This and That, in Samoa

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Some interesting facts about Samoa and Samoan culture and the Church:

• School uniforms for boys use the traditional lava lava.  We see this on men at church too, at turnover ceremonies, both local and American missionaries and church leaders.

 

This man is a church leader and also head of an LDS College.  

These young men are just returning home from school. 

•   Kava is a large crop in Samoa.  It is a drug.  It is hard for members to give up their cash crop; however, they have been promised that if they do, the Lord will help them make more money doing something that is not against the Word of Wisdom.  Not many have the faith to do that.  They think that because it is a Samoan tradition, that it is okay.
•  They tattoo their bodies in a different way than people do in the U.S.—they print their traditions on their skin—Samoan symbols.  They have been told that this is a no-no also, including lots of piercings.
• We often see graves in the front of their homes, some fancy with shiny plaques, some plain in just concrete boxes with no writing on them; some are made into quite the memorial spot, probably depending upon the wealth of the relative left behind.  Just think of all the money we’d save if we could do the same, plus our deceased relative would be close at hand to visit every day.

Just one of the many graves we see in the front yards of homes along the road.  This one is pretty fancy.  Some have special memorials all around them.  Some are just plain, white concrete boxes with no insignia---I’m sure it has to do with the amount of money one has.

· When one drinks from the small hole in the top of a coconut, you should make loud sucking sounds to get it out, or else they will know that you don’t know what you are doing (we don’t).

•  Samoans seem to eat all the time.  We are never hungry when they want to stop to eat, again…
• ·         Those structures I mentioned before that have a platform with posts holding up the roof that are also out in the front of the regular houses, is actually called a guest house, and that is what it used to be; nowadays they use them for meetings, or just to visit with each other, but no one actually stays there.  They feel that walls are not needed, and indeed many of the poorer homes don’t have walls. 

This is a simple Guest House, one that Elder Fata said he might build on his property.  He said that his wife would like to have one.

• ·         We are often served food.  On one plate there was this most disgusting-looking green stuff, but I remembered Mareta telling me how good it was, so I took a tiny bit just to taste.  It was really good so I took some more.  It is called Palusami.  They take Taro leaves and add coconut milk, onions and salt, making a pocket in the leaves and pour it in  Then they wrap more leaves, then foil, and bake it in the oven.  It really was surprisingly tasty.  I wish I had a picture because it looked so awful.
• ·         All along the beach we noticed that the waves broke way out there.  There are reefs all around the islands.  There are markers for the ferries so that they don’t run into any reefs.  There were markers for them at each island.  We took the large ferry across but when we returned we remained in our cars and took the smaller ferry back.  It took about 30 minutes longer.  The guy ahead of us apparently didn’t have his emergency brake on and had taken a nap in his back seat.  I kept saying I thought he would bump us as the ferry was rolling along with the swells.  Sure enough, he broke loose and bumped us, but no damage.

Notice the break, way out there away from the shore.  Reefs line the islands.

• ·         In about 1906 the mountain erupted, killing many people.  This is what it looks like today after so many years.