Whispers and Vanities in Samoan Indigenous Religious Culture
Whispers and Vanities in Samoan Indigenous Religious Culture
Whispers and Vanities in Samoan Indigenous Religious Culture
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The culture of taumusumusu is h<strong>in</strong>ted at when there are compet<strong>in</strong>g value systems <strong>and</strong><br />
where knowledge is <strong>in</strong>complete or withheld <strong>and</strong> so vulnerable to unfair manipulation.<br />
The conversations of custodians <strong>and</strong> their na<strong>in</strong>ai <strong>in</strong> the contemporary <strong>Samoan</strong> scene<br />
can easily turn from a tala tuumumusu session to a session <strong>in</strong>fused with tala<br />
taumusumusu. The consequence of which is the loss or underm<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g of what is<br />
beautiful, lov<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> redeem<strong>in</strong>g of the tala tuumumusu. Nowhere is this more<br />
obvious than when talk<strong>in</strong>g about sex <strong>and</strong> our sexual parts. The follow<strong>in</strong>g excerpt was<br />
recorded by Kramer who considered the words of the song so offensive that he<br />
couldn’t br<strong>in</strong>g himself to provide a German translation of the <strong>Samoan</strong> orig<strong>in</strong>al, <strong>in</strong>stead<br />
record<strong>in</strong>g a Lat<strong>in</strong> translation. 36 Kramer suggests that the song was sung as part of a<br />
kava ceremony. The orig<strong>in</strong>al <strong>Samoan</strong> <strong>and</strong> Lat<strong>in</strong> recorded by Kramer are provided<br />
below:<br />
E le fuia, le fuia, e tagisia<br />
lou vaelau,<br />
E iloga le faf<strong>in</strong>e fiatau.<br />
‘O sa’esa’e le vae taumatau.<br />
Sap<strong>in</strong>i i lalo o le ‘apai.<br />
E melomelo fa’aulatai.<br />
Sega e, sega lava ane!<br />
Sturnus, sturnus, desiderio flagrat<br />
In tua crura varicata.<br />
Noscit fem<strong>in</strong>a certare vult.<br />
Tollit crus dextrum,<br />
Intrudit membrum virile.<br />
Rubrum sicut cancer mar<strong>in</strong>us.<br />
Sega sega haeret!<br />
I have taken the liberty of provid<strong>in</strong>g an English translation of the orig<strong>in</strong>al <strong>Samoan</strong><br />
words of this song to be read aga<strong>in</strong>st the English translation offered by Richard Moyle<br />
<strong>in</strong> his 1975 article “Sexuality <strong>in</strong> <strong>Samoan</strong> Art Forms” 37 . Moyle’s work <strong>in</strong> this article<br />
shows wonderful scholarship. In exam<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g his translation of this song, his use of<br />
question marks <strong>in</strong> two places suggest that either he was not clear on what the <strong>Samoan</strong><br />
words meant <strong>and</strong> so what the English equivalent would be <strong>and</strong>/or he was<br />
uncomfortable translat<strong>in</strong>g them. His translation reads:<br />
Starl<strong>in</strong>g, starl<strong>in</strong>g, you cry because of your ? (sic)<br />
It is apparent the woman wants to fuck.<br />
She raises her right leg.<br />
Whips it under the ? (sic)<br />
It is red like the lobster.<br />
Old woman, old woman, there you are! 38<br />
In contemplat<strong>in</strong>g whether or not to put my English translation <strong>in</strong>to pr<strong>in</strong>t I agonised<br />
over how it would be perceived. For a few days I procrast<strong>in</strong>ated on mak<strong>in</strong>g a f<strong>in</strong>al<br />
36<br />
It is not clear from Kramer’s text (1995, vII, p.48) whether he translated the song <strong>in</strong>to Lat<strong>in</strong> or<br />
was merely record<strong>in</strong>g the Lat<strong>in</strong> as translated by someone else.<br />
37<br />
Moyle (1975).<br />
38<br />
Ibid (p. 235).<br />
18