Fakafetai galuega mo onosai - Teaitala Kaumoana 😊🇹🇻

Nanumea Island, Tuvalu (Lolua side)

“Omo yeko! Mauri ao talofa Teaitala and your family! Ti karabwako n am akoi ao am taona n nano. Fakafetai mo tou kufaki ao galuega fitaa. Thank you for your kindness, patience and hard work. Love from Telesite, the Pacific, and the international sphere!”

Our Purpose

The purpose of this website is to recognize the work of Teaitala Kaumoana and his team at the Nanumea Kaupule (Island Council of Nanumea, Tuvalu 🇹🇻).

Many locals, especially people from Nanumea Island, have described Teaitala as a kind, caring person with a love of his wife, children and grandchildren and the entire Fenua. I have come to see the truth in that from over 10,000 miles away.

Telesite's Story

I am Celeste "Telesite" Tuman. I am a student of Pacific Island culture and a volunteer helping islanders with their English, but I haven’t actually visited as I am hesitant due to the risk of worsening the climate crisis by taking a flight.

Gana Faka-Nanumea (Nanumean Dialect): “Ko au ko Celeste Tuman. Au he tino akoga ki tuu mo aga nuu Pasifika, kae ko leva o fesoasoani au o a'ako a tino o te fenuu ki te gana palagi. Kae au he manako o vakalele me te climate change mafai e kake au i luga i he vakalele.”

Starting in November 2020, I began online/remote volunteering through Facebook to help I-Kiribati people learn English, and I began connecting with the Tuvaluan community in 2023. That was when I came to connect with the family of Teaitala Kaumoana.

Gana Tuvalu (Standard Tuvaluan): “Ite kamataga o te mahina o Novema i te tauhaga e 2020, ne kamata ei au o fesoasoani atu i luga i te itulau o te Facebook o a'ko a tino Kilipati ki te gana palagi. Ite tauhaga e 2023, ne kamata ei au o fesoasoani atu ki tamaliki o te fenua Tuvalu. Tena te taimi ne mahani ei au mo te kaiga o Teaitala Kaumoana.”

Learn the Nanumean Language

The Nanumean language is a northern dialect of the Tuvaluan language, and I have found it very interesting to learn. Here are some basic words and phrases: