From Teuila to Measina: Sāmoa puts culture at heart of 35yo festival

After 35 years of Teuila, Sāmoa is giving one of its best-known celebrations a new name and a stronger focus on the culture and traditions it wants future generations to carry.

The inaugural Measina Festival started on Sunday, bringing together a week of traditional arts, food, sport, music and performance before the crowning of Miss Sāmoa this Saturday.

The government says the move from Teuila to Measina is intended to broaden the festival beyond tourism and make it a more community-centred celebration of Sāmoa’s cultural heritage.

At the programme and logo launch last week, Prime Minister Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao Schmidt, who chairs the festival committee, said measina refers to something precious or treasured and reflects the culture and identity Sāmoans have a responsibility to protect.

For some of the young Sāmoans travelling home for the festival, that connection to culture is deeply personal.

Senerita Euese, a Melbourne-based dancer, grew up in Australia and says she has often felt disconnected from her Sāmoan culture, particularly through language.

Prime Minister Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao Schmidt at the launch of the new Measina Festival logo, marking the festival’s shift from Teuila after 35 years. Photo/Facebook

“I can understand a few words here and there, but speaking it has always been a struggle for me,” she tells PMN News.

“But though I may not know the language as well as native Sāmoan speakers, I do know that the customs and traditions are what bring me back and make me feel connected to Sāmoa.”

Euese is among a group from LetTeine Polynesian Dance travelling to Sāmoa to perform at Measina, with some making their first visit to the country.

LetTeine Polynesian Dance members are in Sāmoa to perform at the Measina Festival and reconnect with culture through dance, service and community. Photo/Facebook

She says siva Sāmoa is more than dance, describing it as a form of communication through movement and expression. She is also continuing to learn other cultural practices, from sulatoga to palu ‘ava.

“I may be Australian-born, but my heart will always belong to Sāmoa.”

Louis Saolotoga, a fellow dancer who has connections to Samusu and Lepea, says tautua and fa’aaloalo are values he was born into.

Beyond its two festival performances, LetTeine is planning community outreach and free dance workshops during its visit.

Saolotoga says that service is an important part of the trip.

“It reminds me that dance isn’t only about performance, but also about serving, building relationships, and representing Sāmoa with respect and pride,” he tells PMN News.

The new Measina Festival logo. Photo/Facebook

The emphasis on culture and its transmission marks a shift from the purpose for which Teuila was originally established.

Former Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi recounted in 2023 how the idea emerged from a regional meeting he attended in Fiji in 1991, where the country was celebrating its annual Hibiscus Festival.

Tuilaepa said he returned to Sāmoa with a recommendation for an annual tourism festival, subsequently approved by Cabinet.

Former Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi says Teuila was established in 1991 to boost tourism during Sāmoa’s traditionally quieter travel period. Photo/HRPP

“Our Festival was strictly tourism based,” he wrote in public statement, adding that it was deliberately staged in the first week of September to attract visitors during the traditionally low travel period.

Sāmoan siva, song, hymns and sport formed the programme. Tuilaepa said Teuila was named after the flower for its beauty and durability.

Thirty-five years later, tourism remains part of the festival, but Measina has broader government involvement, including the ministries of Education and Culture, Sports and Recreation, and Family and Social Affairs.

Watch the Measina Festival announcement below by the Tausala o Samoa, Iliganoa Feagaimaalii Soti.

Budget figures tabled in Parliament show the government allocated ST$200,000 (NZ$124,000) towards this year’s festival.

The programme places traditional knowledge and practice prominently through umu preparation, tatau, carving, siapo, Sāmoan boat building, siva Sāmoa and ailao afi.

The cultural theme of Sāmoa Ne’i Galo Lau Aganu’u, meaning “Lest We Forget our Culture and Traditions”, will involve showcases by colleges and high schools.

New Miss Sāmoa Pageant 2026 contestants with current titleholder Iliganoa Feagaimaalii Soti at centre. Photo/Measina Sāmoa

Much of what generations have come to associate with Teuila also remains, including fautasi and paopao racing, kirikiti, traditional games, cultural performances and the Miss Sāmoa pageant.

Eight contestants, including Miss Sāmoa Hawai’i and Miss Sāmoa New South Wales, will compete to succeed reigning titleholder Iliganoa Feagaimalei’i Soti Mapu.

There will be no Miss Sāmoa New Zealand representative this year after organisers announced in April that the pageant was taking a break in 2026 and would shift to a biennial cycle.

Watch the launch of the new Measina Festival logo and programme below.

But for Euese, the journey to Sāmoa is about returning home with more than memories of a performance.

“I hope to leave with a greater appreciation of my culture and heritage,” she says. “I hope this experience inspires me to continue learning about and embracing my culture, no matter where I am, even if I’m across the world.”

For a festival now underway in its first year as Measina, that connection between Sāmoa and the generations growing up beyond its shores is part of what the new name is seeking to strengthen.