Decolonising Pacific research, building Pacific research communities and developing Pacific research tools: The case of the talanoa and the faafaletui in Samoa

Abstract In building S amoan academic researcher capacity in S amoa, we argue that there is a need to first establish the kind of researcher community advocated by L inda T uhiwai S mith, and to do so through developing research tools, such as the talanoa and faafaletui, in partnership with researcher capacity‐building initiatives such as the applied postgraduate social and health research methods course (coded PUBX 731‐ HSA 505) run by the C entre for I nternational H ealth, U niversity of O tago, in partnership with the N ational U niversity of S amoa. This paper offers a commentary on the talanoa and faafaletui as P acific research methodologies, and asks what its value might be for researchers in S amoa. It reflects on the learning experiences of staff and students of the applied social and health research methods course in relation to the talanoa and faafaletui as P acific research methodologies or methods. It concludes that developing P acific research and researcher capacity in P acific Island countries, such as S amoa, must include opening up spaces within these communities to critically engage what is P acific or S amoan or indigenous about these research tools, methods or methodologies, and how they might differ in form or substance from other methods or methodologies.