We are scheduling interviews today. I had to ask her out several times before she agreed. It defines our ranks and statuses, our relationships with others and the boundaries within and across. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Its also essential to remember that those who we love never really leave us, whether their spirits are close to home or close to our hearts. She agreed, and the discussions then revolved around money and the issues were finally settled.. Saying a funeral speech is not something that should be undertaken unprepared. Of course, she drove me crazy. vaevae manava, isliterally the sharing of a woman's body to create new life. It's used to describe someone who has no fixed abode. The tulafale also leads a special ceremony called saofai, where the family discusses any important decisions to be made about the deceaseds passing, shared stories, and have a feast often using a Samoan umu, an Earth oven with heated rocks, to cook the food. He taught me how to think critically, and not to take things at face value. He let me cry on his shoulder when I went through my first break-up. Salutations to the third heaven! Frazer, James. To be upfront, we do receive a commission when you sign up with 'Betterhelp', but we have total faith in their expertise and would never recommend something we didn't completely approve. Details: 2 Positions. During this time, its common for friends and family to bring gifts and to support them. Order Here. The role of the orator (moe) is to exercise authority (pule) and to focus on complexity and context. Anytime shed open those beautiful big brown eyes of hers, silently reminding me that she was my flesh and blood, I couldnt stay angry with her. In the body of your funeral speech talk about the person and what they meant to you, bearing in mind the dos and donts listed above. What exactly happens during a Samoan funeral? If she didnt understand something, shed work at it until she did. The ones for a father were written by myself and my brother when my Dad died. Your loss is so great. This tuaoi may also be viewed as part of the va fealoaloai or relations between matai (chiefs) and taulealea (untitled men) or between matai and au aiga (immediate family or household). This means that the Samoan Lands and Titles Court must become well familiar with the idiosyncrasies of Samoan life, its social, cultural and political imperatives, at the village, district, national and international levels, and know how to balance these. Friends remember 7-Eleven store clerk killed in SoCal crime spree. She had such an infectious zest for life that she could always find the humor or a silver lining of any situation, regardless of the gravity. 3587. Eleele, meaning earth and palapala,meaning mud, can also mean blood. Aga-i-fanua recognises the uniqueness of each village, its history and genealogy, and so creates tuaoi or boundaries within and without. The wisdom gained from this dialogue informs fono deliberations. The eastern group of islands is known as American Samoa, a U.S. territory with a population of 41,000. Tulouna le lagi tualima! Thank you for being with us today, to celebrate the life of a remarkable woman, my mother Ellen. Click here to receive 20% off your first month. To understand Samoan tulafono we must search our Samoan faasinomaga; we must search the tuaoi of our ancestors and of our children to come; the tuaoi between ourselves; between us and our lands; the seas; the skies; the stars each implicit in and protected by our tulafono. Id like to start by offering Johns family my sincerest condolences. Speak from the heart and say how you feel about the person, Talk about their career, jobs, hobbies and passions, Talk about their relationships with family, friends and colleagues, Mention things that you inherited or learned from them, Perhaps mention some people who will be at the funeral, Mention a couple of funny stories if appropriate, Keep it real and don't be afraid of mentioning their less good points - you don't have to put them on a pedestal, Thank people for coming to the funeral and for their support. The inadequacy of published material relating to Samoan death and mourning culture reflects the time lapse due to resources available to draw from. David was a loyal and kind person whod never let you down. My father was a quiet man. Some villages have special roles afforded to particular families, names or positions specific to their village history. So I did what I usually do when searching for context and meaning and sought the assistance of my friends. In this tuaoi parents speak on behalf of their children (i.e. That may make him sound like he was distant, but nothing could be further from the truth. The issues in the last two cases should not be resolved in the Lands and Titles Court as they currently stand. Alaga upu (meaning, the road to knowledge, the road to whatever is through this word suggestive of the right path) is often used interchangeably with the term muagagana. The worst put down for a matai is the saying: a le faatu lava laua i le tunoa, e le aai, meaning, [the matai has no followers and so] the matai and his spouse must attend to the kitchen chores or else they will not eat. You had a special man in your midst, and Im cant imagine the depth of loss you must feel. I fell in love with the language on a different level thanks to him. My mother certainly got an A ++ in this. She took her role as a mother seriously and did an amazing job of raising them to be the adults they are today. It is useful at this point to look closer into what tuaoi might be exactly. It speaks of an interruption to the family's usual schedule. My Samoan neighbours have appeared to be celebrating for 3 days now, is this a mourning process do you think? How Do Samoans Bury and Mourn Their Dead? Case 2: Together aga-nuu and aga-i-fanua operated to provide guidelines for interpreting and enforcing the tuaoi between man and man, man and the environment, man and the cosmos, man and God. When I first called him Mr. Robinson after graduation, hed turned around and said, Is my father standing behind me? When I replied in the negative, hed said, Then why are you saying his name?. (Samoan Proverb) Let the crab take counsel with its leg. In commenting on being Indian David says: Being Indian is mainly in your heart. Thank you for taking the time to put your work into this. Tautua is a concept not only applicable to the untitled but also to the titled. The role of the high chief (tofa) is to look ahead and divine the implications in the long term and to intervene on behalf of the long view, mercy and compassion. The 10 points are laid out like a poem on two pretty pages which you can pin on your fridge door to help you every day! I wish Id had more time with her, I really do. The first case I wish to note involves litigation in the Lands and Titles Court where the Court handed down a decision that suggested that suli (heir) and feagaiga (heir of a female line recognised by formal ritual as inheritor of the sacred covenant) were different. This is the essence of my sense of belonging. My life was better that I could have ever imagined, and fuller that I ever dreamed because of Stephens presence by my side. But, regardless of our misdeeds, she would always find it in her heart to forgive us. Salutations to the obtainable! This link will open in a new window. Tulouna le pogisa ma le leai! I raise four different cases for support on this point. Each contributes to the development of a Samoan jurisprudence. Moreover, they can operate simultaneously. Ua le sei seu faaalo There were three Samoan 'experts' there representing different organizations and they were having an argument as to what the proper cultural protocol was for atonement [i.e. The salutations on first reading speak of lagi as heavens. Whether you knew Jane as a wife or a mother, a co-worker, or a friend, we all benefited from her wisdom and heartfelt advice. In doing so I received a profound message from my dear friend Fr. A good death, in Samoan tradition, is a death that happens at home. Further down the page there are links to example eulogies for all loved ones, friends or colleagues to give you inspiration. Many users would be better served consulting an attorney than using a do-it-yourself online And I couldnt stay angry with her. The one for a mother was written by my mother (founder of this website) about her own Mum. We lived far away from each other and Ill be honest, we sometimes went for long periods without talking, which I regret. Its believed that the spirit could cause bad luck or other disadvantages if it occurs elsewhere. That is, in Samoan speech protocols one employs the term va when speaking of his or her own personal relationships or about those relationships close to them. When speaking objectively of the relationships of others, particularly of those that are unfamiliar (at a personal level) to the speaker, the term tuaoi is the more appropriate term to describe those relationships. Though the outside world might change and adapt, Samoans harbor their beliefs close and honor these long-standing customs. In Faa Samoa, the dead are never treated as though theyre gone. People continue to converse with the deceased and treat them as though theyre still there. in its interpretation of Samoan custom in the past and the application of Samoan custom in the present. Aga-i-fanua affirms the uniqueness or idiosyncrasies of villages according to their history. LomaJe t'en prie maman, Vol. It gave them a designation and identity, i.e. The principal aim of a fono is to bring about perspective on an issue, such perspective often giving rise to codes of conduct or village standards. A good funeral speech starts with an introduction. He showed me the value of questioning that which was placed before me as fact. What exactly happens during a Samoan funeral? She seemed to radiate some kind of magnetic attraction. When I caught her, she had rainbow-colored eyelids, forehead and cheeks. Salutations to the fourth heaven! Faasinomaga is mans inheritance designated by the designator God. Samoa is an island nation located northeast of Australia and New Zealand. Unlike in other cultures, black isnt always worn at funerals in Samoa. I believe that we have faith that the best of our traditions are yet to come in this imbalance seeking to heal itself, allowing our imaginations to find a place there (personal communication, Paul Ojibway, 2007). Contents 1 Clothing For our purposes I raise brief discussion only on the tuaoi between people namely between matai and au aiga, tamaalii (high chief) and tulafale (orator), parent and child; the tuaoi between nuu (village), itumalo (district) and Malo (central government); and between the Lands and Titles Court bench and pae ma auli (Samoan mediators). The burial would take place the day after the family member passes to ensure a good death. I walked into her office in error and there she was: the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Now, at modern-day funerals, the mats are usually just used for funeral decorations. Cultural Spotlight: Luhya People of Kenya Funeral Traditions, How to Preserve Your Funeral Roses and Make Meaningful Mementos, Cultural Spotlight: Rwandan Funeral Traditions. 21 July 2022. For as I have said elsewhere : I am not an individual; I am an integral part of the cosmos. These issues of belonging (of faasinomaga and va fealoaloai), of knowing boundaries (or tuaoi), and of knowing how to search for meaning in having these boundaries (for having tofa saili) are central to understanding the contours, substance and impact of tulafono or Samoan (custom) law, then and today. In ancient Samoa, the saying: E le se Atua fau tagata (God is not God Creator) o le Atua usu gafa (God is God Progenitor) le Atua o le mau a Samoa (the God of Samoa), thus holds. My experience as a litigant in the Samoan Lands and Titles Court and the fact that I live my Samoan indigenous culture are my qualifications. The third case illustrates the point about the need for solutions that can move beyond the restrictions of rigid legal interpretation and application towards a more flexible application of rule capable of meeting justice and human dignity concerns concerns often brought about because of the changes in peoples lived realities. For Samoans, life and death are about much more than a single person. Her lips and teeth were full of lipstick, and there was mascara everywhere. To address some of the problems noted above, Justice Eddie Durie recommended in conversation with me in preparation for this paper, the process of arbitration. Tula means head; fono means formal meeting. She didnt make it easy. I am researching Samoa for a school project. You have to be a skilled speaker to compete against other tulafale for the honor (and the spoils) of delivering commemorative speeches at various functions. Tulouna le lagi tuafa! He supported them every step of the way. Tulafono when read alongside muagagana in this way can only be interpreted as products, not of and/or from a culture of rigid calculation and unfeeling application, but of a culture that privileges the dignity and sacredness of humans, their weaknesses and strengths, and their right to live in a manner and form, within their customs, rules and laws that do justice to them as living beings, as creations and children of God. Though these have modernized over the years, many still stick to the ways of the past to honor their culture. samoan funeral speech. 35 hours/week. Your aim is not to deliver a stand-up comedy routine, but rather, a poignant and potentially somewhat humorous view of who the deceased was and what they meant to you. There were crushes and boyfriends that caused heartache and heartbreak. I am happy to report that the second way forward comes from the Samoan Chief Justice and the President of the Lands and Titles Court who are committed to supporting the following: (a) regular review of Land and Titles Court decisions through internal seminars; (b) litigant access to lawyers; (c) free access to information in Land and Titles Court records; (d) publication in official Samoan law reports of decisions of the Land and Titles Court; and (e) the establishment of a Law School in Samoa to provide academic support for the judicial and administrative work necessary to progress towards a Lands and Titles Court that can do justice to the aspirations of the very peoples it seeks to serve. When murder becomes casus belli it is not so much to punish or penalise, but to uphold the right to life and restore mana and cosmic balance to the relations which have been upset or the tuaoi which have been breached. Simply fill out the online questionnaire and you will be assigned the expert grief counselor most suitable for you. When using the term va alongside the term tuaoi, in the manner noted above, I am not suggesting that they are synonyms. For caregivers and bereaved individuals who would like to contribute to our understanding of caregiving and bereavement, this is a way to make a difference. While its not always clear what to wear to a funeral, Samoans have strong beliefs about whats appropriate dress for a funeral. by Jenny Goldade | Feb 24, 2017 | Cultural Spotlight, For Families. Moe refers to the sleep of an orator. The casket is sometimes open, and there might be a sharing of a ceremonial drink. Free for basic plan with no ads. We are not attorneys and are not providing you with legal One of my fondest memories of my mother is watching her sit down and relax after a long day. Pay an affordable FLAT FEE FOR UNLIMITED SESSIONS. Many of the others have been written for us by guest writers about their own lost loved ones. 29 October 2007. But not all us Samoans are the same. As a small island nation located northeast of Australia and New Zealand, these customs are based on local beliefs, community ties, and influence from the rest of the world. Before 1903 the judicial functions of the Lands and Titles Court were exercised through pule and through the process of pae ma auli (or mediation ). Even as a baby, she showed an exceptional amount of determination. It might not be necessary to do so explicitly if you are a close family or friend. Without them we lose our designation as Samoans. There were times I wished he wasnt my brother. Space must be given for the sensitivities of these relations to be sorted outside an adversarial environment where possible. That is, the principle upon which feagaiga is founded, i.e. Stephen endeared himself to me even more when we became parents. Head of State Office - Motootua Samoa - (00685) 26400 - FAX (00685) 26493. Its a way of walking with the earth instead of upon it. We also may earn commission from purchases made through affiliate links. Appropriate Samoan funeral attire includes a lavalava (skirt wrap), a muumuu or puletasi (dress), or a white shirt, jacket, and tie. Losing my sister is so heartbreaking. Salutations to the mountain! The literal meaning of tofi is a portion. [2] The speech was supposed to have been delivered by Pericles, an eminent Athenian politician . Facebook. Before the advancement of mortuary science there, the deceased was buried the day after death. Knowing. I begin with tuaoi and rights. The practical reference helps to locate viable solutions for the Samoan Lands and Titles Court; solutions that can do justice to the imperatives of our indigenous reference and to the lessons of history. The principle advocated is that the right to a title, to status and rank, is ultimately earned through merit and regular service. Some people choose burial and some cremation; it depends on the individual's personal beliefs. Guests give the grieving family monetary gifts or hand-woven mats in a ceremonial exchange of gifts called faalavelave. 2022-2023 School Year . None of these rules or laws, however, was meant to be fixed or rigid. We believe reflecting on our mortality can help us lead more meaningful lives. In fact, right now, thats the place I wish I was more than anything else. the family of God, assumes a close and intimate relationship between God and man. Print them out and then fill in the information and stories for your own departed loved one. He shaped me into the man I am today. 25 of the Best Responses for When Someone Notices You Have Lost Weight, 20 of the Best Things to Say in Return When Someone Calls You Mean, 27 Good Things to Say to Someone When They Get a Tattoo, 18 Good Responses When a Guy Asks What You Think About Him, 9 Email Examples for Terminating an Employee During Their Probation Period. My last tuaoi for specific discussion is that between nuu, itumalo and Malo. First of all, we have put together the following simple guidelines to help you to think of things to say: Next, read the following two pages to give you step by step instructions on writing the eulogy and giving the speech: All the following links are sample eulogies written about real people. In fact, there were times I had to ask him to be a bit more hands-off so that I could get to my babies! Mau, meaning the indigenous world view of Samoan people. For information about opting out, click here. In the funeral chant of a Samoan chief cited above there are salutations beginning with the first heaven and ending with the ninth. Finally, to help you with your task of writing your funeral speech, we have some printable templates as a guide to write eulogies for adults and for children. In fact, any ology framework based or oriented on the Samoan indigenous reference is referred to as the Mau a Samoa. I move now to a brief discussion of the relationship between tuaoi and tulafono. For USA Residents only. Salutations to the fifth heaven! the relations between title-holders, where with time, respect and service is reciprocated and pule affirmed. It is the function of the mind to assess sensory evidence for cognitive meaning. We could never quite figure out what it was, but its lasted a lifetime. Thediscussions lasted for several hours and finally got to the point where everyone was talking about atonement. The archipelago is a politically divided one. There are no words I can use to express my gratitude, which I know would disappoint John. In thinking about this I am reminded of a famous story about Robert Benchley while he was a student of International Law at Harvard University. How else can you tell whether or not they are lying?'. God in the Samoan indigenous reference is God Progenitor. Especially where delay in the determination of appointments to important titles impacts on use and enjoyment of lands and other titles, and as well on the role and function of that title holder on village and district hierarchy. In this sense, laws emerge from the coming together and the synthesising of wisdom from the heads of a fono. The logic then follows that if feagaiga is founded on vaevae manava, and suli is founded on birth, then both are founded on one and the same thing. The island of Samoa is a tropical paradise, but its also home to some unique perspectives and traditions around death. But you must be able to get through the speech you have prepared. As part of Government policy each village was entitled to have an access road to their plantations constructed at no expense to them. Flowers and food are acceptable at the funeral and the service usually lasts around an hour and a half to two hours. Public Lecture Address One important custom in the Samoan culture is the For Samoans there is a strong sense of identity and belonging that is bound to our faasinomaga, our designation as defined by our Designator. Any information you provide to Cake, and all communications between you and Cake, He seldom said much. Salutations to the darkness and the void! 1 Studio Alphonse - 2014Released on: 2014-04-22Author: RRComposer: RRA. A funeral procession for one of the children who died of measles in Samoa in 2019. It seems pertinent to share those thoughts with you also. Land in the Samoan language is fanua. Unfortunately, we must have used an unreliable source. Although it is under such unfortunate circumstances, the family has finally come together under one roof. My mother was the heart of our home, the center of our universe, and the greatest example of unconditional love we couldve hoped to have. Delivering a funeral speech can be a daunting task. It requires some forethought and planning. Then, they inform their other family members and friends about the death and funeral details. What our family lacked in money, my mother more than made up for with love. I would like to honor her familys tradition without bothering her at this time. Tulouna le lagi tuaiva! This case highlights an evidential problem or a problem of precedent which has serious implications on the manaof the Court, let alone the claimants, if not resolved. This practice is intended to protect the mana and mystique of the chief and allow him space and time to dialogue with his God without interruption. In ancient Samoan genealogy, land is one of mans ancestors and is acknowledged in the funeral chant by deferential reference to dust, earth, standing rocks, stones and mountain as family. In searching for an understanding of tulafono the first and most logical place of call should be an analysis of Samoan proverbs. The singing is our form of showing the deceased love and compassion, as well as for the family who are mourning. Shed open those beautiful big brown eyes and remind me that she was my flesh and blood. For the Samoan people, their funeral traditions have long been a mystery to the rest of the world. Tulafono, can be literally interpreted to mean the head of a fono. Rather, it was meant to be sorted by personal interaction motivated by mutual respect for respective roles. Rather, I am noting that they are interchangeable depending on who the speaker is. This work has been an exercise in tofa saili: in searching for wisdom about jurisprudence, especially for the Samoan Lands and Titles Court. Find out what to do and discover resources to help you cope. the devastation of all food crops which may include razing family residences in the village. Janet was an exemplary student. Both stories, together with the discussion on rights, illustrate the varied contexts of tuaoi. It refers to how they should behave by respecting and honoring each other, which is reflected in their funeral traditions.