6:00pm-8:00pm | Tuesday, May 27, 2025
Location: Millcreek Library, 2266 E Evergreen Ave, Salt Lake City, Utah 84109
Utah Roots
Jake Fitisemanu will provide a short presentation on the fascinating history of the intrepid voyagers, ill-fated visitors, and enterprising families who laid the roots of Utah’s Samoan communities, growing from a handful of islanders in the 1890s to the largest Pacific Islander group in the state.
Ocean Routes
Keynote Speaker Fealofani Bruun—current Tapena/Captain of Gaualofa, Samoa’s very own traditional va'atele (ocean voyaging canoe), and the first Samoan Woman to qualify as a yachtmaster—as she offers a powerful perspective on how ancestral seafaring traditions carry generations of ecological wisdom. Drawing from her experiences voyaging across Pasifika and beyond, she explores how wayfinding teaches us to live in balance with the ocean and land, reminding us that caring for the earth is inseparable from honoring who we are.
Free and open to the public.
MEET THE SPEAKERS
Fani Bruun
Fani Bruun is the current Tapena/Captain of Gaualofa, Samoa’s very own traditional va'atele (ocean voyaging canoe), and the first Samoan Woman to qualify as a yachtmaster. Dedicated to preserving Pasefika traditional navigation, she empowers Pacific communities through cultural education and voyaging. Fani is a Sue Taei Fellow; her project, Women, Va’a, and Whales, focuses on documenting whale lore in Samoan communities, practicing STEM activities and sharing her knowledge of voyaging to inspire the next generation of female leaders in ocean conservation and maritime skills.
Jacob Fitisemanu Jr.
Born in Aotearoa/New Zealand and raised in Hawaiʻi and Utah. He is the oldest of eight children raised by Karen Dang (Kaimuki, O'ahu and Wailuku, Maui, Hawai'i) and Jacob Fitisemanu (Falefa, 'Upolu and Safune, Savai'i, Samoa). An avid advocate for Pacific Islander cultures and languages, Jake co-founded the Samoana Integrated Learning Initiative in 2011. He lives with his wife Lucia and their two daughters in West Valley City where he has served as a City Council member and currently serves as a state House Representative.
E momoli atu ai le agaga fa’afetai i ‘āiga, uō, ma pa’aga sa lagolagoina mālosi le tātou fa’amoemoe.
We express our heartfelt gratitude to our families, friends, colleagues and sponsors for their role in making our first Wayfinding Week a success.
Mālō lava le agalelei ma le a’ao foa’i.