Visual Language – Gagana Va‘aia

Children and students experience the world of visual language in a number of ways: for example, through traditional performances, crafts, signs and symbols, television and other media, and play. Play is important in children’s language development. A growing understanding of shape and visual movement appears in children’s play, for example. A repertoire of gesture and expressive body movement appears as children develop communication skills.
The Samoan community has brought to New Zealand a culture in which visual language (including symbolism, imagery, and body language) is an important aspect. In traditional Samoan performances and events, for example, body language, gestures, and costumes contribute significantly to the meaning of the words and the occasion. Children and students will need guidance in how to view and understand the ways in which these visual and verbal elements interact to produce particular meanings and effects in traditional performances as well as in art forms — tattoo, carving, siapo, and contemporary blends of fa‘asàmoa and fa‘aniusila. At the same time, children and students should be given opportunities to explore other forms of visual language in which words and images combine, for example, in print, drama, and other media.