The Fala Methodology

Abstract

“Fofola e fala, kae talanoa ‘a e kāinga” is a Tongan proverb meaning “to respectfully unravel the fala (traditional mat) for the family to talk”. It emphasises the significance of the fala in enabling robust talanoa (conversations) to occur. My doctoral research explored the factors influencing health choices of Pasifika peoples in South East Queensland, where I developed a Tongan-centred methodology for research using ten stages of the fala-making process. It is recognised that Pasifika peoples experience disproportionate rates of obesity and diabetes-related conditions, reducing quality of life and resulting in premature death. My research explored the health perspectives of elders, parents and teenagers, as this influences their health choices. I began with talanoa and constructivist grounded theory methodologies, but cultural tensions and significantly differing perspectives between Island-born elders and New Zealand–born parents, in contrast with Australian-born Pasifika teenagers, led me to search for a resolution. The fala-making process offered a way of weaving the divide between three generations’ perspectives of health. Visual illustrations provided by Her Royal Highness Princess Angelika Lātūfuipeka Tuku‘aho and her Tongan weavers are used and credited for their Indigenous knowledge of fala making. By applying the fala-making process in my research, I developed the Fala methodology, which is grounded in Indigenous ways of being, knowing and doing.