Samoan Funeral Mats

Family members friends and if the person is prominent a host of other well wishers bring food for the sick and the caregivers.

Samoan funeral mats. Gifts include money and fine hand woven mats usually for display only and then rolled and stored. He noted the samoans has a system of contractual gifts which marked other rites of passage. In his essay on the gift mauss began his distinguished exegesis with a consideration based mainly on the rev. Visiting the sick at the hospital or the home.

It hails from hawaii and is known to their people as slack key guitar. One traditional instrument of samoa is known as the fala. The type of mat worn referred to as ta ovala indicates how one is related to the deceased. Funerals are flooded with gifts for the family.

The importance of mats harkens back to when they served as the currency of the samoan people. Someone wearing a colorful finely woven mat to a funeral suggests they have high status. This practice can be quite a financial burden on samoan families particularly if there are a number of funerals in a short amount of time. The samoan economic system of producing extra for the community especially in times of need or for ceremonies.

Samoa is home to the guitar style of fingerpicking which is in known in the islands as le igi. ʻie tōga are valued by the quality of the weave and the softness and shine of the material. Explain that ie tōga is a special finely woven mat that has the highest cultural value in the sāmoa islands. Why does the ie tōga play an important role in the samoan culture.

George turner s 1884 1984 ethnography 7 of what he termed the remarkable samoan custom of the exchange of decorated fine mats between chiefs on their marriages 1970 6. The highest status goes to the father s oldest sister called the fahu. Tongan funerals are also times of great respect and love. Until 1997 the western islands were known as western samoa or samoa i sisifo to distinguish them from the nearby group known as american samoa or amerika samoa.

Oral tradition holds that the samoan archipelago was created by the god tagaloa at the beginning of history. An ʻie tōga is a special finely woven mat that is an important item of cultural value in samoa they are commonly referred to in english as fine mats although they are never used as mats as they only have a purely cultural value. When a big funeral happens orators and their mourning family members should directly receive mats and food as forms of reciprocation for their gifts. The casket is open for the viewing but may be closed for the.

Have you seen an ie tōga do you have one at home. It is made up of rolled wicker style mats and is beaten with drum sticks to make the sound of a drum. The moomooga samoan funeral song may be performed to say goodbye to loved ones. Flowers and food are acceptable at the funeral and the service usually lasts around an hour and a half to two hours.

Samoan funeral and grieving customs. Nowadays these mats act mainly as decorations during the funeral and then are stored away. Ie toga are used for special occasions such as weddings funerals bestowing of chiefly titles and.