Culture of Samoa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article does not cite any references or sources. (May 2007) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. |
The traditional Culture of Samoa is a communal way of life. In the Samoan culture all activities are done together. The traditional living quarters, or fales (houses), contain no walls and up to 20 people may sleep on the ground in the same fale. During the day, the fale is used for chatting and relaxing. One's family is viewed as an integral part of a person's life. The aiga or extended family lives and works together. Elders in the family are greatly respected and hold the highest status, and this may be seen at a traditional Sunday umu (underground oven). Most people speak Samoan, although the inhabitants of Swains Island speak Tokelauan.
The traditional Samoan dance is the Siva. This is similar to the Hawaiian dance, with gentle movements of the hands and feet in time to music and which tells a story. Other types of dance are modern dance by the younger generations, at bars or nightclubs. For example, the Indigenous Footsouljahs are four Samoan performers from the capital city of Wellington. They are animated, colorful, and ever present camouflage fatigues that echo their militaristic moniker. [1] Samoan dance is arguably the one area of Samoan culture that has not been touched by Western Civilization. Unlike several of the other Pacific Islands you will not normally find the dancers performing in grass skirts, nor is the hula a dance native to Samoa. [2]
Contents |
[edit] Samoan Meals
Sundays are traditionally a day of rest, and many families congregate to share an umu together for a Sunday afternoon meal. In a traditional household, the older members of the family will sit and eat first, and as the meal continues the younger members and then children are invited to eat. The umu contains an abundance and variety of dishes ranging from fresh seaweed and crayfish to baked taro and rice. Coconut appears in many Samoan dishes, for example palusami, a parcel of coconut cream wrapped in taro leaves baked in the umu. This is eaten in its entirety including the leaves, and is rich in taste due to its coconut content.
[edit] Religion
Samoa, presently, is a deeply religious Christian country, despite traditional Samoan culture being characterized as being tolerant of behaviors contrary to the doctrines of Christianity. Protestant Christianity has become the main religious influence in Samoa since missionaries from the London Missionary Society began evangelizing there in the early 1830s (among them was Reverend George Pratt, who also wrote the first Samoan grammar). There are many churches to be found around the islands, which are often full on Sundays.
[edit] Handcrafts
Samoan handicrafts can be found at the craft market and some shops. These include the siapo (equivalent to the Fijian tapa) which is made from beaten mulberry bark, and then patterns or pictures are painted on with a natural brown dye. These pictures typically depict fish, turtles, and hibiscus flowers. The siapo may be used for clothing, for wrapping objects and even simply for decorative reasons. Kava bowls are sturdy, round wooden bowls made of varying sizes, and have many short legs around it. Kava is made up with water in the bowl and drunk socially using coconut shells to scoop up the drink. It is a ground natural extract from the pepper plant root and is used for medicinal and slightly anaesthetic properties. Other handicrafts are fine mats, ornaments or jewellery and hair accessories using naturally occurring materials such as sea shells, coconut and coir.
Traditional Samoan medicine is often practiced as a first-line before hospital medicine. This is a type of alternative medicine using plant leaves to massage the affected area.
[edit] Dress
The traditional ladies clothing is the puletasi which is a matching skirt and tunic with Samoan designs. The lava lava is a sarong which may be worn by men or women. They are of different patterns and colors, but tend to be plain for men who may wear it as part of an official uniform. Some men have intricate and geometrical patterns tattooed onto their lower body and upper legs. The tattooing process is performed without any anaesthesia and is said to be painful.
[edit] Sports
- See also: Sport in Samoa
The main sports played in Samoa are rugby union and Samoan cricket (kirikiti). About 30 ethnic Samoans, many from American Samoa, currently play in the National Football League. A 2002 article from ESPN estimated that a Samoan male (either an American Samoan, or a Samoan living in the 50 United States) is 40 times more likely to play in the NFL than a non-Samoan American.[citation needed] A number have also ventured into professional wrestling.
Rugby union is very popular in Samoa and the national team is consistently competitive against teams from vastly more populous nations. Samoa have competed at every Rugby World Cup since 1991, and have made the quarter finals in 1991, 1995 and 1999. Samoa also play in the Pacific Nations Cup and the Pacific Tri-Nations The sport is governed by the Samoa Rugby Football Union, who are members of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance, and thus, also contribute to the international Pacific Islanders rugby union team. At club level there is the National Provincial Championship and Pacific Rugby Cup Prominent Samoan players include Douglas Faaee, Pat Lam and Brian Lima. In addition, there are many Samoans that have played for or are playing for the All Blacks.
Rugby league is also popular amongst Samoans, with Samoa reaching the quarter finals of the 2000 Rugby League World Cup. Australian rules football, played as Samoa Rules is also growing in Samoa with the national team, the Bulldogs, competing at the Arafura Games and the 2002 and 2005 Australian Football International Cups.
Samoans have been very visible in American professional wrestling, despite the relatively small population of the islands. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Peter Maivia, Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka, Yokozuna, Umaga/Jamal, Rosey, Samoa Joe, Wild Samoans, The Headshrinkers, Rikishi, and Sonny Siaki all have a Samoan heritage.
[edit] Sports in American Samoa
- See also: Sports in American Samoa
Sports in American Samoa is not that different from Samoa. The main difference is the popularity of American sports such as American football and its league, NFL. Samoans tend to follow rugby union.
[edit] See also
|
|||||||||||||||||
