God Bless you and God Bless Samoa!! Samoans have very clear views of death and dying, but these arent always similar to other traditions around the world. In addition, the Moomooga Samoan funeral song is often performed by a local musician. She seemed to radiate some kind of magnetic attraction. My life was better that I could have ever imagined, and fuller that I ever dreamed because of Stephens presence by my side. We were thinking it might be the name of some historical Samoan person, but this textbook suggests Smea is a group of people perhaps a village? And not only that, she would have enough faith in us to believe that we would not transgress again. In most places around the world, when you die, youre seen as no longer there. The funeral service is typically at a church and involves a lot of praying and singing. Ill work on sharing more of them with you in upcoming posts but yes, I may have to save my most favourites for myself and the lauga that I will put together someday lol. Samoan culture has both ancient and contemporary components to it and these provide the background for its funeral traditions and customs. Jennifer and I met, two gap-toothed first-graders, on the first day of school ever. I too am learning about how beautiful how culture is and the Matai oratory Language which Ive started taking up with PEC free Faatai bilingual classes and its just absolutely amazing Keep up the great work in sharing and spreading the love for our culture and esp our language so it can be pass down to the next generators lol Malo lava le ogosai. Please find the links below: http://www.jps.auckland.ac.nz/document/Volume_58_1949/Volume_58,_No._4/Proverbial_expressions_of_the_Samoans,_by_E._Schultz,_p_139-184/p1http://www.jps.auckland.ac.nz/document/Volume_59_1950/Volume_59,_No._1/Proverbial_expressions_of_the_Samoans,_by_E._Schultz,_p_35-62/p1http://www.jps.auckland.ac.nz/document/Volume_59_1950/Volume_59,_No._2/Proverbial_expressions_of_the_Samoans,_by_E._Schultz,_p_112-134/p1http://www.jps.auckland.ac.nz/document/Volume_59_1950/Volume_59,_No._3/Proverbial_expressions_of_the_Samoans,_by_E._Schultz,_p_207-231/p1http://www.jps.auckland.ac.nz/document/Volume_60_1951/Volume_60,_No._1/Proverbial_expressions_of_the_Samoans,_by_E._Schultz,_p_1-21/p1. O le lauga lenei: O le so'o ma fa'atasiga o nu'u se lua. The importance of mats harkens back to when they served as the currency of the Samoan people. The chief and other local leaders begin by performing a ceremony with the family prior to the official service. If you are standing and the person you wish to speak to is sitting, you are expected to bring . lol.. 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. Lol. Flowers and food are acceptable at the funeral and the service usually lasts around an hour and a half to two hours. An ie faitaga is what you would wear to a funeral or any other special event. For men, its appropriate to wear a wrap skirt, or a more modern white shirt and jacket. Every culture has its own collection of proverbs or maxims. We believe reflecting on our mortality can help us lead more meaningful lives. Ohlone Shellmound Buried Beneath the Emeryville Shopping Center. So, Sameli is a funny guy. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. LinkedIn. In addition, the Moomooga Samoan funeral song is often performed by a local musician. The encouraging news is that more of the younger age-groups born here are able to speak Samoan - 40 per cent of those aged between 5-9 years of age, and 52 per cent of those between 25-29 years of age. It requires some forethought and planning. Due to an increase in poverty and migration among Western Samoans, total reciprocity of gifts is no longer strictly followed. CherryK here n still living in Samoa! I dont know where to begin to tell you about the enormous gaping hole that Samanthas passing has left in my life. 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. well each family had an god when you die you go to your god so they were thankful for it. Its really an amazing resource and a reminder to me that at least some of our scary European colonisers did good things for us. This refers to things like monetary gifts and woven mats. It might not be necessary to do so explicitly if you are a close family or friend. This link will open in a new window. Its that mutual love and respect that makes me know Jennifer was the best friend I could ever have had. Even as a baby, she showed an exceptional amount of determination. But wherever she is, I know that shes looking down on me now with those gorgeous brown eyes and that beautiful smile. alabama state trooper recruiter; how to open a sentinel gun safe without a key; john wetteland verdict; shooting in brentwood, ca today; ark managarmr controls are not protected by an attorney-client privilege and are instead governed by our Privacy Policy. Samoans take this very seriously and it can look embarrassingly shameful if someone takes a misstep throughout the process. Before the advancement of mortuary science there, the deceased was buried the day after death. He was so proud to be a father and a wonderfully hands-on partner. Turner's observations describe There are no words I can use to express my gratitude, which I know would disappoint John. He supported them every step of the way. Her lips and teeth were full of lipstick, and there was mascara everywhere. Id like to start by offering Johns family my sincerest condolences. What exactly happens during a Samoan funeral? Required fields are marked *, CALL: (415) 431-3717Hours: 9AM-5PM PST. Especially when the moon is so bright it could be daytime. Usage of any form or other service on our website is He encouraged them to keep going. This warrants final words of respect. Literally: We dont farewell a moon-lit night. . It's used to describe someone who has no fixed abode. Like during the pre-funeral rituals, they also may bring corn beef boxes, chicken boxes, and fine mats. Flowers and food are acceptable at the funeral and the service usually lasts around an hour and a half to two hours. But this devastation is also cleansing. I fell in love with the language on a different level thanks to him. Frazer, James. Cultural Spotlight: Luhya People of Kenya Funeral Traditions, How to Preserve Your Funeral Roses and Make Meaningful Mementos, Cultural Spotlight: Rwandan Funeral Traditions. 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. So this alagaupu is referring to how we might be sitting here enjoying the conversation, but at the back of our minds, we know we need to be somewhere else. Eulogies typically are from 5 - 15 minutes. generalized educational content about wills. This extensive process marks the formality of the situation with the acceptance of a new titleholder as well as a possible tulafale into the family and village. hahahachoooohoooo!! advice. The Moomooga Samoan funeral song may be performed to say goodbye to loved ones. Whether it was scoring a home run in a Little League baseball game or getting a bursary for a university, he delighted in our successes. In 2015 there were 169,000 speakers of Samoan in Samoa, and there were 49,600 Samoan speakers in American Samoa. Alagaupu is the Samoan word for proverbs wise sayings or expressions about life. 48. Would love to see your own interpretations and any other alagaupu you might want to share in the comments. Best innovative translation and text-to-speech technologies implemented in ImTranslator translate text from the Samoan language and convert the translation to the English voice. Despite the fact that she was ill, and we knew her passing was inevitable, it has still come as a shock to us as a family. He shaped me into the man I am today. One of my fondest memories of my mother is watching her sit down and relax after a long day. 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?. (If anyone can tell us more about #6, please leave a comment below.). He would always show us the value of hard work and diligence. Then, as we visit time past, other emotions are felt. Because open caskets are common at the funeral, this is still the most common choice in Samoa today. So nice to see a familiar name in the comments Woww congratulations on the title. Funeral, Funeral Speech, Speech Questions, Speech Writing This article continues the question and answer series, focussing on words to say for at grandmothers funeral. Death doesnt happen the way that it does in other cultures. It requires some forethought and planning. Hahaha @ kuai kuai ae aua e ke popole, e ke fiu e ai . But when I look back on the life weve shared, it was more than worth it. Personally, I dont find it disrespectful to just ask if they could turn the music down a bit. Anything seemed possible with her attitude. Before the advancement of mortuary science there, the deceased was buried the day after death. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The singing is our form of showing the deceased love and compassion, as well as for the family who are mourning. Samoan climate activist Brianna Fruean, 23, addressed world leaders at the opening of COP26. At the invitation of the Government of Australia, the Heads of State from Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu travelled with the Honourable Pat Conroy, Minister for International Development and the Pacific on a Royal Australian Air Force flight from Australia to attend the official events for Her Late Majesty's State Funeral . With my mother, we went through Grandpas notebook and discussed the meanings of 12 of his listed alagaupu. Knowing. When you sit down to decide what youre going to say in your eulogy speech, there are a few factors you need to take into consideration. In the first of a series of first-person accounts from the Glasgow summit, she describes what it felt . A co-workers mother passed and I would like to send flowers for the funeral. We survived high school together. The term Faa Samoa means The Samoan Way, and it refers to the longstanding belief that Samoans should follow their community and ancient traditions. These have evolved from. Samoan traditional woven mat(Credit: Wikipedia). A eulogy is usually the main speech that praises and offers testimonial to the deceased's life. Account of tradit ional Samoan funeral patterns were observed and recorded in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries by early missionaries such as Stair, Turner, and Kramer, who was a medical physician based on the island during the German occupation [3-5]. Thanks to him, I developed analytical skills that I continue to use today. Ive read and am in total awe of your Grandfathers eloquence.Thank you so much for sharing your Grandfathers wisdom.Love and Blessings. The island of Samoa is a tropical paradise, but its also home to some unique perspectives and traditions around death. We'll help you get your affairs in order and make sure nothing is left out. In Samoan the word faalavelave literally means an interruption. Literally: Savea has a leg on either side of the day. Families would have to reorganise their day or week in order to rally family members for enough resources to meet their faalavelave obligations. Here in America and in most of Canada, we have funeral traditions that have stood the test of time for decades, even centuries. 40 Thank You Dad Messages Every Dad Will Appreciate. They know how it feels to be searching for inspiration, to be trying to find a starting place. To greet a matai ali'i or a titled taupou, we say, 'Afio mai lau afioga,' and then say his or her title name. Literally: You cant get a flow of coconut fat from one coconut. Now you can focus on leaving a legacy instead of a mess. Literally: When it is felt toward the sea, it is felt toward the land. Ive heard a few of those alagaupus and the others will come in handy!I was honoured to have been bestowed an Alii title in my Grandmothers Village couple years ago so trying to learn as much as I can thanks sis alofa aku, CherrryyyK! Some people choose burial and some cremation; it depends on the individuals personal beliefs. Gifts include money and fine hand-woven mats (usually for display only and then rolled and stored). Loss is hard. A funeral speech is difficult to deliver if youre feeling over-emotional. Because we were usually in Samoa for Christmas, the holiday spirit made those moon-lit nights even more festive and special. 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