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Lea Tupu’anga / Mother Tongue

Katherine, a young speech therapist of Tongan and European heritage has lied about her Tongan language skills to work with Siaosi – an elderly Tongan patient with aphasia who has lost his ability to speak English.

Siaosi resents Katherine’s presence and is resistant to her speech therapy sessions. Katherine unwittingly offends Siaosi and is left feeling disconnected and insecure about her identity.