Sauniga is a powerful cultural ceremony that invites audiences into the majestic world of our earliest ancestors – the animals of the land, sky and ocean. Drawing on ancestral knowledge and traditional Samoan beliefs, the piece reawakens sacred connections between the spiritual beings of the old world, known as Aitu, and their descendants today.
The work takes its name from a Samoan word that refers to ceremonial process and spiritual preparation. Through movement, chant and ritual, Sauniga explores the roles that animals have played in shaping our cosmologies, cultural values and everyday lives. The experience is both reverent and imaginative, seeking playful discoveries and provoking reflection on our relationship with the natural world.
At the heart of the performance is the Samoan proverb: “E sui faiga ae tumau fa’avae” – meaning “The form changes, but the underlying principles remain.” This concept is woven throughout the ceremony, encouraging audiences to consider how traditional knowledge can evolve while remaining rooted in its original foundations.
Sauniga is created and directed by FAFSWAG’s Pati Tyrell, whose visionary work often reclaims Indigenous cultural spaces through contemporary art. This live activation also features artists Jaycee Tanuvasa and Peni Fakaua, whose performances draw on their own lived experiences and cultural practices.
Supported by Asia TOPA and Creative New Zealand, Sauniga forms part of FALE SĀ / Sacred House – a broader project exploring storytelling, ritual and identity across the Pacific diaspora. Together, these works create a space for ceremony, community and deep cultural exchange.
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