item details
NameSamoan White Sunday celebrations, Congregational Christian Church of Samoa, Grey Lynn, Auckland
ProductionGlenn Jowitt; photographer; 2000; Auckland
Classificationcolour photographs, inkjet prints, works of art, documentary photographs
Materialsink, paper
Materials Summarycolour photograph, inkjet print
Techniquescolour photography
DimensionsImage: 476mm (width), 325mm (height)
Registration NumberO.041142
Credit lineGift of the photographer, 2012
Overview
The white clothes of these children glow softly in a sunlit church on Lotu Tamaiti, Samoan White Sunday. This is a special day in the churches of Samoan, Tongan, and Tokelauan communities, though each group marks it differently.
Lotu Tamaiti celebrates the community’s children. During the service, girls and boys sing hymns, present short plays, and recite verse, and one of the older children gives a sermon. Afterwards, a formal meal is held in each family home, and later everyone returns to the church for a feast.