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FARAIMO-DAKUNA, Jennifer

Dec 16, 2021 | *, *Featured books, *listed, Childrens books, Family history, Language and culture, Short Stories, VoyaginK Publishing
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ISBN 978-1-922452-58-0
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The Tuluma

Written by: Jennifer Faraimo-Dakuna
Illustrated by: Anitelea Sakaria
Translated by: Opeta Faraimo

Tokelau is located 3,355 kilometres North, North East of Aotearoa, New Zealand. Historically and traditionally, Tokelau had four atolls. Fakaofo, Atafu, Nukunonu and Olohega. Today, Tokelau now only has three atolls. The Tuluma is a based on a true story. I grew up in a home with lots of Tokelau artifacts, in Porirua, New Zealand. I did not understand the significance of these artifacts until I became an adult. I hope you and your family enjoy reading this book written in English and the Tokelau language.
–Jennifer Dakuna

About the Author

Jennifer Faraimo-Dakuna is from Fakaofo, Tokelau. Her parents are Tolo and Petesa Faraimo.

Born and raised in Porirua, Aotearoa New Zealand, Jennifer enjoys eating Tokelau food. Her favourite food is coconut apple and coconut crab.
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ISBN 978-1-922452-31-3
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Voices from the Village

Acknowledgement of Country

We acknowledge the traditional Indigenous owners of the land and regions of:
• Gladstone, Queensland, Australia, the people of Gooreng Gooreng, Bailai and Gurang tribes
• Blackwater, Central Highlands, Queensland, Australia—Ghungalu people
• Cranborne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, the Mayone Balluk clan and the Boonerwrung and Kulin nation.

We acknowledge your elders, your leaders and communities, both past, present and emerging.
We acknowledge that it was on your traditional lands that we found rest and revitalisation in compiling this book and for which we are profoundly grateful.

Voices from the Village, a Pasifika anthology is a collection of poems and short stories from 39 Pasifika storytellers and writers. Our age range is 90 years young is to nine years old. Represented in this book are those who identify with the following islands: Tokelau, Cook Islands, Samoa, Fiji and Aotearoa, New Zealand. It is from this Pasifika village we proudly share our stories.
Short stories edited and compiled by Jennifer Faraimo-Dakuna and Leiana Matapuku Foua

Fenuafala, Fakaofo, Tokelau—Photo Credit Fono Gaualofa

About the Authors

We would like to express our immense gratitude to all the writers who contributed to this book. We acknowledge your families, the elders, the villages, the island nations from whence you have come. This book is intended for a Pasifika-based audience. In some stories, writers have written in their mother tongue. Therefore, we have not provided a glossary of terms. It will be assumed that you can read and understand languages from the Pasifika nations. If not, now is a great time to learn a language from another Pasifika nation.
Voices from the Village is a small response to the lack of written stories from the hearts and minds of the people from the Pasifika. This book attempts to capture ‘voice’ and ‘talanoa’ of her peoples.
Like a village, we have organized the book in order of the age of the writer. So, if you are looking to read writings from a younger writer, head towards the end of the book and if you are looking for a mature voice, start with the beginning of the book.
We purposely did not want this book to be organized in genre groups. We wanted the reader to engage first with writer, then if you wanted, you could read a little longer into their story. There is no pressure or expectation for you to read this book from start to finish. Many of our readers would probably flick through the book and see if they know a writer first, then start there.
Many of our writers have included a photo and profile to accompany their writing. Voices from the Village brings you 60 Pasifika writings from 40 Pasifika writers. We hope you find a familiar face or identify with a village or Pasifika island.
May the stories of the people from Tokelau, Cook Islands, Fiji, Samoa, and Aotearoa New Zealand not be silenced. We write to tell our story because this is our legacy.
We write to express to our children, grandchildren the echoes from our parents, our elders from generations past.
We write because we were born to write.
Alofa atu, Meitaki Maata.

NOOROA, Iotia

Dec 16, 2021 | *, *Featured books, *listed, Christian, Family history, History, Language and culture, Society, Travel and Adventure, Victoria, VoyaginK Publishing
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ISBN 978-1-922452-66-5
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John Williams – Missionary to the South Seas

The effect of the Good News concerning Jesus Christ has transformed the lives of our people from a life of hopelessness to that of hope and blessings.

The missionaries gave us a good knowledge of the English language. It has given us a clean and prosperous lives. It has given us easy access to the Country of Australia and all Commonwealth Nations.

But it did not just come freely; men and women from the United Kingdom through the London Missionary Society suffered so much to avail to us such privileges. Many of them were martyred. All of them were deprived of the luxuries and comfort of their homeland.

This journey will take you back to the history of your ancestors.

Every word jotted by John Williams imprints a vivid picture of how the Cook Islands people thought and lived, confirming practises and inclinations.

These recounts are an unfolding of the Cook Islands history.

About the Author

Rev Iotia Nooroa holds a Master of Arts Degree in Biblical Studies from the Evangel Christian University of America, Louisiana USA, 2013 and a Bachelor of Theology from Prairie Bible Institute, Albertan Canada, 1981. Teacher and preacher within the Cook Islands Community and visiting lecturer at the Takamoa Theological College, Rarotonga, Cook Islands. Pastor at Casey Bible Church, Melbourne, Australia and Principal at Casey College of Biblical Studies, Melbourne, Australia. Married to Terepai Tutu Mani and has two girls Nanua who is married to John Amato of Samoa and have five children: Tarai, Iosia, Tepaeru, Tereapii, Pouna; and Moari our second daughter. Speaks and writes both English and Cook Islands Maori fluently and understands French, Tahitian, New Testament Greek and Biblical Hebrew. Born in the village of Ruatonga, Avarua, Rarotonga, Cook Islands, 1953 and raised up in the Cook Islands Christian Church of the London Missionary Society, at Avarua. Now living in Melbourne, Australia, 2020.
Mrs Terepai Nooroa holds a Master or Arts in Biblical Studies Degree (M.A.) from the USA and a Bachelor of Religious Education Degree (B.R.E.) from Canada. Serving with her husband in all Ministries of the Church.

 
 

NORMAN, Aunty Irene

Sep 1, 2021 | *, *listed, Australian, Language and culture, Poetry
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ISBN 978-1-922629-49-4
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Out of My Head, onto the Page

Join Aunty Irene in a multi-coloured world of Cultural Art and Poetry.

Take a Journey with her through Community, Lived and Dreamed experiences.

Learn from the Wisdom given by her in poetic and pictorial form.

Weave your way through the rhyming stories on these pages.

About the Author

Aunty Irene Norman – proud Wailwan woman and Mullum Mullum Elder.

She teaches traditional weaving to community members and in schools. She has exhibited her weaving and other Art for the past 8 years at The Koorie Heritage Trust, and had exhibitions at the 69 Smith Street Gallery, Fitzroy, REALM at Eastlands and Federation Estate, Ringwood. She is a Cultural Educator, and works with KESOs (Koorie Education Offi cers) teaching both pupils and teachers in Australian history, Culture and Traditions within Primary and Secondary schools.

Aunty Irene is also a founding member of Yeng Gali Mullum Singers (previously the Mullum Mullum Choir), and writes some of the songs that the group sings. She is on several Community Service Committees, where she gives important feedback for the improvement of services to the Aboriginal Community.

And a Poet.

NAMOW, Tina

Jun 22, 2021 | *, *Featured books, *listed, Australian, Autobiography, Biography, Language and culture, Memoir

Tina Namow author
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ISBN 9781922629074
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I Won’t Settle For Less

Tina was born in Holland and came out to Australia in 1950. Her family travelled in a caravan around Australia looking for work. Her parents were very poor and strangers in this land. Growing up without electricity or running water, poverty and violence made Tina a strong advocate for the working class and the disadvantaged.

By the time she was twelve her parents had separated and she was placed in a foster home for a period of time. By the age of fifteen she was supporting herself as a waitress, a telephonist, go-go dancer, singer, and house cleaner.

Over Tina’s life she experienced child sexual abuse, domestic violence and rape. She has never seen herself as a victim, Tina is a survivor and has always kept searching for a better life.

In 1975 Tina became a feminist and has been a political activist and an advocate for women and children’s safety for over forty years. Her life was often stressful especially when she became a single mother. Tina’s way of coping with her stress was to sing in bands around Adelaide. Tina was one of the original members of the women’s punk band the Red Meds in 1980 and she then sang in a women’s band called Modesty B Blazed. Later on, she sang in mixed gender bands and took on acting roles for the Junction Theatre Company.

Tina went to university at the age of 30 and became a social worker, community developer and then a narrative therapist.

In 2006 Tina started her journey with her partner, working and travelling around Australia, employed as a narrative therapist in remote areas around Australia. Tina sees herself as ‘a woman giving birth to myself. Now at 72 years old she is ready to tell her story.

Tina Namow author

About the Author

Tina Namow is now a retired Narrative Therapist, Social Worker, Community Developer, Political Activist and a Feminist. Tina has experienced migration to Australia from Holland in 1950, poverty, family violence, child abuse, rape and grief. She has stood up against all the odds and after leaving school at 15 years old supported herself and eventually made it to university at the age of 30 years old. Tina has been an actor in theatre, Go-Go dancer, singer in jazz, punk, blues and rock and roll bands. She has travelled and worked around Australia for 4 years, working in a variety of jobs and in remote areas. Tina has been a Narrative Therapist for over 30 years dealing mostly with domestic violence, couple relationships, work place bullying, sexual assault and trauma. Tina has never seen herself as a victim she has always been a survivor. She kept moving on looking for something better in her life, and finally she found it. She now spends her time with her partner of 38 years, and enjoys a less hectic life. She can be kind and understanding but she also doesn’t tolerant fools for too long. Now days she will not be told how she should be. Tina has come too far to be a weak and submissive old woman at age 72. This is her story, warts and all. Her life is not on hold yet!