Sarah Lauterio: Getting to Know the Samoan Culture

Environment:

The Samoan culture resides in the South Pacific in the country of Samoa, remaining on nine islands with the two main islands being Savai’I and Upolu. The villages in which the culture lives are in coastal communities (in which a large percentage reside) or on top of mountain ranges; however regardless of where the villages are built, one commonality is that they are built around a malae, otherwise known as the village square. Keeping in mind that the village square is to be just that, in the square center, churches and houses are then built around it. The setting in Samoa is both rural and urban as it is comprised of both agricultural land as well as a town atmosphere with a malae. There are mountains with volcanoes as well as flat lands that reside near the sea. Since the country is near the equator, the weather tends to have high temps and tropical weather with high humidity and rainfall. There are wet and dry seasons experienced in Samoa with wet lasting from November to April and dry from May to October; although there is a wet season, the temperature remains quite steady and warm throughout.

The population in Samoa sees roughly 94% of the country with Samoan heritage, with a small percentage being from a variety of other backgrounds, such as Melanesian and European. Since the country sees mostly Samoan inhabiting the land, there is less chance of competition for resources as a large percentage of the culture calls Samoa home. The resources in which the culture turns to are provided by the rich soil and rainforests that make up the land. The animals that call the islands home are the flying fox, tooth billed pigeons, small bats, flycatcher bird, Mao bird, the fantail, pigs and chickens, as well as lizards and snakes. Plants that thrive in this rich and lush atmosphere are orchids, aloe vera, papaya, ginger, guava, coconut, plumeria, yams, sweet potato, bananas, and plums. The Samoan culture relies on many of their plants for medicine as well as for building supplies for their homes, and it is believed that Samoans from the early days brought about 50 plant species with them to Samoa, which they then used for this purpose.

Although the country of Samoa consists of flat land with fertile soil, the increasing population and climatic changes have begun to threaten their land and resources, leading to many food shortages. Greenhouse gas emissions have led to drastic climate change with warmer temps, heavier rainfall and more cyclones; in comparison to the previous 500 years, the weather has changed dramatically. The change in population which has led to the clearing of land, the destruction of plants and inevitably burning of fossil fuels has attributed to the environmental stress faced by the country of Samoa. The country itself has been witness to the drastic change in weather which can be attributed to humans; if nothing changes to slow down the consumption of natural resources, it can be predicted that climatic conditions will only worsen and bring about longer droughts and more intense hurricanes.

Climatic Adaptations:

In order for the Samoan culture to survive in the tropical conditions provided on the island of Samoa, their bodies have physically adapted and the people themselves have made changes to culturally adapt as well. In terms of physical adaptation, Samoan’s have experienced an increase in melanin levels in order to protect their skin from the harsh rays of the sun. Without such substance, their skin would be more susceptible to burning as their land tends to receive constant sun, rain or shine. Another physical adaptation is increased immunity to illnesses as Samoan’s live in close quarters; their population has seen a drastic increase in recent times which gives way to potential outbreaks in illness and diseases. Without an increase in immunity, Samoan’s would be vulnerable to another epidemic seen with the influenza outbreak that occurred in 1918; as a result of this outbreak over 8000 lives were lost. In regards to cultural adaptations, Samoan’s have made necessary adjustments in order to adapt well to their environment. One of their changes has been to build seawalls, which help to protect them and their land from increasing sea levels, much of which has to do with global warming. Another issue caused by the weather has been more intense and recurrent cyclones which have damaged villages and their land, which in turn has severely damaged their natural resources. As a result, many Samoans made the decision to relocate in order to survive. A third cultural adaptation has been the way Samoans construct their houses. In order to protect themselves from the harsh temperatures caused by being in close proximity to the equator, resources such as coconut leaves are used to create panels, which essentially block the sun. These panels are also used to protect from the rain and cold; the panels are bound together by string which allow them to be let down to protect from hot rays and cold weather.

Language:

In Samoa, the traditional language is Samoan, which comes from the Austronesian family. Unique traits of this language are that it lacks consonants, overuses vowels and uses independently small words, and has fourteen letters in the alphabet. Since the Samoan language originates from other forms of language, it is not drastically different than others and in fact shares many similarities. Although the Samoan language is now a written language it wasn’t written until the 19^th century; prior to this time it was solely a spoken language.

Gender Roles:

Gender roles in Samoa consist of three roles which are the male, female, and the fa’afafine. The fa’afafine is an individual that is born as a male however learns to take on female gender roles since childhood. Although they take on female roles, they have both male and female traits and exhibit feminine and masculine behavior. Their role is one that is important and is determined by what is needed within the group and for its success, rather than emphasis being placed on the individual; if the woman needs assistance with daily duties, than a young boy will be groomed to assume this role and help take on the load. The fa’afafine takes a mate in a male however in the community, they are not viewed as homosexual, as one might be viewed in the Western culture. The relationship between biology and gender roles is shown by the belief in the Samoan culture, which defines one’s gender role by what one does, rather than the gender that they were born with. As a fa’afafine is groomed since an early age to transition to such role, the same goes with all children and the role they are to assume. Children learn from an early age just what role in their household and community they are to fulfill. For men, their role is to overlook the household, do heavier cooking and heavier labor, and fish and plant. Women are then viewed as the caretaker of the children and the household, gather fish on the shore, and weed in the fields. In recent times, the culture is seeing more of a blending of roles without repercussions; however it is expected that traditional roles are upheld. The village however is the deciding factor in what is accepted and unaccepted, and therefore it depends on how strict the village is in maintaining traditional gender roles. There is also easier transition within roles as Samoan’s are groomed since childhood to know what is expected of each role in the community. To further show the blending of roles, one can look at the fa’afafine and the role of matai (also known as chief). The fa’afafine is a blend of both male and female gender roles and takes on responsibilities as needed whereas the matai is a role that is not decided by gender but one in which takes into account contributions by the individual; both man and woman can assume the role however recent times have shown more men than women are awarded such title. Overall we can see that the three gender roles have expectations to fulfill, and that such roles are shaped by the community and what is needed for success.

Subsistence:

The Samoan culture’s subsistence pattern is one that stems from farming, hunting and fishing. Farming provided bananas, coconut, and taro, as well as many other items for consumption; fishing, which is an important resource, provides an array of fish and sea turtles that Samoan’s in turn would cook and eat for sustenance. Hunting also provided much for consumption and was aided through the use of rifles and shotguns; food was found through the hunting of wildlife, fruit doves, fruit bats, doves, pigeons, and other birds found on the land. Although Samoan’s eat a variety of foods found on land and in the sea, the availability of such resources is dwindling through increasing population. As a result, the community has had to turn to imports to provide sufficient amounts of food. This is not the case for the entire Samoan community; some may still choose to sustain themselves through their own agriculture and fishing, however the resources available are not able to sufficiently sustain an entire country anymore. Although the community has seen the resources dwindle, it does help that fruit bats and birds are available year round for hunting. Sea turtles are also available year round however overconsumption of these reptiles has placed many restrictions on their capture and consumption as they are now an endangered species.

Labor in the villages is determined by gender. For men, they go out and hunt and fish whereas women do the lighter labor such as nurturing crops such as yams and taro. Age is a deciding factor in what tasks an individual is expected to perform. Younger children are utilized by carrying food from the plantation to the village, washing clothes and working in the fields with their elders. Children that are older help women with tasks such as weaving baskets. Elderly are also utilized in the community by taking on a more supervisory role that allows them to contribute, yet at the same time they aren’t required to overexert themselves. No matter what their role is, it is expected that their task is a measure of what they are able to accomplish and that each and everyone will contribute to the success of the community.

The Samoan culture has seen high obesity rates due to the consumption of foods that are high in fat, such as fried food and coconut milk; they also eat starchy substances such as taro, and do not consume enough vegetables. For the culture however obesity is not viewed by society as a negative, rather it is seen as being well nourished and of high status as the past has shown royal families to be obese. To be thin however is seen as a negative and is looked upon as malnourished. As far as resources are concerned, many have been depleted due to over-consumption, such as the sea turtles and the many birds that have been wiped out due to hunting. Destructive cyclones and hurricanes that have hit the islands have also had a hand at damaging crops, leaving many to have replant and replenish what was lost.

Economic System:

With the increase in population that the island has seen, resources have been used and are dwindling, leaving no room for surplus; this then has caused many natives to turn to the imports that are brought to the island from other countries. Currency in Samoa was introduced in 1967 and is called the Tala. In Samoa, trade happens everyday and has aided the country by providing financial assistance. Samoa has also felt a negative effect caused by such trade as land has been taken over by companies and goods that were once produced by the natives have been replaced by imports.

Marriage:

Marriage in Samoa is one that is monogamous between two partners; this however was not always the case as the country had seen many polygamous relationships prior to Christianity. Marriage is viewed as something sacred, and as a result, the bride is expected to maintain her virginity until she is married, which is often ensured by the presence of chaperones. Another taboo in regards to marriage is community endogamy, which is highly frowned upon. Married partners themselves often find each other through their village counsel. The counsel determines which groom the bride shall marry (who should be of the same rank) and after much courting through food and goods, a meeting will take place which solidifies the union through formal consent. Once the couple is married, they tend to live with the bride’s family early in their marriage, and then ultimately make the move to live in the husband’s family home.

Kinship:

In a typical Samoan home many people reside; often more than twenty. The male in the household traditionally maintains most authority as they take on more responsibilities and duties. They are also more likely to become a Matai or chief. In regards to inheritance, membership and land rights are acquired within the family of their grandparents.

Social Organization:

The society overall is egalitarian with the emphasis being placed on family and the overall success of the group, rather than focusing on the individual itself. Status and title is not equally distributed however as many ranks exist as well as titles that are bestowed to others. To obtain the matai status, the village may examine the individuals contributions, and a family may pass this title onto someone who has helped them in many ways.

Role of Violence:

The Samoan culture believes in peace and harmony, and for the most part tries to maintain such order. However just as in every culture, there are a few that are not able to follow such guidelines as can be found with a majority of the group. In this culture, violence can be found within intimate relationships such as husband and wife. This violence can be found at the hand of the man, exerting his power and control upon his wife. In the Samoan culture, abuse sexually and/or verbally is not considered to be that of abuse, as one might consider it to be in the Western culture. Therefore one does not consider such actions to be wrong or oppressive. Since the culture believes in a peaceful existence and success in the community, violence is not tolerated and if it should occur, many work to restore order in the household. Another form of violence seen in the community is that which is directed towards children. Again, although violence is not tolerated by the culture as a whole, there are situations in which child abuse occurs. This may be due to expectations that the parent has for their child which they may feel are not being fulfilled. However whatever the reason may be, the community as a whole may intervene to help restore balance to the village.