Solomon Islands scholar proud to explore ‘mother tongue’
06 March 2025
Dr Kerryn Sogha Galokale will share her experiences as a Solomon Islands woman academic in upcoming seminar.
Dr Galokale, Te Tomokanga Post-Doctoral Fellow with Pacific Studies at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, is settling back into life in Aotearoa. She recently left her lecturing role at the University of South Pacific in Solomon Islands to take up the Fellowship.
Galokale says her talk will focus on the research undertaken during her doctoral studies at Waipapa Taumata Rau, she graduated last spring.
“I did not think I would be returning back to Aotearoa so soon,” says Galokale, a mother of two with new addition, her six-month-old son Derek Futaiasi.
Passionate about protecting Indigenous languages and cultures, her PhD research focused on Vernacular Education, the teaching of mother tongue, an essential milestone for further learning. She says establishing positive relationships, long-lasting friendships and connections and collaborating with the community members in Sa’a Village, Malaita Province in Solomon Islands were central to her doctoral fieldwork.
Hailing from Bareho in Nono Lagoon, Marovo, Western Province and Loloko village of Choiseul Province, the trained secondary teacher specialised in English as a Second Language (ESL) and she taught in her home country for almost ten years.
She says her aspirations as a female academic from a Western Pacific nation required pushing away feelings of doubt and shyness, but having strong support from her husband Dr Derek Futaiasi and her family in Honiara, has helped her to succeed.
Arriving in New Zealand in 2019 with young daughter Liz-Amarissah while husband Dr Fuataisi was studying in Canberra, Galokale says she had no idea that the unfolding COVID-19 pandemic would add another layer of stress navigating new terrain at the University of Auckland.
My family, especially my parents wanted to see me succeed, because it meant so much to all of us. It was a struggle as a black Melanesian woman being in a western institution. However, there was a motto that was instilled in me as a child - If somebody can do it, then why can't I?
“The borders were closed, it was myself and our daughter Liz-Amarissah, my husband was in Canberra. It was a very difficult time, she says recalling the pressure to succeed, not only for herself but also her family.
“My family, especially my parents wanted to see me succeed, because it meant so much to all of us. It was a struggle as a black Melanesian woman being in a western institution. However, there was a motto that was instilled in me as a child - If somebody can do it, then why can't I?”
The two-year Fellowship with Te Kura Tangata, Faculty of Arts will see Galokale work towards publishing research and contributing to a teaching programme. She’s looking forward to delivering her seminar this semester.
“I am excited and looking forward to sharing my experiences and stories about my fieldwork research as a Solomon Islands woman. My aspiration is to witness more Melanesian women actively engaging in Pacific Studies through learning, teaching and researching, fostering collaboration with other scholars from the Blue Pacific and beyond.
“The University of Auckland is a great place to learn and connect. I have amazing support from the senior Pacific scholars here and I look forward to representing the Melanesia voice at the University.”