Traditional Tokelau Wisdom

Tokelau.

“Tokelau: the north wind.”

The territory's own name is the traditional Polynesian word for the north wind, the direction from which the atolls' Samoan ancestors are believed to have sailed roughly 1,000 years ago.

“Share the catch by inati: every household its portion, whether it fished or not.”

Describes the inati system, in which the day's fish catch is brought to a common landing place and divided among every household by family size and need rather than by who caught it.

“Let the taupulega decide as one.”

The taupulega, or council of family elders, governs daily life on each atoll by consensus; matters affecting the village are settled together rather than by a single chief.

“Fatele keeps the whole village singing and dancing as one.”

Fatele, the communal song-and-dance form shared with Samoa and Tuvalu, is performed at village gatherings with chant, clapping and drumming, carrying history and language from one generation to the next.

“The canoe finds the way toward self-government.”

Tokelau's national flag, adopted in 2009, depicts a traditional canoe beneath the stars of the Southern Cross; officially the canoe symbolises Tokelau's ongoing journey toward the governance arrangement that best serves its people.

Ko te tama a te manu e fafaga i na ika, ka ko te tama a te tagata e fafaga i na kupu.

“Birds feed their young with fish, humans feed their young with words.”

Just as a bird sustains its chicks with food, people sustain their children with language, teaching and stories — knowledge is the nourishment that is passed from elders to the young.

Taeao fakatiu te matagi.

“Tomorrow the wind changes.”

A saying for a good wind to sail on — used to express quiet confidence that, whatever today's difficulty, the way forward will open and the journey will bring the community home stronger.

Ko ki tatou e taumanu kehekehe, kae e ulupuka fakatahi.

“We scatter like birds to fish the wide ocean, but we return to the same tree.”

A metaphor for a flock of birds that scatters across the ocean to fish, each finding its own catch, yet always returning to the same shore: however far Tokelauans travel to make their way in the world, their roots and their people remain one.

Apoapo tau foe, i nā tāfea i te galutau. Ke mau mai, ke mau mai.

“Never give up hope, even amid chaos and uncertainty; stay united, stay strong.”

Literally an instruction to keep paddling steadily through rough water, this saying became the 2020 Tokelau Language Week theme, used as a message of endurance and unity for Tokelauan communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Toku kāiga, he kānava, he fau e hē uia.

“My community, my heritage, a gift forever treasured.”

Invokes the kanava tree, whose deep roots anchor it firmly and whose branches shelter birds through storms, as a symbol of a community that stays grounded in its heritage while sheltering and caring for its most vulnerable members.

Oi kana hei taia ko lata matau, e kino ko lava kana puke ki ei.

“It is better to try and fail than to fail by not trying.”

A saying about courage in the face of uncertainty, used as the 2025 Tokelau Language Week theme to encourage Tokelauans to keep using and passing on their language and culture rather than let fear of imperfection hold them back.

Halahala ki vavau, kae ke mau ki pale o Tokelau.

“To plan for the future is to understand the past.”

Used as the 2022 Tokelau Language Week theme, this saying holds that Tokelauans can only chart a wise course ahead by first holding fast to the knowledge, language and customs handed down from their ancestors.

Ke Olatia ko ia Tokelau i tana Fakavae.

“Tokelau will thrive within its foundation.”

Names the four pillars said to give Tokelau its strength - language, culture, custom and faith - and holds that when these foundations are kept strong, the wellbeing of the community and the Tokelauan identity are safeguarded for the generations still to come.

Tokelau, tāofi mau tau aganuku, ko tō pale tēnā.

“Tokelau, hold fast to your culture - that is your crown.”

Names culture itself as Tokelau's crown, urging the community, and especially its younger generation, to hold on to their language and customs as the mark of who they are.

Totō hau tōkiga nei, aua na tupulaga e fāi mai.

“Plant a seed today, for the generations still to come.”

A Tokelau Language Week theme comparing the passing on of language and culture to planting a seed: the effort put in today by the present generation is what future generations will grow from.

E kukutia te tiugā lakia. E kukulima kae ala tahi.

“Gather the flock of birds together, hold hands and go forward as one.”

Used as a Tokelau Language Week theme, this saying calls on the scattered Tokelauan community, across Atafu, Nukunonu, Fakaofo and the diaspora in New Zealand, to come together and move ahead united, like a flock of birds keeping formation.

Pokotau ki au kapuga, ke mau mai tau foe.

“Challenge the size of the swirl made by your paddle.”

A saying about effort and self-improvement: a bigger swirl in the water means a stronger, more committed paddle stroke, so each person is urged to push themselves further in whatever they set out to do.

Tokelau! Tapui tau gagana ma tau aganuku, i te manaola ma te lautupuola.

“Tokelau, preserve your language and culture, for spiritual and physical wellbeing.”

Used as the 2021 Tokelau Language Week theme during the COVID-19 pandemic, linking the safeguarding of language and culture directly to the health and wellbeing of the Tokelauan people, both spiritual and physical.