The first Samoan to ever publish a doctoral thesis in the Samoan language on top of being the first to be awarded a doctorate in culture has attained another milestone in his journey. 

Last week, Taiao Dr. Matavai Tautunu announced his recent appointment as a special researcher at the Research Center for Pacific Island Countries of Laiocheng University for a three-year term. 

His appointment started in January of this year and will end in December of 2026. 

An achievement he said he is humbled by and credited God's guidance and blessings upon his life. 

Taiao is also the Director for the Center for Samoan Studies at the National University of Samoa (N.U.S.) where he has been a lecturer for so many years. 

He has authored books and researches over the years and in 2021, he published his thesis which focused on the changes in customary lands from 1845 to 2020, specifically within the villages of Amaile and Samusu in Aleipata. 

His research also covered the issues and the changes in customary lands and the passage of the Land and Titles Registration Act in 2008. 

Taiao hopes that his research and publications will be a source material for the next generation of Samoan researchers. 

"The important thing to me and something I am grateful for is the fact that this research can be used as a resource material that our children can use when they do research for their studies especially in issues relating to our culture and customs," he said during a previous interview with this newspaper. 

"To be the first to publish a thesis in Samoan is humbling, and it's something that we push for at the Center for Samoan Studies at the University, to encourage our children to further their understanding of our culture and customs and also to encourage them to write their researches in our own language.

"A lot of our recorded history and documents about our culture and history are mostly written in English and because most of the previous research on culture was published in English, there is also a foreign mentality and intentions within most of those publications. 

"This is why we are urging our students to study our culture and customs and carry out research in Samoa and have them written in Samoan so that it will not take away the true essence of our culture and way of life.

"The other significance of this achievement is that it has inspired others to take on this course and have their own research on our culture. There are other Samoan chiefs who have already shown interest in this programme."

As a Samoan Lecturer, Dr. Tautunu strongly believes that the content of his research and thesis will draw the attention of a lot of people, especially Samoans as it covers an important and "sensitive" issue in Samoa. 

"Customary lands and land ownership is a very sensitive issue at the moment and I know this is just the beginning of more research done within other constituencies about the changes and effects of customary lands in their own respective districts and villages. 

"I believe the changes that have happened within Aleipata in terms of land ownership are similar to the issues that have happened in other districts in the country."

Having published more than 20 publications, he is hoping to become an Associate Professor at the local institution sometime soon. But that all depends on the number of books and publications he has published thus far. 

Ta'iao Matiu Matavai Tautunu is from the villages of Samusu, Ti'avea, Amaile, Saleaumua, Faleasi'u and Safune and is married to Repeka Tu'uga-Tautunu and they have four children.