Anyone speak Samoan? (seriously)

[David Somers]

Hey everyone.....

I know this is an odd request....but do anyone of you know a wood turner who happens to speak Samoan?

Remember back a year or so ago I posted some photos of some hand carved bowls, platters, plates and weapons that were done by a friend in American Samoa? If you didn't see it do a search in the forum on Samoa and you will find the threads. If you haven't seen his work you will be amazed at what he is doing with an adze made from a lawn mower blade and a small tree limb for a handle held together with inner tube rubber, a chisel, and a handsaw, compared to what we do with our mega dollar lathes. It is reallllllly humbling.

He was here with his wife for a week last week and I had a chance to spend some time with him on my lathe and he seems to be hooked. Pretty neat! His eyes were wide, his palms were a bit sweaty, and his friends said he talked about the lathe a lot! You all know the symptoms.

But.........Before I encourage him much I want to be sure that there is someone around who could help him by phone or email when he really has problems or serious questions. He doesn't speak much English. Although I did fine showing him how to do things and explaining concepts when we were together I KNOW that I would have a much harder time trying to help him by phone or email. There are no other lathe workers in Samoa that I know of so he will be by himself out there. I can have his wife translate for me....but she doesn't know a lathe from a fruit bat and some concepts will be very difficult to get through if I translate through her. A Samoan speaking woodturner would be ideal for the trickier concepts.

By the way.....I made a deal with him. I agreed to take a week off during his next trip out here to teach him the lathe, or to take my Jet mini with me to Samoa if that ends up being the next time we see each other.......provided he doesn't abandon his hand carving for the lathe. He is the only traditional carver left in American Samoa. And he has not been able to get anyone to take it up in spite of holding free lessons for folks of all ages. I would feel horrible if my encouragement of him and the lathe cost the island its only remaining traditional carver.

So....if you know of anyone who is a turner AND speaks Samoan please ask them to contact me. I would feel a ton better encouraging John in his lathe envy if I knew there was someone to turn to when my inability to speak or write Samoan keeps me from helping him.

My email is d_somers@hotmail.com or they can PM me from this forum.

Anyone have experience putting a Jet Mini in an airplane's overhead compartment? <grin>

Fa'afetai tele lava !!! Thanks very much everyone (in Samoan)!!!

Dave

 

[Gretch Flo]

Self teaching

Dave- I was self taught, and never saw any one turn. Studied 2 of Raffans books and Judy Dittmers many times before I ventured to cut off my arms or decapitate me!! BUT, Judy Dittmer's book, Basic Bowl Turning, ISBN: 0-88740-627-0 is great as there are lots of quality big pictures with sentences or small paragraphs describing the pictures. While other books may be more of help in depth, this one is pictoral. Hope this helps. Gretch ps. I don't know samoan

 

[Wilford Bickel]

David, I well remember those fabulous posts! Please make sure he keeps doing the carving before it becomes a totally lost craft. I can't help on the language problem but there are a number of good DVD's that are shot in enough detail he could probably watch them without understanding the dialog and still be able to pick up on most of the techniques.

What I want to hear is not about the Jet mini in the overhead compartment but how you get the sharp turning tools onboard the plane!!! Wish you had some pictures of him on the lathe the first time - I would love to see the look on his face during his first turning!!

 

[David Somers]

Dave- I was self taught, and never saw any one turn. Studied 2 of Raffans books and Judy Dittmers many times before I ventured to cut off my arms or decapitate me!! BUT, Judy Dittmer's book, Basic Bowl Turning, ISBN: 0-88740-627-0 is great as there are lots of quality big pictures with sentences or small paragraphs describing the pictures. While other books may be more of help in depth, this one is pictoral. Hope this helps. Gretch ps. I don't know samoan

Same with me Gretch! My mentor was the David Ellsworth DVD. My wife almost screamed when the 105th viewing started. And that was before the lathe even arrived! Prompted me to put a little portable DVD player on the shelf above the lathe.

I think a good pictorial book like Judy's and few simple DVD's would be a good bet, especially if I can pick one like Ellsworth's or Bill Grumbine, etc, and go over it with him when we are together. My main concern was trying to help him after that when he is getting tear out again and again and needs a hand getting past that. Problems like that. Its tough to research answers when the sources are all in a language you don't follow and your spouse/interpreter doesn't know the lingo. Maybe I should teach Epi too!!!! <grin......that was said with a bit of seriousness>

Dave

 

[David Somers]

David, I well remember those fabulous posts! Please make sure he keeps doing the carving before it becomes a totally lost craft.

Wilford,

They were pretty amazing photos. I still remember watching him work the first time. It was really impressive. I was serious about that agreement with him though....and he agreed he would not give up carving if he did this.

There are a fair number of traditional carvers in Independent or Western Samoa. In fact, all the family on his side live in Western Samoa and all of his brothers are carvers in the same tradition. All taught the craft by their father. And there are several other families carving on the island as well. I went out to visit John's brothers on my last trip there and it was quite the little operation they had. Everyone was sitting on the ground in the fale....an open sided thatched structure. They were all working on bowls in various stages, some hollowing the bowl, some doing detail work, another sawing and chiseling the legs. A few of their daughters were there as well making cord out of coconut fibers. I don't know how many bowls they do collectively in one year, but I saw how many were in the market by the cruise ship dock and between that and the demand for bowls for home use on the islands it has to be a pretty fair number. Of course the bowls made for tourists were less ornate and not as good a quality as what they did for local folks. But still quite nice.

So......to answer your concern...John enthusiastically agreed he would not abandon carving if he did decide to take up the lathe. And he is still doing classes trying to get some of the younger folks interested in it. Another thing he is doing is demonstrations for the National Park. They have a program there where a different craftsperson is brought in each week and they setup on the floor of the Visitor Center and work on their craft right there for the visitors. They have had John there a number of times. Also tatami matt weavers, tapa cloth makers, etc. It is a neat program. The VC is in a little strip mall so they get alot of exposure to local residents as well as tourists so it is a great opportunity to keep the crafts in peoples minds.


If any of you are interested in a really interesting tropical vacation by the way, you might consider Samoa.....perhaps as part of a trip to Fiji or Tonga or another "nearby" country. The park offers a really neat opportunity they call home stay. You stay in a Samoan village with a family and really get to experience island life. It is a unique experience not offered elsewhere in our National Parks. The park web page is at www.nps.gov/npsa if you are curious.
Dave

 

[Jim Stoppleworth]

David,

Can't help on the Samoan language. I don't how it is set up but when visiting Hawaii I certainly enjoyed the crafts at the Polynesian Cultural Center on Oahu. 1) Would they be able to help your friend find someone to pass this carving ability to? 2) Would they have someone versed on a lathe who spoke Samoan and English? Just some thoughts based on what we heard there about the preservation of the various islands cultures.

Jim

 

[David Somers]

David,

Can't help on the Samoan language. I don't how it is set up but when visiting Hawaii I certainly enjoyed the crafts at the Polynesian Cultural Center on Maui. 1) Would they be able to help your friend find someone to pass this carving ability to? 2) Would they have someone versed on a lathe who spoke Samoan and English? Just some thoughts based on what we heard there about the preservation of the various islands cultures.

Jim

Thanks Jim, I had not given the center a thought.

Although my friend is the only remaining traditional carver in American Samoa there are other carvers in nearby Independent Samoa, including his brothers, so the craft won't actually die. The economy in Independant Samoa is pretty poor and carving is a pretty attractive way to earn a living, unlike American Samoa where the economy is better. Kids just have no interest in doing something like traditional carving when they can work for the Starkist Cannery or just join the US National Guard or a similar occupation. (I believe American Samoa has the highest number of Guard inductees per capita of any US State or Territory.)

Anyway.....I will give the Center a call and see if they have anyone there that fits the bill! Thanks for the idea!