Embedded Files
Preserving Our Past, Inspiring Our Future
Preserving Our Past, Inspiring Our Future
Our stories are carried in the things we create, wear, and pass down. To ensure our heritage remains vibrant and accessible, Samoan Solutions is launching a Community Cultural Archive—and we need your help.
We are seeking donations of Samoan cultural artifacts, family heirlooms, and traditional goods. Instead of locking these treasures away in private collections or distant museums, our archive will keep them in the hands and hearts of our community. Every donated item will be preserved, cataloged, and made fully accessible to the public for education, celebration, and connection.
How Your Donation Makes a Difference:
Your generosity ensures that a young Samoan child can touch a piece of history, an artist can study traditional weaving techniques, and our elders can see their stories honored.
Ready to contribute? Contact us at info@samoansolutions.org
What we are accepting
What we are accepting
Traditional Wear & Textiles: IE toga (fine mats), siapo (tapa cloth), and traditional attire.
Artifacts & Tools: To’oto’o (speaker staffs), fue (fly whisks), tanoa (ava bowls), and carving tools.
Adornments & Art: Pale fuiono (headbands), ula fala (pandanus necklaces), and contemporary Pacific art.
Media & Literature: Historical photographs, letters, audio/video recordings, and out-of-print books.
MEASINA GREER COLLECTION
MEASINA GREER COLLECTION
Donated by the Greer Family of Burlingame, this collection includes a variety of Measina collected by the family. In 1961, the Greer's met & wed during their time in the Peace Core program. They both served as Samoa's first Peace Corp volunteers. Supporting the water infrastructure & medical needs on island. This collection features a mix of pieces acquired by the couple in 1961 & a few modern pieces from a visit back to Samoa in the 2000's. The MEASINA Greer Collection was on display for 3 years in the Punaoa room of Le Maota.
MEASINA SIAPO MAI Sarah Wright Hughes
MEASINA SIAPO MAI Sarah Wright Hughes
Donated in memory of the late Sarah Wright Hughes, this collection consists of 18 pieces of Samoan Siapo, a hand written letter sharing the history as known to the family of the collection and the carrying case of the original owner Major General Carroll H. Deitrick. The collection has been displayed at the de Young Museum during the 2026 Oceania Day & has been on display at the 2026 P.I.E.F.E.S.T. Pacific Islander STEAM Fair.
Impacts of Cultural Access on Pacific Islander Communities
Providing Pacific Islander (PI) communities with direct access to their own cultural goods yields deep social, emotional, and educational benefits:
Cultural Identity Reconnection: Many diaspora youth experience a sense of cultural displacement. Direct interaction with physical artifacts anchors their identity, fostering a profound sense of belonging and pride.
Intergenerational Knowledge Transfer: Traditional goods serve as visual and tactile storytelling prompts. Elders can use these items to teach younger generations about Fa'asamoa (the Samoan way), passing down oral histories that might otherwise be lost.
Decolonizing Material History: Historically, Pacific artifacts have been housed in Western museums behind glass, stripped of their community context. A community-led archive returns ownership of the narrative to the people, allowing them to interact with objects as living pieces of culture rather than static relics.
Educational Excellence & Research: Local access to authentic goods provides indispensable resources for PI educators, students, and researchers. It allows for accurate cultural education in schools and community workshops, from traditional arts to historical studies.
Mental Health & Well-being: Studies consistently show that strong cultural grounding acts as a protective factor for mental health in minority and indigenous communities. Connecting with heritage through cultural goods builds resilience, self-esteem, and communal solidarity.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse