January 2026 Newsletter
Preserving Heritage & Creativity.
Happy New Year and warm greetings to our Creative Samoa community as we welcome 2026. We begin the year with gratitude — for the knowledge shared, the relationships strengthened, and the many hands and voices that continue to keep Samoa’s living heritage alive. We look forward to another year of creativity, learning, and meaningful cultural exchange.
Creative Art Classes at Tiapapata Art Centre
We are delighted to start the year with a special series of Creative Art Classes with visiting Creative Arts Therapist and practising artist Kerrie Reyntjes.
Upu ma Tala – Heritage Talanoa Series
Safeguarding Samoa’s Living Heritage
As we reflect on the closing months of 2025, we are proud to report on the successful completion of the Upu ma Tala – Heritage Talanoa Series, delivered by Tiapapata Art Centre with the support of UNESCO. The series takes its name from the Samoan proverb: “O tama a tagata e fafaga i upu ma tala, a’o tama a manu e fafaga i fuga o lāʻau”— reminding us that people are nourished by words, stories, and shared wisdom.Revitalising endangered knowledgeUpu ma Tala focused on cultural practices that are rarely taught today, yet remain central to Samoan identity. Across the series, knowledge holders and master practitioners shared skills and stories connected to:
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fagufagu (nose flute)
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pa-alo-atu (bonito composite lures)
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siapo (bark cloth art)‘afa (cordage)
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ipu ‘ele (pottery made from locally sourced clay)
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va‘a carving and palolo fishing knowledge
These practices were explored not as museum artefacts, but as living traditions, shaped by environment, ancestry, and community.
Learning by doing:
True to fa‘a-Samoa, participants learned through hands-on
cultural apprenticeship — carving, shaping, weaving,
forming, and making alongside experienced practitioners.
This approach reaffirmed the importance of embodied
knowledge and intergenerational transmission.Inclusive
participationCommunity members, families, youth, and members of the Samoan diaspora all took part in the talanoa sessions and workshops. The series affirmed cultural participation as a shared human right and created welcoming spaces for dialogue, learning, and connection.
Documentation and legacy
Each session contributed to a growing archive of photographs, video recordings, and stories, forming valuable educational and cultural resources. These materials will support future teaching, exhibitions, outreach, and research, helping ensure the knowledge shared during Upu ma Tala continues to reach new audiences. Participants consistently reported:
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strengthened cultural pride and identity
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deeper family and community connections
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renewed enthusiasm for safeguarding Samoan heritage.
Looking forward
The Upu ma Tala – Heritage Talanoa Series has laid strong foundations for:
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sustainable cultural transmission
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community empowerment
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creative and cultural practice
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protection of cultural rights
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strengthened national identity.
Safeguarding living heritage ensures that future generations inherit not only stories about the past, but the skills, practices, and wisdom that continue to define Samoa.
Fa‘afetai tele lava!
We extend heartfelt thanks to all knowledge holders, practitioners, participants, partners, and supporters who contributed to Upu ma Tala. Your generosity, skill, and commitment have helped ensure Samoa’s living heritage continues to grow, adapt, and flourish.
We look forward to welcoming you to Tiapapata Art Centre in the year ahead — through creative art classes, future talanoa, and new opportunities to learn together.
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