Fono 3
Strengthening the kaliloa or ‘aliloa during and after pregnancy
Participants acknowledge the importance of passing on cultural knowledge and wisdom from one generation to the next through the practice of storytelling on the mother’s forearm or kaliloa or ‘aliloa. They learn how birth spacing or spacing between pregnancies can support this practice. They map out how they will share what they have learned with their kin members and community.
Key Elements
- Welcome, Review and Follow Up
- Cultural Concept Kali or ‘Ali and Kaliloa or ‘Aliloa
- Video: From Day One
- Presentation on Birth Spacing
- Break (Optional)
- Connection Activity
- Fono Assignment
- Post-Questionnaire
Cultural Concept Kali or ‘Ali and Kaliloa or ‘Aliloa
Our ancestors, grandparents, parents, and elders practiced and valued passing on cultural knowledge and wisdom to their descendants. Parents fostered close relationships by spending quality time with their children talking.
This began right after birth, where on the mother’s forearm, knowledge, teachings, and cultural wisdom was passed on to the child through storytelling. This practice was the child’s first introduction to education.
In the Pacific, wooden headrests called kali (Tongan) or ‘ali (Samoan) are used as pillows. Long headrests are called kaliloa (Tongan) or ‘aliloa (Samoan). Kaliloa or ‘aliloa is also the word for the mother’s forearm or the headrest for infants, which is long because it continues to support the child throughout the child’s life.
In the Pacific, when children were strong culturally, physically, and mentally, mothers were praised for preserving the culture and sharing wisdom through the kaliloa or ‘aliloa.
Video: From day one
From Day One is the fourth video in the community education and engagement series. It focuses on the importance of doing all you can to make sure the mother and baby are healthy after and between births.
Presentation: Birth spacing
Learn more about birth spacing and the benefits of birth spacing.
Connection activity
Just as mothers have a responsibility to pass on their knowledge and wisdom to their children through the kaliloa or ‘aliloa, we each have a responsibility to pass on what we have learned to our kin members and community through our connections.
Fono 4: It takes a village
Participants review all they have learned and reflect on their growth. They focus on communal and continual learning that took place around the kava or ‘avabowl, traditionally called the tāno‛a or tānoa. They commit to preserving the future of their culture, their children, by making a larger impact on their community through a village project related to the knowledge and skills learned in the fono.