No. 763 Ula Inoye, 2009

File — Box: 73, Folder: 6

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Ula Inouye was born in Western Samoa and raised in American Samoa. She is from a family of thirteen. Her father is Samoan and her mother is Samoan Chinese. She is married and has a daughter. She lived in American Samoa until 2000 when she moved to Hawaii because her parents wanted her to have more opportunities, especially for a good education. After that she moved to Utah where she has lived since. She moved to Utah because she wanted to go to school there and also because she had broken up with her boyfriend. When she first moved to Utah she lived with her siblings. Ula talks about the differences between American and Western Samoa. American Samoa is more Americanized and Western Samoa continues more of the Samoan traditions and culture. She discusses what it was like growing up in such a large family. She was lucky to share a room with her twin sister because all the boys shared one room and her other sisters shared another. She talks about growing up with a twin. Being a part of a big family made it hard for Ula to distinguish herself from her siblings. School was a high priority in her family. Her mother was the enforcer and her father was the supporter. Every day they did homework, then chores, then worked at the store. If they did not do well in school, they were not allowed to play sports. If they did not go to seminary they could not go to school. Growing up the girls in the family were always taught to serve the boys food. Ula still serves her brothers to this day. If she would get in trouble, she would be sent to her grandma to be disciplined. Her grandma taught her a lot about Samoan culture. Ula spoke both English and Samoan growing up and is still fluent in Samoan. She talks about a social experiment she and her friends did at a mall. They watched her Polynesian friend shop in a mall store and the associate followed the Polynesian girl around the store as if she was going to shoplift. Most of the discrimination she has felt for being Polynesian has been customer service related. Ula’s father converted to the Mormon faith because he wanted to marry Ula’s mother. Her mother was raised Mormon. Ula was never forced to follow the Mormon religion but her parents encouraged her to pray and read her scriptures every day. Her father was an area authority for the Church. She wants to move to Samoa and start a nail parlor business there. She wants to move to Samoa because it is less materialistic than in the United States.
Project: Pacific Islander oral history project.
Interviewer: Savani Aupiu

Dates

2009

Conditions Governing Access

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.