Elijah Lemusuifeauali'i

Studying abroad in the fields of Cultural Anthropology and Pacific Studies, Elijah Lemusuifeauali'i established his academic career early through written & published works. In his younger years Lemusuifeauali'i developed specific interests in Pacific bark-cloth & traditional wood carving practices including West Pacific weaponry, drums, adornments and canoe building. Becoming an apprentice carver at 21yrs old under the guidance of 4 master carvers from Tonga, Aotearoa & Hawaii, Lemusuifeauali’i later went on to win an award at The Annual Hawaiian Arts Wood show - Na La'au o Hawaii and be the primary feature of the Asian American-Pacific Islander Heritage Month art gallery in La'ie, Hawaii. Currently, Lemusuifeauali’i works as the Wansolmoana Connect Officer for the Australian Museum and as one of the three selected carvers for the Parramatta Powerhouse Museum’s new multicultural Waka Project. Lemusuifeauali’i values his education, pursuing it further through a master’s program in Pacific Development. Lemusuifeauali'i has paternal links to the villages of Eva, Malie & Matautu on the island of Upolu, Samoa and maternal lineage to Ngati Porou, Te Whanau a Apanui & Te Whanau a Maruhaeremuri on the North Island of Aotearoa, New Zealand. Lemusuifeauali'i is an academic, artist, writer, poet, orator and advocate for Pacific knowledge and education, with goals to one day become a professor of Pacific studies.