Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Reuniting families is one important aspect of the 18th Annual Tattoo Arts Festival in American Samoa, 2023.

For great-aunty Christine or Tine Kruse as most people know her, it’s playing host to her nephew Felix McBride and his son Jacob from Perth, Australia for two weeks, while they attend the Festival. Jacob was getting his tatau or malofie.

She told Samoa News in an interview at Tisa’s Barefoot Bar on Wednesday, Oct. 25, “Jacob McBride is my sister Lusi’s grandson, who wanted to have a tattoo and he read about the Tattoo Festival in American Samoa on Facebook.

“He knew he has families [sic] on the island, which made him comfortable in making the connection.”   

The proud relative Ms Kruse hasn’t seen her sister’s son and grandson for several years, and Jacob’s dream to get the Samoan tattoo, tatau, brought them together with other family members in the territory.   

 She has accompanied her nephew Felix and his son from day one, cheering from the side the whole of day one, day two and …

Ms Kruse said, “He is going back on November 1st, and I wanted to be here for him.

“I made dinner for them on Monday night, and again I have offered to do the Wednesday with another family member in support of reuniting with our nephew and his son.

“Jacob had been doing research on getting his tattoo, and he may have underestimated the pain. It’s very painful; I told him ‘your aunt had her malu, without research’.

“ I had a friend, Ms Salu Hunkin who in 1991 asked me if I wanted to go ‘pair’ with her in getting malus [sic] done in Upolu by the Suluapes.

“That took me four hours, by alternating with Ms Hunkin. The Apisa was at Fonoti's home, in Lalovaea, Western Samoa.”

She remembers some older men were sitting around playing a string guitar, which helped ease the pain .

Samoa News, met up with her on the beach on day two of the Festival and right away the proud 81-year-old mother of two, Ms Kruse talked about how happy she was to be there for her family from Australia.

“My grandnephew Jacob works for a mining company in Perth, Australia.  It’s a computerized operated system for the trucks that carry iron in Perth  

“His father also works with the mine as an electrician; Felix McBride also took a break to be here for Jacob.

“We are from a big family, the Fanene in Nuuuli and Kruse and the Youngs from Ta’u Manu’a.

She was born at Papaseea, the village behind Tua'efu and Lepea, Upolu. Her father was from Upolu and he was sent during World War II to Somes Island in Wellington Harbor, New Zealand —  the camp is similar to what happened to the Japanese in the U.S. The prisoners were identified as “enemy aliens”.

Her mother was a Young from Manu'a, she said. 

Ms Kruse looks fit for an 81-year-old, and how she keeps herself that way she said is that she swims everyday at Nuuuli, Coconut Point, residing on her grandmother Gaulua Fanene’s family communal land.

She is the youngest of four — with one brother and two sisters.

She herself has two sons, one is 55 and is currently working as an Engineer for ASPA, while  the other is in the military stationed at Norfolk Island.

Ms Kruse said in her family no one else has a malofie, only an armband tattoo, even her late brother, Hans Kruse.

At 62 she retired from the local DOE, having served in various areas — including teaching and administering of the Teachers Resource Center — that was 20 years ago. Ms Kruse thinks she’s one of the lucky ones to survive this long after retiring from work.

“We have a good retirement system so I’m comfortable. We’re spoiled here with the convenience of good medical, Medicare and Medicaid, everybody is eligible with Medicaid.