Phonological awareness (PA) is critical for early literacy development in English and other languages (Gillon & McNeill, 2007; McNaughton, 2020; Aukuso, 2005), yet little is known about PA in Samoan. This doctoral study addressed that gap with 100 students and five principal participants, motivated by national concerns over low literacy outcomes among Samoan children (SPC, 2021; SEGRA, 2017). Using a mixed-methods approach, the study developed the Samoan Emergent Phonological Awareness tool (SEPA), which included an oral comprehension subtest, and combined indigenous and universal methods. Findings confirm that PA supports Samoan literacy development and that integrating phonemic awareness with phonics enhances reading and comprehension more effectively than teaching each skill in isolation (Aukuso, 2021; Gillon, 2017).