts regularly, hoping to widen the reach of her research as well as

show that science doesn’t have to be scary. Currently, she is looking to recruit 200 women in the 18 to 50 age range who identify as Samoan, so she has taken to social media to find participants.

When I think about our knowledge today, we will be ancestors for our people 100 years from now. So I believe it is important for us to share and document our knowledge for the next generation.

PODCASTS, TIKTOK, AND INSTA

Amy has been making her own podcast for the last four years, before she even embarked on her PhD. Passionate about science, she hopes her example will encourage other Samoans to pick it up.

She has been making short videos, introducing potential participants to her workspace. Aware that science can be seen as scary, Amy ‘walks’ people through the clinic, showing what her team is doing and introducing the tools of measurement, such as those that measure body composition, resting metabolic rate, They are also shown the mixed meal tolerance test as well as how blood samples are prepared for long term storage.

Each time a video goes out, she will get an influx of 20–30 people who want to help, but then it will go quiet.

She says this has been a bit of a challenge since Covid-19 landed in our lives. Amy says that, with misinformation about viruses and vaccines swirling around, some people are cautious but relax once they understand what she is researching. She hopes her transparency encourages people to come through, have a go, and see the friendly side of science.

Before she embarked on her PhD, Amy’s background study was in biological science. For two years, she worked in Samoa, studying the taro leaf blight – a fungi-like organism which can destroy the leaves of the taro plant in days, potentially leading to a 30-40% crop loss.

Samoan foods that were common during the 19th–20th century: Ufi (yam), Talo (taro), Ulu (breadfruit), Fa’i (banana), Nui (coconut), and I’a (fish)

INTRODUCING CREBRF

A part of Amy’s study is to understand a particular gene known as CREBRF. Common in Māori and Pacific populations, it has been painted in an unfavourable light in the past, with some references labelling it the

‘obesity gene’. But Amy says this is a Palagi misunderstanding and unfortunately is not uncommon when it comes to a lot of health topics that involve Indigenous peoples.

Rather than viewing the gene with a negative lens, Amy is investigating whether CREBRF is actually protective. Paradoxically, CREBRF is associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, yet higher body mass index (BMI).

‘It’s not fat the gene is associated with. We know the gene is associated with a higher BMI, but you are less likely to be diagnosed with type 2, which is not what you would expect. This could be good for our people, so we want to know more about this gene.’

SEARCHING FOR RECORDS

Like Aotearoa, Samoa has a strong oral tradition. So because the culture had no early written language, Amy is relying partly on the early Christian missionaries’ accounts of village life. Arriving in Samoa from the 1830s onwards, they made records of the everyday life they had been allowed access to. These records are limited,

which is why Amy has also been investigating what knowledge has passed down through Samoan families.

She has discovered that, while banana, breadfruit, taro, yam, coconut, and fish were the commonly eaten foods, very little meat was eaten, and when it was it was only as a ceremonial food. Obvious markers are that there has been a big change in food preparation since the 1830s. Missionaries wrote that Samoans primarily used the umu – an earth oven where the food is cooked on rocks. Similar to a hāngī, but built above the ground, it is a simple but labour-intensive way of cooking meals.

Then there was a timetable for mealtimes. Early Samoans had a tradition of eating just two times a day. The first was a brunch, consumed after working in the plantation, and the second meal was in the evening before the sun went down. This, mixed with a more physical lifestyle, meant that most people had to work for their food, had fewer food choices, and cooked simply.

TALANOA

‘If you have knowledge and experience of Samoan traditional foods/ceremonial foods/harvesting and planting practices about Samoan food, I would love to talanoa with you.’

Amy hopes this is where the Samoan population of Aotearoa can help her find a connection to oral or unrecorded history. As well as clinical measurement, she is wanting to talk to different generations of Samoan women to understand their perspectives and memories around traditional foods.

Amy hopes her research can increase knowledge about traditional Samoan food. ‘I’m just reclaiming what our grandparents, parents knew from living in Samoa. I feel that it’s really important to have this knowledge in terms of when it comes to health.’

When her PhD is completed in a couple of years, Amy will gift the resource of knowledge back to Samoan communities so that they can have a deeper and even more appreciative relationship with food, and see the significance of it within the Samoan culture.

Amy says, ‘First-generation-born Samoans, even second-generationborn Samoans, will learn more about their culture through these stories about Samoan traditional food. Some of their families don’t have that knowledge at all.

‘I thought this was important to contribute to academia but also for our community, so we can document these stories and pass them on for the next generation.’

TALANOA is ‘talk’ or ‘discussion’ in Samoan, Fijian, and Tongan, and is a Pacific island form of dialogue that brings people together to share opposing views without any predetermined expectations for agreement. Talanoa participants set the parameters for their discussions: inclusion, reconciliation and mutual respect.

CREBRF STUDY

University of Auckland has one of the few research centres in the world to explore gene variants in Māori and Pasifika people to address metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, through the CREBRF study.

To take part in the University of Auckland CREBRF study, visit tinyurl.com/CREBRFstudy Eligibility criteria:

• Aged 18-50 years

• Identify as Māori or Pacific Islander.

• Are generally healthy (no preexisting/long-term diseases) If you participate in the CREBRF study, you get a free health check-up, free parking, and a $200 voucher.

You can find Amy on X @ScientistSamoan Instagram @samoan_scientist TikTok @samoanscientist Youtube Samoan Scientist Podcast Samoan Scientist Podcast Facebook /samoanscientist