Meet Asola Tikeri, a 42-year-old from Sauano Fagaloa, who is working on a new traditional Niuean canoe in full view of Teuila festivalgoers at the Samoa Tourism Cultural Village. 

He was spotted at the festival polishing and working on the final touches of the canoe, which he has focused on for the last two weeks. 

In an interview with the Samoa Observer, Mr. Tikeri shared how he loves what he does, to not only keep one of Samoa's cultural practices alive but also continue the legacy of his father, who taught him and his brother his canoe-making skills. 

"I learnt how to carve traditional Samoan canoes when I was 18 years old," said Mr. Tikeri. "I remember when I was in my final year in college, I worked on some projects which included making furniture and handicrafts and started selling them to pay for my school fees. 

"When I started earning money from it, I knew right away that this was what I wanted to pursue, so I dropped out of school and dedicated my life to doing this kind of work."

Mr. Tikeri added that men from Sauano Fagaloa are good at carving traditional canoes, but because of the intensive labour required to make them, most of them opted for smaller traditional handicrafts. 

"But as for me, I enjoy making new canoes because it's a long-time investment. You make a canoe today and it can provide for your family for years. We depend mostly on the sea for food and to provide for our families, so owning a canoe is very important. 

"We don't have many people left who are keeping this culture alive, the art of carving traditional canoes, but I am just grateful to God for his provision, strength and knowledge as well as for gifting me with this talent. 

"I have very fond memories of helping my dad out back when he was alive and the hard work on canoes to sell and for our families so that's why I don't want to stop doing this because this is like continuing his legacy."

While Mr. Tikeri always works on carving new traditional Samoan canoes, he has challenged himself this time to work on a Niuean-designed canoe for Teuila.

"When Samoa Tourism Authority approached us, to come down to Teuila this week, I thought I'd come up with something different so I decided to make a traditional Niue canoe and it will be here for display for S.T.A."

According to Mr. Tikeri, a traditional Samoan canoe that will take him two weeks to carve always costs SAT$2,500. 

"It's a lot of work but it's also good money and I always try and come up with a reasonable price because I also know how important owning a canoe is, especially for our people living near the sea."

He then acknowledged the S.T.A. for inviting them to showcase their work and talents as part of this year's Teuila Festival. 

"It's good exposure for me and my other brothers from Sauano Fagaloa but also it's nice to have so many tourists around and a lot of them have stopped by to see our work and admire the art of carving and designing handicrafts. 

"So we are really grateful for the opportunity."

And to ensure appreciation of one's own talents, Mr. Tikeri has a message for the youths of Samoa. 

"Make good use of whatever talent you have from God. Not all of us are supposed to work in offices. You follow whatever you are passionate about and you will not feel like you are working hard every day."