‘It’s part of who I am’: Tā’aloga ma fa’asinomaga ma fa’aSāmoa - Sport, identity, and culture in the lives of Samoan-New Zealanders Joshua Connolly A thesis submitted to Victoria University of Wellington in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Arts in Cultural Anthropology 2018 Abstract Samoan-New Zealanders have become increasingly prominent within New Zealand sport since the mid-20th century. Despite the apparent desirability of players with Pacific Island heritage their presence is also met with resistance and apprehension in both professional and amateur settings. Discourse that frames the relationship between Samoan-New Zealanders and sport often does so in terms that rely on stereotypes and the naturalisation of sporting ability and participation suggesting that they are ‘built’ for sport. This thesis offers a counternarrative to such discourse exploring the ways in which sport, particularly rugby, is a culturally embedded practice for Samoan-New Zealanders. I argue that for Samoan-New Zealanders sport exists as an example of Marcel Mauss’s fait social total or Total Social Phenomenon (TSP) by virtue of the range of cultural institutions and practices that find expression within it. As such it is deeply and uniquely immersed within the fa’aSāmoa or Samoan culture. This thesis is based on seven months of ethnographic fieldworK, participant observation, and talanoa conducted in Wellington, New Zealand. It seeKs to explore the ways in which sport is a culturally embedded practice as a means of interrogating the notion that Samoan-New Zealanders are ‘born to play sport’. i Acknowledgements There is no conceivable way this thesis would have been completed without the support of phenomenal people. Firstly my gratitude goes to my supervisors Brigitte Bönisch-Brednich and Graeme Whimp. I’m sure you had no idea what you were signing up for when you agreed to supervise me and you deserve endless praise for not giving up. I would have been lost without my dream team. I also want to thanK my parents, Jane and Chris. There is no way I would have been able to complete this thesis without your continued love and support. You’ve believed in me when I haven’t been able to do the same and I can’t express how much that means. ThanKs too must go to all of my friends in particular Amy, Drew, Gen, Luc and Megan. You’ve seen me at my worst during this thesis and the fact that you’ll still stick around regardless is pretty great. An extra special thanK you also to Sophie, proof-reader and emotional support extraordinaire. ThanK you to the 9th floor crew for putting up with my antics. I never thought I’d actually miss university but you guys are pushing me dangerously close. ThanKs also to the lecturers within the anthropology department at Victoria. If you weren’t so fantastic I wouldn’t have stuck around for so long. I would also liKe to thanK the Association of Social Anthropologists of Aotearoa/New Zealand whose KāKano Fund helped to fund the binding of this thesis. Finally and most importantly I would liKe to thanK my participants Sadat, Sione, Rachel, and Phoebe you know who you are and I’m honoured that you shared your time and your stories with me. Also thanK you to everyone I got to know during the process of researching this thesis. I never expected to feel so welcomed and I treasure the experiences I had and the friends that I made. ii Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................ i AcKnowledgements ........................................................................................................... ii Chapter 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 1 Wellington, Victoria University, and Church .............................................................. 4 Sport and Anthropology - A WorK in Progress ........................................................... 5 Thesis Overview ............................................................................................................. 7 Chapter 2 Methods and FieldworK ...................................................................................................10 Constructing the field ...................................................................................................10 My place in the field ......................................................................................................16 Participant observation .................................................................................................18 Talanoa ...........................................................................................................................20 Disruptions ....................................................................................................................23 Complexity .....................................................................................................................24 Chapter 3 Tā’aloga and Sport: The Same but Different ....................................................................26 Tā’aloga ..........................................................................................................................28 Sport and Colonialism ..................................................................................................36 Worlds Collide ...............................................................................................................39 Sport and Samoans in New Zealand ...........................................................................43 Conclusion .....................................................................................................................44 iii Chapter 4 Playing Socially: Sport and Identity ................................................................................46 Hyphenated Identity .....................................................................................................49 Sport and Community ..................................................................................................50 ‘Āiga and Sport: A Family Affair .............................................................................51 Lotu: Community and Commitment ........................................................................54 Clubs as Community .................................................................................................59 Sport, Society, and the Individual ................................................................................63 Ethnicity and Sport ....................................................................................................63 Gender and Sport .......................................................................................................69 Conclusion .....................................................................................................................73 Chapter 5 Hope and Going Professional: Imagining the Future, Navigating the Present ..........74 Going Professional ........................................................................................................76 Fame ............................................................................................................................77 Money .........................................................................................................................80 Staying Amateur ............................................................................................................83 Conclusion .....................................................................................................................88 Chapter 6 Conclusion: A Social NetworK .........................................................................................90 Bibliography ......................................................................................................................95 Glossary ........................................................................................................................... 102 iv Chapter 1 Introduction ‘I thinK I’ll be happy when I’m bacK on the field. It’s Kind of . I would say it’s part of who I am.’ - Sione (participant)1 This thesis explores the relationships between Samoan-New Zealanders and sport. One of the central motivations of the thesis is to offer a counternarrative to discourse that frames the relationship between Samoan-New Zealanders and sport in terms that rely on stereotypes and the naturalisation of sporting ability and participation. In doing so it seeKs to explore the ways in which sport is a culturally embedded practice as a means of interrogating the notion that Samoan-New Zealanders are ‘born to play sport’. Chris Collins (2007, 3), Meghan Ferriter (2016, 25), and Noel DycK and Hans Hognestad (2015, 123) all note how historically sport was studied only as an epiphenomenon, secondary to more significant aspects of life such as economy or family. As such it is perhaps not so surprising that ethnographies of sport are still fairly uncommon particularly those with a focus on issues such as ethnicity and religion (Ferriter 2016, 21; Dunn and Hughson 2016, 20). Since the early mid-20th century however sport has shifted to become a major focus for the social sciences with concepts such as ethnicity and gender featuring prominently in analyses (Adair 2011; Carter 2011; Collins and JacKson 2007; Giulianotti 2015; Giulianotti 2016; Mangan 1986;