OPINION
Page 6 n THE ASIAN REPORTER
September 15, 2014
Volume 24 Number 18
September 15, 2014
ISSN: 1094-9453
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n Dmae Roberts
Sewing and singing
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MY TURN
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or the past few months, I’ve been working on way, too, she said, while accompanying themselves
a multimedia project funded by the Regional on ukulele, guitar, or piano.
It’s been a long time since most of the women in
Arts & Culture Council called “Migrations,”
which features immigrant and refugee artists in the sewing circle emigrated from Tonga. Kakala has
Portland. Through the project, I learned about a been in the U.S. since 1987, when she and her
Pacific Islander sewing circle, a program of the husband moved to Portland to raise their three girls
Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization and give them a good education. Because the Ton-
(IRCO) and the IRCO Asian Family Center (AFC). gan constitutional monarchy has made education
free and mandatory for all
Sewing is considered a
citizens, people there have
folk-art form in many
a nearly 99 percent literacy
cultures, especially quilt-
rate. Quite often, Tongans
ing, which reflects the
come to the U.S. with their
quilter’s personal experi-
children
after
they’ve
ences and traditions. I also
finished secondary school,
heard that many of the
because they want access
women currently partici-
to a good higher education.
pating in the sewing circle
Kolini Fusitua, an aca-
are Tongan and they sing
demic achievement special-
traditional songs. After
ist for AFC, started the
learning that, I had to
sewing circle in 2012 to
check it out.
The Pacific Islander sewing circle, a program of the Immi-
help families connect with
The sewing circle met grant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO) and
the school system. The
weekly this summer at the IRCO Asian Family Center, met weekly this past sum-
group meets at different
George Middle School in mer at George Middle School in north Portland. Many of
schools so the women can
north Portland. I attended the women who participate in the program are Tongan.
become comfortable with
a couple of meetings. What (Photo/Nisa’ Haron)
I discovered was a group of about 10 to 18 women school buildings and staff. He mentioned that the
gathered around tables in a large classroom while children accompany their moms to hear stories
their school-age children drew pictures or played about Tonga. Current events within the Tongan
with wooden blocks in other parts of the room. Most community are also discussed. Fusitua says some of
of the women, ranging in age from 30 to 80 years old, the moms have gone on to volunteer at the school or
were hand stitching various quilts in colorful in the library, and one has even become president of
the Parent Teacher Association. With a great
patterns that reached out like sunrays.
One of the women, Kato Kakala, was using a measure of pride, he told me one of the parents was
sewing machine. Kakala, a widowed mother of three honored as volunteer of the year at Portland Public
children (one in college), serves as the instructor for Schools.
Fusitua explained that education is a top priority
the sewing circle. She seemed an expert hand on the
sewing machine and created a beautiful Tongan for Tongan parents because in Tonga, the whole
dress during the first meeting I attended.
community is responsible for children staying in
When I asked if the women could sing, they all school.
broke out in beautiful harmonies singing a Tongan
“It’s mandatory that all the children be in school
“call-and-response” song. A lead woman would sing up to 12th grade,” Fusitua said. “In Tonga, you have
one phrase and the others responded with a the school system, your parents, watching over you.
complimentary musical phrase. They had beautiful You have nowhere to go even if you do want to skip
voices and sang while working on their quilts. The school. They’ll put you in their canoe — some of our
children, who are used to the sounds of their schools we have to canoe to — and get you there. It’s
mothers’ singing, continued to play in a corner of the not a metaphor!”
classroom, but I noticed they were listening. It
Because Tongans cherish education, many
seemed like a good way for the kids to stay in touch families go overseas to find employment so they can
with their Tongan culture and language.
afford to send their children to college. Fusitua’s
Kakala told me she learned to sing as a child, own parents immigrated to America in 1975, when
listening to elder women sing while doing their he was nine years old. After he earned his college
work. Singing in church and at school is another
Continued on page 7
F
Opinions expressed in this newspaper are those of the authors and not necessarily those of this publication.