9 Nov 2017

The Life of Ta’isi O. F. Nelson

From , 6:02 am on 9 November 2017

 

'Tautai'

Photo: Supplied

'Tautai' is the story of Ta'isi Olaf Frederick Nelson and chronicles Samoa's struggle against the yoke of colonialism and one man's battle against the administration of the regional power, New Zealand.

The cultural historian Patricia O'Brien has crafted a thorough and nuanced profile of Samoa's once richest man who impertinently chose to subvert the colonial order.

Her book Tautai: Samoa, World History, and the Life of Ta'isi O. F. Nelson corrects an historical narrative which has stood for much of the last century.

Dr O'Brien told Dominic Godfrey how she pulled the strands of the story together.

Patricia O'Brien

Patricia O'Brien Photo: Supplied