Whispers and Vanities in Samoan Indigenous Religious Culture

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So when the words of the sa’ē song, Tatala lou ie ma lafo i falē ‘Ae ta telefua le sa’ē. Le esi pula itu tasi e, Le esi lea suamalie. Take your clothes off and throw it inside the house And dance nakedly to the beat of the sa’ē When the papaya is opened to one side Then you can tell which is sweetest …are sung, there is no discomfort among the participants. When the words of the same song are repeated today the religious sensibilities of Christian Samoans are either highly offended or made extremely uncomfortable. Because of this the sa’ē is no longer performed and its song no longer sung. In traditional marriage chants, such as the Salani tini, reference to sex and the sexual organs are less explicit and more is made of the allusory powers of metaphor. The full version of the Salani tini which is being revived today retains most of its stanzas and the sexual metaphors within, excepting one line which was obviously considered too explicit to keep. This is: Mimisā pua’i, Mimisā pua’i. Sacred sperm spew out, sacred sperm spew out 29 This marriage chant specifically acknowledges the role of the gods, in this case Palapu the god of love in Salani, in bringing together bride and groom. Through metaphor it acknowledges the importance of sex, procreation and politics in marriage. Le alii e, le pulou ‘ena Vii ou puipui o sega Ae tuu mai nai ou fega O ‘oli lava o le vao i Pinega O ‘oli na e te ‘oli ai Mua Hail the man with the brown cap Hail your guardians, the parakeets Pass me your lips The oli from the forest of Pinega This is the oli flower you will wear Let us celebrate this first Palapu e, ua logosula Ua ita le tago i le oli pula A ua ita sii le fafaga a ‘oli ula Mua… 29 Richard Moyle’s translation is “The sacred urine vomits out, the sacred urine vomits out” (see Moyle, 1975: p.231). 14
Palapu – our god of love – has been apprised by the chant Angered he does not reach out for the ripe oli But he takes the whole bunch of red oli Let us celebrate this first Asa pae! Asa pae! Le ala i le Mafa e! Le ala i le Mafa e! Mua… Walk the path that is strewn with oli The paths in the Mafa The paths in the Mafa 30 Let us celebrate this first Soli i tai! Soli i uta! Fa’i o Aana lona mausa Ae leai o ‘oli lava o le vao i Auga Mua… Tread seaward and tread inland You may have thought that the best were in Aana But no, they are oli from the forest of Auga 31 Let us celebrate this first Fuipisia ma Fuilo’ua Ua aufuia le vao Atua Mua… The waterfalls of Fuipisia and Fuilo’ua Are the main sources of water for the forests of Atua Let us celebrate this first Palapu e, faatu lou i’u Ua lata mai lou mata i aitu! Mua… Palapu e, get your prick up Soon you will have a commanding view Let us celebrate this first Fuatino le tausala Tupua le manaia Mua Fuatino the belle Tupua the beau 30 According to my mentors mafa is also the name of a place in the top of the mountains that overlooks the village of Salani. Literally this is correct. Richard Moyle records this missing stanza and translates the line ‘Le ala i le mafa e, Le ala i le mafa e’ more metaphorically as ‘The way into the vagina, the way into the vagina’ (see Moyle, 1975: p.231). The omitted line ‘Mimisā pua’i, Mimisā pua’i’ if it was meant to follow immediately after ‘Le ala i le mafa e, Le ala i le mafa e’ would seem to support a more figurative than literal interpretation of mafa. 31 Auga is a place in the Mafa. 15
Page 1 and 2: Whispers and Vanities in Samoan Ind
Page 3 and 4: origins of his residences or for th
Page 5 and 6: on Tagaloa’s instructions, then d
Page 7 and 8: olster or sustain the chief’s sta
Page 9 and 10: The shark is welcomed into the vill
Page 11 and 12: The god of this Tagaloa government
Page 13: eflected manhood or womanhood more
Page 17 and 18: The moving boat is meant to represe
Page 19 and 20: decision. In my moe manatunatu 39 I
Page 21 and 22: of Peace and Good Governance 46 voi
Page 23: References James, C. (2007). Cultur

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