Emma Kruse Va'ai is a Samoan chief ('high matai'), writer and educator in Samoa. Her ''matai'' chief title is Letuimanu’asina. She has a

PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * ''Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic * Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group ** Ph.D. (Ph.D. albu ...

in English from the University of New South Wales in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and is a former director of Samoa Polytechnic. Currently, she is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the National University of Samoa following the polytechnic's merger into the university in 2006. Also a lecturer in English at the university, she is a strong advocate for bilingual education in both English and the

Samoan language Samoan ( or ; ) is a Polynesian language spoken by Samoans of the Samoan Islands. Administratively, the islands are split between the sovereign country of Samoa and the United States territory of American Samoa. It is an official language, alon ...

. As a writer, she has published poetry and stories which have been translated into other

Pacific Islands Collectively called the Pacific Islands, the islands in the Pacific Ocean are further categorized into three major island groups: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Depending on the context, the term ''Pacific Islands'' may refer to one of se ...

languages. She is also an executive committee member of the Samoa Association of Women Graduates (SAWG). Letuimanu’asina was born and raised in Samoa in a family of eight siblings. Her primary and secondary schooling was at the Marist Missionary Sisters. Later, she studied at Victoria University of Wellington, Victoria University in New Zealand before undertaking her doctorate in Australia. She was married to judge Vaepule Alo Vaemoa Vaai, Alo Vaimoa Va'ai and they have four children.

Publications

*1998 ''Palolo Time, a poem from Samoa''; Learning Media, Ministry of Education (NZ), ISBN 0478227086 *1998 ''Ready for School, a story from Samoa''; Learning Media, Ministry of Education (NZ), *2011 ''Producing the text of culture: the appropriation of English in contemporary Samoa''; National University of Samoa (Lepapaigalagala, Samoa),

References

Samoan chiefs Living people University of New South Wales alumni Academic staff of the National University of Samoa 20th-century Samoan poets 20th-century women writers Year of birth missing (living people) {{poet-stub Samoan poets 21st-century scholars Oceanian writers Oceanian poets Samoan women poets 21st-century Samoan poets 21st-century women writers