Eti Saaga, also spelled Eti Sa'aga, (February 2, 1950 – December 13, 2017) was a Samoan-born

American Samoa American Samoa ( sm, Amerika Sāmoa, ; also ' or ') is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the island country of Samoa. Its location is centered on . It is east of the Internationa ...

n poet, writer, journalist, press officer, television and radio host, and producer. His most well-known poem, "Me the Labourer", is studied as part of the curriculum at universities throughout Oceania, including Fiji, New Zealand, and his native

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...

. Saaga, who emigrating from Samoa to

in 1978, also served as a speech writer,

press officer A press secretary or press officer is a senior advisor who provides advice on how to deal with the news media and, using news management techniques, helps their employer to maintain a positive public image and avoid negative media coverage. Duti ...

and translator for the late U.S. Congressman

Eni Faleomavaega Eni Fa'aua'a Hunkin Faleomavaega Jr. (; August 15, 1943 – February 22, 2017) was an American Samoan politician and attorney who served as the territory's lieutenant governor (1985-1989) and non-voting delegate to the United States House of Repr ...

for more than 20 years. Saaga was born on February 2, 1950, in

Apia Apia () is the capital and largest city of Samoa, as well as the nation's only city. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō'') of Tuamasaga. ...

. In 1970, Saaga graduated from

Samoa College Samoa College is a secondary school in Samoa officially opened in 1953. It is co-educational and teaches from years 9 to 13. It is in Apia on the island of Upolu and is considered the main college in the country. The early college and curriculum was ...

, where he studied under Albert Wendt, an English teacher and novelist who was one of his greatest influences. He did not accept a scholarship offer to study in New Zealand, choosing, instead to work as a road builder and labourer in Samoa. During this time, Saaga wrote his most famous poem, "Me the Labourer", which is now taught at colleges and universities throughout Australia and the Pacific Islands. Saaga next worked as a journalist for the ''Samoa Times'', based in Apia, during the 1970s. In 1978, he emigrated to nearby

with his wife, Otilia Hunkin Saaga. He soon became a press officer for the American Samoan Department of Education. Saaga then worked for the late U.S. Congressman

(D-AS) for more than twenty years as a senior aide, press officer, speechwriter, and translator. He also worked as a broadcaster and announcer for KSBS-FM Flag Day programming during this same era. Saaga died at the Kuakini Medical Centre in

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...

, Hawaii, on December 13, 2017, at the age of 67. He had been in declining health for the previous six years. He was predeceased by his wife, Otilia Hunkin Saaga, and survived by their four children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saaga, Eti 1950 births 2017 deaths Samoan male poets American Samoan poets Samoan journalists American speechwriters American Samoan civil servants Samoan emigrants to American Samoa 20th-century Samoan poets