Busy Weekend

September 19-
It's been an eventful week and it's not over yet. I got a call from Ki, my hostess, last Friday morning telling me that, "Oh by the way there is going to be a title giving ceremony there on Saturday and people will begin arriving this afternoon." Now mind you a title giving ceremony is a HUGE thing in Samoan Society. The whole extended family attends and since most of them don't live here on the island they would be coming on Friday and spending the night.

At 7:30pm the family business got started. When a title is given that man's family is required to pay a stated sum for the privilege. In this case it was $1000 tala, 5 fine mats, several cases of canned meat and 3 bolts of cloth. This all had to be counted out and receipt acknowledged for each of the 17 young men who were getting titles. That took until midnight, then they all had to chat a while before finally settling down to sleep. The women did sleep in the meeting fale, but the men were all spread out in my "living room". I went to bed and tried to sleep but woke up at 4:00am, realized the kitchen light was still on and got up to turn it off. Out by the back fale I could see they had built a fire which some of the young men were tending and the women were preparing something in a huge pot. They were out there all night.

Next morning everyone got up, bustled around getting ready, and then headed down the way to the village matai council meeting fale for the actual title ceremony. When the ceremony was over everyone was served lunch at the matai’s meeting fale which entailed mass production of "box lunches" which were styrofoam doggy-bag boxes filled with whatever they were cooking at 4:00am. I have no idea how many people finally ended up here for the event as a lot came that morning on the boat but I'd guess it was around 100. It looked like a busy anthill for a while as the "workers" scurried back and forth carrying 5 or 6 boxes each until everyone got served.

By nightfall everyone had left but a couple of men who were staying in the village with other families. One of these was the former high chief of this village. Apparently early next morning at daylight (6:00am) they decided to go for a swim. I was awakened by the sound of loud urgent voices and women yelling at Ki to wake her up. I got up and looked out to see them escorting her down towards the boat dock as a large number of villagers gathered around. Because of her wailing I was concerned that something had happened to her 7 year old son so I threw on some clothes and followed them, but was relieved to find out that it was the former high chief who had died while swimming. They carried him back to the house and the village women frenetically gathered around washing his body, spreading out fine mats, on which they placed a sheet covered foam pad and a pillow, and then they placed his sheet wrapped body on that. The Methodist minister arrived shortly and a brief service was held then they took the body down to the boat and headed to Apia to the hospital where the morgue is located. Next Friday there will be a funeral of colossal proportions here in the village. The man was the high chief for a long time and the entire village will be involved in this fa'alavelave (unusual event- most often a funeral).