Village Structure, Cultural Day and Site Placement

July 22-
Today we began to learn a Samoan dance as part of the going away festivities that will be held our last day here in the village. We are also learning some songs and will do a mini (10 minute) play along with serving Samoan food and giving our host families presents as a thank you for having us. Then a bunch of us went to the island again after lunch for some swimming and beach volleyball and rubgy which ended up being water rugby as the tide came in. Great fun.

My day was going great until I fell on my butt in front of the church on my way to choir practice (it was dark and the road had a pothole in it). Of course half the choir was hanging out on the steps waiting for time to start the practice. Gives the phrase "In front of God and everybody" a whole new meaning. Of course I managed to gash my hand and had to be hauled in to Apia so our Medical Officer could clean it out and bandage it up. I did get a banana berry smoothie from McDonalds out of it! Anyway, the hand is fine and now I'm the village star (or is it clown? I don't know - I don't speak the language very well.)

So, how about a lesson in Samoan village structure. Why not, you say? Okay then --
In all Samoan villages there are men with titles who are called alii (or chiefs) and those without. These titles are hereditary and have been passed down for hundreds of years. Originally there was one title in any given family but over time the customs have changed to allow multiple family members to share the same title. Now one man inherits the title and becomes the matai or head of the family, but if another family member is deemed to deserve it they (male of female) may be granded one too. Among all the chiefs in the village there is one high chief and one or more talking chiefs. It is the high chief's duty to ensure the safety and welfare of the entire village. It is the duty of the talking chiefs to talk for the high chief at meetings and to apportion any food or gifts that are given to the village. The remainder of the chiefs are resposible for the welfare of their own families and extended families.

The untitled men are the worker bees. they plant, tend, and harvest food from the plantation and cattle farms. They are also called upon to enforce the curfew and to perform any other tasks the chiefs decide need doing. A man may, as is the case with my host father, hold a title in one village but if he moves to another village he becomes an untitled man there. If he returns to his own village he will still have his title there because once given they are never lost.

Next up are the women. Wives of the chiefs belong to the Women's Komiti and make decisions regarding activities of all the women. Wives of the untitled men do what the Women's Komiti tells them to do along the lines of village cleanup, caring for children and elders, preparing food for feasts, etc.

The other important players in the village are the pulenu'u (mayor) who is a government employee, and the faifeau (minister or priest). Their power varies a great deal from village to village but they are always a force to be reckoned with. So there it is in a nutshell. Life the Samoan way.

July 24th -
Had a quick trip to Apia this morning to get my hand checked. It's still okay - no infection. Then this afternoon we finally got our site assignments. For the next two years I will be living on--- drum roll please--- Manono Island where I went during my volunteer visit. My village is Faleu, population 327.

July 26 -
Today was Cultural Day which meant no classes per se. It was a day long hands on exposure to Samoan food preparation and hospitality by way of helping cook the food and then serving it to the village chiefs. We helped build the umu (oven) which consists of building a fire on a bed of rocks, removing the wood when the rocks are hot, putting some of the hot rocks inside the young pig that was to be roasted then putting it on the bed of rocks. The pig is then covered with more of the hot rocks, taro root goes on next, then fish that has been wrapped in woven coconut leaves, and finally packets of coconut cream wrapped in young taro leaves. To top it off, cover with banana leaves and bake till done.

Other activities we participated in were husking coconuts, scraping the coconut meat out of the shell to be squeezed to make the coconut cream, roasting cocoa beans and then pulverizing them to make Koko Samoa - just add hot water, and it's delicious without either sugar or milk. After that they taught us how to weave a basket out of a coconut frond. They're much better at it than we are!

Time for lunch!. The chiefs arrived and were seated according to rank in the large meeting fale. We drew "parts" to play from a bowl and I got to be one of two talking chiefs and another gal got to be the high chief. The rest of the trainees were either food servers or were to sit in front of us privileged ones and fan our food to keep the flies away..

After a lengthy discussion between our talking chiefs it was agreed that this was a good time to eat, and lunch was served. The main course, roast pork, fish, and the coconut cream "palusami" were served on a plate of papaya leaves. On another "plate" we got a big hunk of taro that would have made more than a meal all by itself. finally they brought us our drink, a niu (young coconut) with a straw sticking out which they sit on a coffee mug to keep it from tipping over. Our servers then waiting nearby allowing us to eat. they watch our plates carefully and if we finish anything they rush up to give us more. None of us are allowed to finish our meal until their high chief has finished, and our servers and fanners are not allowed to eat until we have all finished eating, the remnants of the meal have been removed, and we have been given bowls of water and a towel to wash up. The bad news is, if we eat all the food they serve they get nothing to eat. The good news is there is always plenty for everyone.

Next on the schedule for the day was a Pisikoa vs. Samoa softball game. They have taught our guys cricket and rugby so it was time for us to teach them an American sport. We all migrated to the school ballfield and then it began to rain and it poured the whole time. Everyone was slipping and sliding around. The bases, which were coconut husks, kept moving around the field. One Samoan guy was throwing the ball at people to tag them out, one was hanging onto runners clothes to slow them down, and runners who were on base at the third out wouldn't leave the field because "they" weren't out. It was hysterical. It's a good thing there aren't more than 9 innings in a game though because they caught on fast and by the 6th inning they had the hang of it and began to catch up. Final score 25 to 22 Pisikoa but they have already asked for a re-match and our guys and gals had better watch out.

July 30--
In Apia for the coming week, or actually only 2 days then it's off to On the Job Training in my permanent village for the next 4 days. It's a kind of get acquainted with the village and check out your housing sort of a deal. Tomorrow morning at 8:30 am the pulenu'u (mayor) of my village will pick me up and whisk me away to my little mini island, slightly over one square mile, which lies 15 minutes by boat west of the main island of Upolu between it and Savai'i Island. Now I get to start the whole getting acquainted process all over again. I have actually gotten very comfortable with my host family in the training village and I'm not looking forward to those first few hours with new faces but I suppose I'll manage.