GRAFTING-CRAFTING: A view of a year 13 high school student. What is Grafting? What is Crafting?

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Vanessa Dean
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1 GRAFTING-CRAFTING: A view of a year 13 high school student. Ms. Anapapa Mo uihe ofa Fuifuipule anga Latu. Pakuranga College, Auckland, 13 Aug., What is Grafting? - Grafting is the transplant of a living tissue to make a better living graft. What is Crafting? - Crafting is the activity or hobby of making decorative articles by hand eg. Weaving and relating things to create new ideas on items and dead objects or words. As a year 13 student at Pakuranga College currently studying History and Classics; Grafting and Crafting in my opinion have a connection to the modern world society when you look at it in a Historical, Classical as well as in a biblical context. Comprehending about this idea in classical studies you are able to create new ideas and bring back to life ideas of the past. Many ideologies such as Greek philosopher and known to be one of the founders of Western Philosophy Socrates (470 BC BC) son of Sophroniscus created a way of learning of intense questioning. 1 Whereas all you would have to do was to constantly question others to be able to gain more knowledge even though you have yet to know the answer. This was known as the Socratic Method which has six stages to it; dialectic, interlocutor, elenchus, aporia, eironeia, and refutation. It is a form of cooperative argumentative dialogue between individuals based on asking and answering to draw out ideas and underlying presumptions. This method of learning is useful in the modern world today however many scholars, politicians, poets and skilled craftsmen in the era of Plato, Socrates, Xenophon and Aristophanes found this idea of learning irritating. The 3rd century Alexandrian theologian Tertullian stated, Wretched Aristotle! Who taught them dialectic, that art of building and demolishing, so protean in statement, so far fetched in conjecture, so unyielding in controversy., so productive of disputes; self stultifying, since it is ever handling questions but never settling anything. 2 Thus, while dialectic and intense questioning seeked to dismantle, I suggest this Grafting- Crafting method as a way forward to amalgamate and make whole. The reason being for the irritation of constant questioning, the scholars believed that Socrates was pretending his ignorance as he was insisted by the Oracle of Delphi that he was in fact the wisest man and they were believed to be a hotline to Apollo the god of sun, music, truth, prophecy, poetry and knowledge. Socrates method associates with the present Tongan 1 Socrates method of enquiry Intense questioning in search for possible answers. 2 Tertullian (c ), Des praescriptione baereticorum (c.200), vii in Henry Bettenson, Documents of the Christian Church, (London: Oxford University Press, 1967),

2 democratic government where they ask innumerable questions seeking answers but are unwilling to accept the given answers provided therefore majority of sound educated people find such method of running government very irritating. It dawned on November with a burning down of the Nuku alofa capital town and still to date rendered no answer to that crisis. Historically my generation has the power to change the past and how the future will be since we know what has happened in past. We can do that by Grafting-Crafting of realities to make dismantled realities a whole. My generation can bring up new ideas of Grafting -Crafting that may seem less problematic and articulate a craft as possible solutions to what has happened in the past. In previous history the world was corrupted by many ideas, stereotypes of the many different human races and usage of demonic substances known as alcohol and drugs. The world population resorted to such demonic devices as possible solutions to their questions but it did not solve them. Many of the world's problems were evolved around American history but one of those problems were in the Middle eastern. On October al Hakim the Caliph of Egypt ordered Muslims to destroy the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. In 1896 Segregation in the United States had started where whites and blacks had to be kept separated by the US Supreme Court case Plessy vs. Ferguson during the Jim Crow Era. Prohibition had begun in America in 1920 which was when the 18th amendment to the US Constitution was passed and that the manufacture, distribution and sale of alcohol was made illegal in the US. However many people continued to drink and many consequences of this were women and children became victims of domestic violence, depression, poverty, unemployment and prostitution furthermore prohibition had ended on December 5th Reflecting back to reality and the modern world society; Crafting can be defined in many types of contexts and one way of defining it is the activity or hobby of making decorative articles by hand. An example of crafting is the weaving that our mothers in Tonga did as we grew up. My mother is a native Tongan and so am I and proud to be. I know the language of the mother tongue although I was brought up here in New Zealand. When I was younger, my mother and late grandmother both crafted the Fala(mat for sitting on), Ta ovala (traditional mat worn to show respect) and many others. Weaving fala always begins with at least 2 strands of fe unu lou akau (flax) in vertical and horizontal direction whilst one strand of lou akau is used to weave the 2 strands together. When you begin to weave your fala, you will notice there will is always be a cross in the beginning. A more understandable example is that we as christians need to put aside our differences to become one in Christ also the center of a family, relationship, and school should always begin with a cross also known as Christ. Grafting is the transplant of a living tissue as a graft. My father suffered a heart malfunction where he was sent to Middlemore hospital in Otahuhu and later transferred to Auckland Hospital to be treated and have a Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery where he got his damaged arteries in his heart replaced. The heart began to malfunction due to 50+ odd years of hard labour. My father was a dedicated farmer as a biology and agricultural engineer for both family and the 2

3 Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry MAF in Tonga. As being the daughter of the patient I was quite afraid for my father. I had questions running through my mind whereas I d ask myself what would happen if dad didn t pull through? I had the tendency to always be talking negative through this process; I always said what I could have done for him and what i could ve not done? It was a scary process but in the end I always knew that he will pull through and that God was also working on him. Grafting in this context is the transplant of a living tissue and in every surgery it begins with a surgeon, a nurse, and the patient.without the surgeon, the patient wouldn t be fixed physically and without the patient, the surgeon wouldn t be able to do his job. In biblical context to become new and whole in Christ it always begins with you, your mind,soul and heart giving it all to God and trusting him to take the wheel in your life as he knows what happened in the past, what is happening in the present day and what will happen in the future. God is the only main person that is able to be with you 24 hours 7 days a week and 365 days a year. Surgeons replace the damaged physically however God is the only person that can cleanse and repair you physically, mentally and spiritually and even though that a part of my father has been grafted from the crafted piece of God as the 2nd youngest daughter, I am grateful that these 2 forms of wisdom and intelligence benefited my family, my friends and the whole world as a unit. Biography My name is Anapapa Moúi he Ófa Fuifui Puleánga Latu. I am 17 years old and I am the 2nd daughter of Rev. Paula O. Latu (Mataika, VV) and Susana N. Latu (Ha avakatolo, Tt). I was born on March in Tofoa at the Vaiola Hospital in Nukuálofa Tongatapu when my father served as minister at Kolofoóu, Nukuálofa circuit. I am my grandmother s namesake (Father s mother) whom her name was Anapapa Lolomani Finau and I took on Anapapa and my middle names Mo uihe ofa was the Church theme that month I was born, and Fuifui puleanga was given by Rev. Falematapule Lomu, the Hebrew lecturer and head tutor in Sia atoutai Theological College, Tongatapu from the Bible book of Genesis 17v5. I just noticed that my name in itself is a real Craft. Although I m a Tongan born who was raised in New Zealand I know the traditions and customs of my motherland, Tonga, I understand and speak Tongan but saying speeches isn t one of my expertise as I can t make sense. I grew up around my grandparents and my aunties and uncles (my mothers family) taking care of me from when I was a newborn and still today in 2016 they still take care of me and my siblings. Education During my first years of school I went to the Salvation Army Kindergarten situated in Kolovai, Hihifo, (Western side) Tongatapu and when I was 5 years old in 2004 my family and I moved to New Zealand in order for my father to complete his studies of the History of Tonga. This was an opportunity for myself 3

4 and my siblings to study overseas. In my primary years I attended Botany Downs Primary School in Botany Downs, Auckland with Mr Bruce Trezise as my principal for 5 years. In year 3-4 I received the Johnsons cup for Literacy, when I first moved to New Zealand I couldn t speak English at all and gaining this award represented a big milestone for me. Halfway through year 5 my father as a Methodist minister was appointed to serve as superintendent minister at Makave parish, Vavaú (An island North of Tongatapu). In 2009 I attended Vavaú Side School to complete year 6, by the time it was the end of the year my father returned to New Zealand to complete his studies and therefore I came back with my father at the beginning of In 2010 I was enrolled to Howick Intermediate School for years 7 and 8, I took up the role of being a class councillor and a student librarian in 2011 giving me more confidence to communicate with more people. My first year of highschool, I chose to go and experience what high school is like in Tonga and so I went to Queen Salote College with Ma ata Havea as my principal for year 9 where my mother attended and became Head Prefect. In year 10 I came back to New Zealand and studied at Howick College with Mr Iva Ropati as my principal then moved to Pakuranga College in year 11 right through to year 13 this year, my principal is Mr Michael Williams. This year in year 13 I major in History, Classics and English willing to continue on in university to do a double major in History and Classics at the University of Auckland in My education and upbringing is a whole Craft in itself. Commitments Since 2012 I have been a member of the Tala-TukuFakaholo Howick-Tongan Community Youth Group where we are a performance group based for the Pasifika youth going through depression. This group is to help and show teens that we can do and offer good things in life. We can get through the hardships in life and using drugs and abusing alcohol also self harming are never the best possible solutions. We perform many Pasifika cultural dances which include the traditional Tongan tauólunga, maúluúlu, mako and also Hawaiian, Tahitian, Rarotongan Hula.We also perform religious forms of dramas that include action songs and skits. In the past 2 years we travelled as a group to Brisbane and Darwin, N.T. Australia, to perform at their Tonga Day in Recently in 2015 I was a part of the Jerusalem Coronation Choir that travelled to Tongatapu for HM King Tupou VI s coronation that was held in July As a member of the Jerusalem Choir, we prepared about 6+ church anthems including the new King Solomon anthem composed by Master Viliami Telefoni over a timeframe of 6 months to perform specially for HM King Tupou VI coronation Sunday on July 4 th Being picked to sing for the Royal Family is a once in a lifetime opportunity. In year 12 (2015) I took up the opportunity of tutoring students needing help with history and anyone struggling with their first year of NCEA. As a History student tutor, I help students with understanding in depth whichever topic they re struggling to understand also help with essay writing. I played for 3 school netball teams. In 2013 I played for a social team at Howick College just to try out this sport and I enjoyed it despite the early morning training sessions. In 2014 I moved to Pakuranga College and continued to play Netball there for 2 teams; A Saturday Auckland Netball competition team and a social team whereas I was captain. For basketball I took part in a local town s team where villages in Tonga compete against each village in In I was a part of a school choir based for Pasifika students from all year levels. This choir brought many Pasifika cultures closer. We competed in the Big Sing 2015 which was held at the Auckland Town Hall. My journey in life and school is a Craft in whole. I wished my fellow Pacific peers can do likewise and offer our potentials in positive way to win more Pacific youths that are out there on the street engaging in gangsters, drugs, violences, teenage pregnancies and abort unwanted babies and the like. 4

5 I just wished that we, as Pacific youths can transform the negative Craft we have vested in the NZ society as Tongans and Pacificans, by offering the best of our culture for the better. We need to Graft in ourselves and our cultures to the established and make New Zealand a better society with better people in the future. With love I remained. 5

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