Samata Nafatali

Thank you for making me feel at home Aunty Samata❤️ Thank you for your love, your advice on life, for sharing the word of God and for just being you! E lē lava upu e fa'amatala ai lou alofa ia a'u ma le fanau. Sleep the long sleep my dear Aunty Samata. E lē galo oe, alofa tele atu mo le Nafatali aiga. O alofa na o alofa nei 💗

My mum migrated here to Dunedin late 70's with help of the faifeau at EFKS Dunedin at the time. We moved to Auckland in 1995 with my parents & sister. I returned to Dunedin in 2014. Both my parents had sadly passed away. Since returning there are only a few of the older generations left here in Dunedin that recognise me through my parents - and beautiful Samata is one of them. When I first seen her at a community event I was drawn to her with her familiar beauiful smile and she looked at me and asked who I was. I mentioned my mum's name and that was it... every time I seen her after that she was always checking in and reminded me of how I reminded her of my mum. I always found this special and made my heart warm. Such a huge loss to the Nafatali aiga but watching the livestreams she has left a huge legacy behind. Sending love to the aiga may you all find love and peace at such a sad time. Alofaaga mo outou uma. God bless! <3

Dear Samata (RIL) and her family, She was the ocean’s calm, the village’s light, a mother of many, a keeper of stories. Her laughter healed, her wisdom guided, her love bound us in the sacred *vā*. Though she journeys on, her spirit remains — woven in our songs, living in our hearts. Asuao and Family

😭😭😭😭E ua maliliu Toa ua Maumau ai Auupega ole Taua . Samata ua leai se upu ou te mafai ona ou toe fai atu ona ua e sola lava ae le tau maia lau Malaga . Faatoa ou maua le tala ile aso lenei Ae ui i lea Samata ua Silafia ele Alii lau galuega sa fai i lou nei tinā poo se uso foi ia oe . Ete Faamalosi Lapatai mai i mea uma lava ole olaga i totonu o lenei atunuu. Samata e lei pogisa fofoga ole Lagi i lau galuega sa e faia i lenei lalolagi Ae ole sili mea uma sa e faia ia te au o lou Alofa lea Ete vili mai ia au pe ole 11at night Ete talanoa mai ole lelei ole Alii ma e faasoa mai ile Agaga ole Atua Ia Oloalii Nafa ma le aiga aemaise Rina Tau ina ia pai atu le Agaga ole Atua i ō outou loto ma o outou agaga. Ma ia tafi mala le faigamalaga ale Tinā Peleina Samata Nafatali … Amuia e Faanoanoa Aua e Faamafanafanaina i latou Manuia lau Malaga Samata 😭😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Alofa atu Nafatali Family Alofaaga Noela Luamanuvae From Auckland

Love and thoughts to whanau

Sending all of our love to all the Nafatali aiga! 🥹🥰😘❤️ We love you all and we will miss Samata. ☺️ Take comfort that she is now with Olo & Mark! 🥹❤️ Love from Vai Nineva Vaitupu, Gemma Tuhega, Orlando Tuhega-Vaitupu, Jeremiah Tuhega-Vaitupu & Phoenix Tuhega-Vaitupu all the way from the USA 🇺🇸 in Orlando/Florida for Orlando’s 21st birthday!

For Samata Samata, my dear friend Ua e sola filemu Talofa e, ta fia aiaiuli i lau toe saásaá I lau Mafutaga a Tina e te faamemelo i ai Le manu tagi e, ua tagi taámilo... Ae 'sei e talo tasi mai, ma e ata mai O lau faatamalii ma lau faáaloalo Ua ou asoaina Amuia le lupe e lele atu ma toe sau... Ta toe fia nofo ane i ou autafa A o e talatala, ma faasoa matagi feagiai o le olaga Ta toe fia áta faamaela ane I au tifiga ma lou tamaliiaga mafanafana Ta fia toe faasoa I ta teuga ma sitairi eseese Goodbye mai feleni - Tofaina oe Tofa Ua e mapu atu i aao o lou Alii Aua e te fai mai a oe o le Lotu, ma tausiga o le faifeau, ma galuega a le aulotu O aiga, ma fanau ia ola fiafia, ma ola manuia A e oo atu iina ma faatasi ma le au pele Momoli atu iai alofaaga But for you my friend E te ola pea i loú loto ma loú agaga During our last conversation I said -Love you Samata You laughed and said- Love you too Tofilau Ua lava lea mo aú. E momoli atu alofaaga mo Oloalii Nafa, Raewyn, Kelly and Albie, Victoria, Dora and Tama and the boys ma ana great grands, Clem ma Mona ma le fanau, Lalau Karina, ma aiga faavauvau-do not cry, celebrate her- fai ia lelei lona aso- you know e le manao i se mea e faaletonu - she was proud and loved all of you, she was a formidable lady, my fashionista friend, who had all the latest fashions, she touched and loved so many people, including the students and all our families at the University of Otago, many she with her husband Oloialii hosted many times in their home. I and my family thank you Oloalii and Samata, for looking out for us, and cared for us- Faafetai Alofa, Faafetai agalelei. Ia viia lava le Atua ona o a lua galuega lelei amaise le fanau. U faáfetai Ua faáfetai Ua malie mata i vaai Ua tasi lava oe E tasi lava oe. I loú nei faámoemoe! Tofaina oe- TOFA!

First and foremost I give thanks and praise to God, Our Heavenly Father for blessing us with this beautiful and unforgettable Tinā, Samata Nafatali. There are so many words and memories that I could write about Samata that could fill this book. However I will start with this acronym of her name; S - strength Samata was a woman of great (strong)Faith in her God. She was a prayer warrior, she prayed for her family, her church, her Faifeau, her friends, her community, anyone who she knew who needed prayers. She was also a strong, confident leader, a role model to many especially to woman & Tinā of all ages. Sometimes Samata’s strong personality was a bit daunting to some. I remember being scared of Samata when I first became a faletua, but gradually our relationship developed into one of mutual love and respect. Like many elderly Tinā in the church, she was like a mother figure to me; sa fautua ma fesoasoani tele ia te a’u, aemaise I lo’u FaaSamoa. I received much encouragement from Samata to try and speak Gagana Samoa as I lacked confidence in this area. A - attitude Samata always had a positive attitude. She had a DIY ‘we can do this!’ approach to any challenge we faced. She showed grit and determination in difficult situations. If she was angry about something, there was a purpose, maybe because she stood true to her values and/or to faasa’o something (or someone) who was in the wrong. Samata was fearless. She could put you in your place with one raise of an eyebrow 🤨 look or just a diplomatic comment that would be a learning moment for everyone too. She was rich with words of wisdom, alagaupu and words to uplift us (Tinā especially) when we were down. She had some funny comebacks too. M - mana Samata had a real presence, she could walk into a room and you could see the impact she had immediately. I remember the ladies looked up to her, she was an inspiration. She lead by example. She served her community and was highly respected for that. Being one of the (OG’s) longer serving Tinā in the mafutaga, Samata had gathered a lot of experience and wisdom over the years. For example she held the position of Failautusi (Secretary) for two terms. The ladies often looked to her for encouragement. A - Atamai Samata valued and promoted Education; from ECE to Tertiary level, she supported and encouraged children and students of all ages to strive for success. A pioneer for ECE particularly in the Pasefika community. She helped establish Aoga Amata in the early days, her legacy at Punavai o le Atamai still lives on. Samata and her family served in this preschool for over 40 years (volunteer, teacher, committee member). She was a much loved faiaoga to many young children of all ethnic backgrounds. Even as a great grandma, she still took time to come in to preschool and do a mattime session or read a book or 2 with tamaiti. Samoan 🇼🇸 language weeks were her forte, where she was in her element. She could connect with the little preschoolers so easily, promoting FaaSamoa 🇼🇸 and having fun with them too. Oloalii&Samata supported many students from Samoa studying at OU. They generously provided food and resources to many Uni students over the years, including students from MTC training to be EFKS Church Ministers. T - tautua (and talents) Samata had many talents and served others in many different ways; her famous culinary master pieces(Master chef level) are well known in the community. She cooked delicious dishes of food 🥘 and generously gave them to others to enjoy. She would provide a feast for le Aufaigaluega (visiting church ministers) or a church function or any special occasion. Samata loved her church and served diligently; she volunteered to supply the holy communion items over many years. Her motto of ‘Fai mea lelei, fai le mea sili’; do your best in everything, strive for excellence, could be seen in her meticulous church decorations and flower arrangements (teu Falesā). Her attention to detail was ‘next level’, not one little leaf or flower would be out of place. She would plan well in advance and create her theme, which was like art work. All her whanau would work together to support her, Samata demonstrated to them tautua in small and big jobs for the church. When we had to do church fundraising, particularly for church women’s fellowship group(Mafutaga Tinā), Samata would come up with these great ideas and projects that we would try out. For example, takeaway suppers at the farmers market (in the church car park). She used her talents to serve in the church and in the community. A - alofa Samata showed alofa (love) by serving others. Sa alofa I le Faifeau & faletua & fanau (all past and present). She loved her church; her beloved friends I totonu o le mafutaga Tinā (sisters in Christ ). She loved the church people, and the preschool staff & children. She showed love and kindness to students, RSE workers from Samoa, (when we hosted them for a short while), and anyone who needed help or support. Samata loved le Ekalesia (her church) Samata loved the Dunedin community, a proud Brockville, Dunedin resident for many years. Samata loved Samoa 🇼🇸 Samata was passionate in her identity and culture. This was so obvious in her promotion and teaching of Gagana Samoa and FasSamoa 🇼🇸 to young preschoolers for many years. Also, at church events, Samata would not shy away from any cultural duties or responsibilities. On a more personal level, I am so grateful for having the privilege of knowing Samata. I feel truly blessed because I learned so much from her. She helped me grow in my self-confidence, she gave me good advice and wise counsel when I needed it. She helped me when I was sick and when I struggled. She encouraged me to speak up and to have courage when I had big responsibilities. She helped and prayed for me and my husband Rev Posala and our kids when we went through the hardest times in our lives, saying goodbye to Dunedin. In ending this long tribute, I want to say Faafetai, Faafetai tele lava to the Nafatali aiga for sharing your beautiful, talented Mum, Grandma, Great Grandma, the Matriarch of your aiga, with us. We will always remember her beautiful smile and cheerful face whenever she greeted us. Samata’s kindness and generosity will be remembered always. May her legacy live on through each and every one of you. May you all find comfort and peace from God as you lay her to rest and let her go to be with her Lord in Heaven. Ia outou Lototetele ma ia foai mai le Atua le mafanafana mai I le agaga o le Atua mo outou uma 🙏 ❤️ Tōfā Tinā Samata, Faafetai I lua alolofa ma agalelei ia I matou. E lē galo oe le Tinā peleina Samata xxx ❤️ Ia manuia lau malaga, Samata Nafatali RIL 🙏 ❤️ Alofaaga e lē mavae from, Rev Posala Tioa Fogavai & Philippa, Grace, Christian and Josiah xxx

It is with a broken heart I write this tribute to honor the life of a loving Mother, Grandma, Great- Grandma, Samata. She was a kind and thoughtful Matriarch. Over the years I have watched her, the steady rock for her Aiga. For my younger sister, Raewyn, Samata was a blessing that went beyond the bond of in-laws; she offered a complete, unconditional, motherly love. Having lost our own mother early, when Raewyn was very young, I am eternally grateful for the way Samata nurtured and supported my sister, ensuring she, Nafa my nieces and nephews were still connected to us, in the Far North, no matter the distance or the challenges. I pay tribute to her as a Matriarch of the Nafatali Aiga but also as a Matriarch of our Subritzky Whānau. I honor her memory, and thank her for being a part of our Whānau. Kia Kaha Whānau. Samata you be dearly missed, Rest in Peace Samata Untill we meet again

Samata you were always a kind and beautiful woman who treated our family with love and respect. May you find love and peace with your husband and son. Love to the Nafatali whanau we miss you. Mary, Kenny and whanau xxx