about me
My name is Temalisi Finau-Palaki married for sixteen years
and a mother to five children. I have dedicated my life as a full-time house
wife and looking after my kids. Recently my youngest child started school, so I decided to
go back studying and pursue a career as a Liberian.
I’m currently studying at Curtin University towards my BA in Librarianship and Corporate Information Management. As part of the unit I’m studying at present, an assessment requires to create a website about myself which is this one. In the past I have work as a receptionist, mostly undertaking clerical work which is sorting, organizing and maintaining data records in order. These skills I have also adapted to my home life in running the household smoothly from organizing house work to maintaining living expenses. So in the future I hope to obtain a job as a Liberian or somewhat similar to it. Over the years, I grew a passion for sewing my own traditional clothing. Even though I was brought up in Australia, I’m proud of my Tongan heritage and as part of the Tongan tradition is the clothing wear for women. I’m not a professional sewer but I try my best to create a design of my own or fabricate a similar style I’ve seen from other traditional Tongan women clothing called 'Puletaha'. I mainly wear puletaha for church on Sunday’s and other traditional Tongan events such as weddings, birthdays or concerts. Having three girls has helped my sewing ability to improve over the years. Since they were toddlers, I have been sewing their church clothes, not only for my family but also for other people for free. It feels liberating and cost effective way in producing traditional Tongan clothing for my family. I also make traditional Tongan necklaces and ‘Kafa’ which is close to a belt. Growing up wearing these traditional Tongan handicrafts, I was fascinated by different styles there were out there. It was only when my children were toddlers, did I start making my own. I became creative at crafting a replica or similar styles of traditional Tongan necklace and kafa. My family and I wear it on special occasions such as church functions or family events. |