No. 733 Katerina Moala, 2009

File — Box: 72, Folder: 6

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Katerina Moala (b. 1977) was born in Tonga. She lived there for about two years and then her family moved to Samoa so that her mother could take care of Katerina’s grandparents and she was raised there her whole life. She has also lived in Hawaii, California, and currently lives in Utah. Her dad is Tongan and her mom is Samoan. Katerina grew up speaking Samoan in the home. She was required to learn English in school. Because she is around a lot of Tongans in Utah she has also started to learn Tongan as well. She went on a mission in Cincinnati for the Mormon Church. She became friends with Utahns at the mission and when she finished in Cincinnati decided to move to Utah. Katerina talks about moving to Utah and adjusting to the weather and meeting family that lives there. Katerina talks about growing up in Samoa. They would play outside and swim a lot because the weather was always nice. Because she was part Tongan she was teased a lot growing up in Samoa. At first she was embarrassed but she got used to it. She will always consider Samoa her home but in America she has much more opportunity and so she plans to stay in Utah. She describes the tension that exists between Tongans and Samoans. She thinks it will always exist. Although her family was initially treated differently, they were accepted into the community and were well liked. When she first moved to Utah she felt people were staring at her all the time, but now she feels people are more welcoming. Katerina explains Samoan Flag Day. Samoans celebrate their national independence on Flag Day. She describes the celebrations and talks about how the celebration in Utah differs from the celebration in Samoa. Education was very important to Katerina’s parents when she was growing up. They pushed their education and made sure they were attending and doing homework. Her father didn’t go to school after elementary school so he wanted Katerina to get a good education. She talks about her religious background. Her family attended church at the London Missionary Society when she was young. One of her father’s cousins then converted Katerina and her brother to Mormonism when she was about eight. After her father was hired at a mission home their whole family became converts and started attending church regularly. The lessons the missionaries gave her and her family inspired her to go on a mission herself.
Project: Pacific Islanders.
Interviewer: Savani Aupiu.

Dates

2009

Conditions Governing Access

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.