The word Sa’ili means to seek knowledge. This is the principle at the core of our community-driven movement. In seeking, we learn, grow, and carry forward their vibrant culture and heritage.

The gogo bird that is featured in our logo, dedicates its life to flying extremely long distances to feed its chicks. It is also the origin word for fagogo (important storytelling practice) derived from fagaga a gogo or feeding and nurturing of the gogo birds.

Like the gogo bird, we can be diligent and dedicated in seeking out and learning our Samoan history, heritage, and culture. In doing so, we can transfer this important knowledge to our future generations, which will strengthen their identity and help them prosper.

We envision thriving Pacific Islander communities empowered by indigenous language, culture, and ancestral knowledge, where intergenerational wisdom is preserved and practiced, and where culturally rooted education drives progress, leadership, and wellness.

Our Story

SAILI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community initiative founded in 2011 with a mission to advance the well-being of Pacific Islander communities through educational experiences that strengthen identity and build culturally-based pathways for excellence and achievement.

While Pacific Islanders are visible and active contributors across Utah communities, many continue to face persistent educational inequities and achievement gaps.

Our mission and objectives are devoted to helping community members chart their own pathways to success and accomplishment by re-learning practical indigenous themes based on our ancestral arts and sciences of voyaging, wayfinding, and navigating.

Our programs are based in Salt Lake County, home to 50% of Utah’s Pacific Islander population. Through both in-person and online programming, we serve participants throughout Utah and neighboring states. Our hands-on educational experiences foster language, culture, and identity through demonstrations, apprenticeships, performances, exhibitions, and intergenerational learning opportunities.

Our Work

We were honored to co-host the International Samoan Language Symposium at Brigham Young University in 2018, support efforts to add Samoan language courses to the University of Utah catalog, and provide cultural learning opportunities for community members. These experiences have included pandanus weaving, ceremonial regalia making, customary rituals, printmaking, traditional food preparation, and other cultural arts, with a strong focus on engaging and empowering youth.

In 2025, we hosted Utah’s first Wayfinding Week, engaging youth and community members in learning about the ancestral practice of wayfinding, including the knowledge, science, and navigation techniques used by Pacific voyagers to travel without modern technologies.