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Fakataha Faka‘osita‘u - teacher support material

by ‘Anahina ‘Aipolo Sikalu

This story supports:

Unit 1 Mālō e Lelei / greetings

Unit 2 Fakafe‘iloaki / introductions

Unit 3 Fāmili/family

Schools, ECE centres and education providers can order the set of six Faufaua! Tongan Pasifika storybooks from  Down the back of the chair. Enter item number MOE11626 into the search box.

Text features

Language features

The language features of this story include:

  • use of lea tavale (everyday language), for example, ‘Oku ‘alu ‘a Vili ki he fakataha fakafāmili hono kaume‘a ko Taniela' kimu‘a he lotu'/before church, Vili goes to his friend Taniela’s family gathering
  • use of words that distinguish singular, dual, and plural (three or more people), for example, ‘eku/my (singular); ‘ema/our (dual); ho‘o/your (singular); kinautolu/them (plural, three or more)
  • use of words transliterated from English, for example, ‘Uēlingatoni/Wellington; sikeitipooti/skateboard; however, the lea faka-Tonga expression for Christchurch is not a transliteration but a translation of the English label for Christchurch – the Garden City, with Kakala meaning flower and Kolo meaning city
  • use of prepositional phrases that express time, for example, kimu‘a he lotu/before church; he ‘aho ni/today
  • use of prepositions that express direction towards a place, for example, ki  ‘Uēlingatoni/to Wellington; ki peito / to the kitchen; kia kinautolu / towards them
  • expressions of place, for example, ‘i hē / over there; ‘i tu‘a / outside; ofi/close, near; ‘i he ve‘e tepile kai' / at the food table
  • vocabulary that defines relationships, for example, kaume‘a/friend; tokoua/cousin, brother; fakataha fakafāmili / family gathering; tamai/father; fā‘e/mother
  • repetition of particular words and structures to assist learning, for example, ‘Oku ke ‘ilo ‘oku ‘i fē ...? / Do you know where …?    
  • descriptors placed after the word being described, for example, fakataha fakafāmili / gathering family (family gathering); sikeitipooti fo‘ou' / skateboard new (new skateboard); tepile kai' / table food (food table)
  • use of formulaic expressions, for example, Mālō e lelei / Hello; Fēfē hake? / How are you?; Sai pē, mālō / I’m well, thanks; ‘Ikai, kātaki / No, sorry; ‘Ikai, mālō pē / No, thank you
  • use of the word ‘ikai to express a negative, for example, ‘Ikai, kātaki / No, sorry; ‘Ikai, mālō pē / No, thank you; ‘Oku ‘ikai ke na lava ‘o sikeitipooti / They can’t skateboard
  • use of both singular and plural forms of the same verb, for example, ‘alu/go (singular); ō/go (dual or plural)
  • the different meanings of the word lotu according to context, for example, in this story lotu means church, as in kimu‘a he lotu' / go to church, but in other circumstances, the same word can mean prayer.

Cultural features

The cultural features in this story include:

  • the different ways of celebrating New Year’s Eve across cultures. This story describes a large family gathering with a meal before a church service. The expression ‘aho faka‘osita‘u translates into English literally as “the day when all the number of days has been completed”. In other words, anga faka-Tonga focuses on the completion of a year, while in English, the expression “New Year’s Eve” demonstrates a focus on the year that is about to begin
  • the common practice in anga faka-Tonga for children to address adults, including their parents, by their first names. So, when Saula introduces Vili to his mother (Pesi), he says Pesi, ko Vili ‘eni / Pesi, this is Vili
  • the anga faka-Tonga names, for example, Taniela, Vili, ‘Aisea, Langi, Saula, Pesi, Sela. In some cultures, the “a” at the end of a name signifies a female name, but this is not the case in anga faka-Tonga. For more information on Tongan names, see unit 2 of Faufaua! An Introduction to Tongan
  • the melding of anga faka-Tonga with aspects of New Zealand cultures, for example, the people wear the traditional Tongan tupenu (lavalava, wraparound skirts) with European-style shirts and shoes.


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