The Story
A few months ago I attended a tourism development meeting, it was almost a fleeting comment that the presenter made that I’m sure along with those in attendance thought insignificant, but was a gut shot to me. I was left wondering and doubting if what I just heard was true. My name is David Tuinei and I was born and raised in American Samoa. When I was a young boy I could remember as I passed through many villages seeing an abundance of evidence of traditional arts and crafts being created. Memories of being grumpy because of the early hour that my dad woke me and made me hike up a steep hillside covered with fresh dew, so that we could help a group of men and boys haul a Ifilele (Samoan Hardwood) tree trunk to have it eventually carved into a canoe are still fresh in my mind. The feeling of satisfaction that came months after that grumpy morning from taking that canoe to Lion’s Park for its inaugural launch yet resonates with me as if it just happened. The smoke-filled hut signifi...