Sa le māsani tele Samoa i po o le vavau i le gaoi, ‘aua ‘o se ‘upu e māsiasi ai ‘ilatou. ‘E fai fo’i le masani leaga ma luma o le tagata gaoi, ‘e o’o fo’i lea luma ‘i lana fanau.
Sa le māsani Samoa ona gaoi mea ‘o i totonu o fale. ‘A ‘o mea e gaoi e tagata, ‘o ‘ulu, fa’i, talo, moa, ‘ātoa ma pua’a. Sā fa’asalaina lava tagata gaoi i sala ‘ese’ese e māsani ai lenei atunu’u. ’E fa’atatauina fo’i le mamafa o le sala ma le tulaga o le soligātulāfono. ‘0 isi sala, ‘o ‘aufa’i e lima ma moa e lima. ‘0 le isi fo’i sala, ‘o pua’a lāiti e fā ma talo e selau.
‘A ‘o le sala e pito mamafa na fa’asalaina ai le tagata gaoi, ‘o le saisai ma le fa’alāina lea. ‘0 le uiga o lenei sala, ‘e nonoa vae ma lima o le tagata gaoi e peisea’i ‘o ia ‘o se pua’a. Ona ‘aumai ai lea o le amo ‘i _e ‘ua tausoaina lea tagata ma fa’ata’atia i le lā i lumāfale o le ‘aiga na gaoi ai ‘o ia.
‘Ā fai ‘o se teine muli po ‘o se fafine na gaoi se mea, ona fa’asalaina ai lea ‘o ia e vele vao i le ala po ‘o le malae.
‘E pei ona aliali mai ‘i ia sala mamafa, ‘ua matua fa’alumaina ma ‘inosia le tagata gaoi.
II. ‘0 le Fasioti Tagata
‘E taui le oti i le oti. ‘E le fa’atali fo’i se’i maua le ‘ua fasioti le tagata, ‘a e tau lava ‘o se vave maua e le ‘āiga e ō lātou le tagata fāsia, po ‘o le uso, po ‘o le matai o lona ‘āiga, po ‘o sona atali’i, ‘e sui a’i le ‘ua oti. ‘A ‘ua iai se togafiti e mafai ai ona ola le sala. ‘0 le togafiti e fa’aola ai le pagotā, ‘o le ifoga lea.
‘Ua faia lea ifoga e le matai o le pagotā ‘ātoa fo’i ma isi ali’i ma tulafale o lona ’aiga, po ‘o lona nu’u fo’i ‘ua ‘ave fo’i ma le pagota. Ina ‘ua o’o le ifoga ‘i luma o le fale o le ‘āiga e ō lātou le tagata oti, ona fa’apūlou ai lea le pagotā i le ‘ie tōga. ‘I le, ’ua lātou nonofo ‘i lalo i lumāfale ma pūnonou ma fa’atali ma le ‘onosa’i ‘i se ‘upu mai le matai ‘o i le fale.
‘E tuai ona talia nisi lfoga. ‘A fa’apea la, ‘ona talanoa pea ali’i ma tulāfale ‘o i totonu o le fale, ‘ua latou le āmana’ia ia tagata ‘ua lātou tigaina i le ‘a’asa o le lā. ‘A e peita’i, ‘ina ‘ua o’o ‘i se itula e maui ai lo lātou to’asa, ona vala’auina ai lea o le ‘āiga o le pagotā e maliu mai ‘i le fale. ‘0 le fa’ailoga lea ‘o le’ā talia le ifoga. Ona ulufale lea o ali’i ma failāuga, ‘a ‘ua nofo i fafo pea le pagota. ‘ua filifilia e fai toga na pūlou ai le ‘I le, ‘ua faia se lāuga teuteu a le tulāfale ma fautua o le pagotā. ‘Ua ia ofo fo’i le ‘ie pagotā e fai mōna togiola. ‘Ua ta’ua lea ‘ie tōga “‘O le ‘ie o le mālō.” ‘Ina ‘ua talia le ‘ie toga, ‘ua faia fo’i le lāuga. ‘I le, ‘ua fa’ai’u le ifoga i le sāuniga o le ‘ava.
III. ‘O le ū teve’0 le ū teve ‘o se sala matuā faigatā lea. ‘Ai ‘ua sili le faigatā ma le mamafa o lenei sala i lō le fasiotia loa. ‘E le tioa ona fefefe tagata i lenei sala mata’utia.
‘A e peita’i, ‘e seāseā ona fa’ae’etia lenei sala ‘ona ‘ua matua tigaina ai le pagota. Sa gata ona fa’asalaina ai le tagata na faia e ia se mea leaga tele, po ‘o le tagata ‘ua ‘uma ona fa’asalaina so’o talu ai ‘o lona pi’opi’o tele.
‘0 le teve, ’o le lā’au la’itiiti lea o lo ‘o tupu i le vao. ‘E malū lona tino, ‘a e so’ona feū ma ‘o’ona le sua ‘ua i ona a’a. ‘A fa’asalaina se tasi i le ū teve, ona ‘āmia ai lea ‘o ia ‘i luma o le fale ‘ua potopoto ai ali’i ma faipule o le nu’u. ‘Ua nofo fātai le pagota i lumāfale, ‘a ‘o iai i ona tafatafa taulele’a la te leoleo i le pagota ‘ina ne’i sola; ma le tasi, lā te ‘u’una’i i ā te ia e usiusita’i lelei i fa’atonuga a ali’i o i le fale.
Ona tū mai ai lea o le tulāfale. ‘Ua ia matuā poloa’i ‘i le pagota e mama fasi a’a o le’ā tu’uina atu ‘i a te ia e le tasi o taulele’a ‘ua lātou fa’atasi ma ia. ‘I le ‘ua fa’afo’i le tulafale i lona nofoaga.’Ua usita’i le taule’ale’a ma le fefe, ‘auā e le mafai ona te’e? o nā a’a o le teve ‘ona ‘o taulele’a ‘ua i ona tafatafa. ‘0 lea, ‘ua ia tu’ua ia a’a ‘i lona gutu ma sāga mama ma le fa’aeteete ia a’a o’ona lava.
‘E le pine ona lagona e ia le feū o le sua. ‘Ua mu ai lona gutu, ‘a e le mafai ona ia tu’u le mamaina ’auā ‘o taulele’a ’ua la lamalama ma fa’amata’u i ā te ia i lā’au pe ‘ā fai e tauau ‘ina vaivai ‘o ia i le faiga o lana sala.Tālofa i si tama, ‘ua mū nei ona tāinifo ma le laulaufaiva ‘ātoa ma lona laugutu. ‘Ua fula leaga ‘uma le gutu talu le feu ma le ‘o’ona o le sua o le teve, ‘o le’ā matapogia si taule’ale’a ma le tele o lona tigaina se’iloga e vave fa’agata le sala.
Se manū! ‘0 le’ā ola si tama, ‘aua o lo ‘o toe tū mai le faipule ma fa’apa’u le fa’asalaga. ‘Ua fiafia lava le taule’ale’a ’ina ‘ua ‘uma le teve, ‘e ui ‘ina le taitai ona ‘uma le tigaina na pogai ai, ‘o le’ā fula ai pea lona gutu ‘ātoa i pō e tele. ‘E le mafai lava e ia ona ‘ai ‘i mea malō, ‘aua e o’o lava ‘i mea suavai ‘e tigāina tele ai ‘o ia.
Na manuia pea lenei taule’ale’a, ‘auā e vave ona tāofia lona fa’asalaga e le faipule. ‘A ‘o ni isi, ’ua matuā mama’i ‘ilātou i le ū teve. ‘0 ni isi fo’i, ‘e le gata ona lātou tigāina i aso e tele, ‘a e i’u lava ina oti āi. ‘0 le Fa’alemigao
‘0 le tasi tū sā māsani ai Samoa talu mai anamua lava, ‘o le ava ma le fa’aaloalo lea, ‘ona o le migao ‘i ali’i ma faipule. ‘Ua matuā sā le pisa ma le pa’ō i le afiafi ‘ina ‘ua latalata ona faofale o tagata e o’o ‘i le itupo e ‘uma ai talisuaga.
‘Ā fai ‘o se ‘āiga ‘ua ‘uma ona fāia la lātou talisuaga, ma ‘ua inu a lātou niu ma ta’ei a lātou ‘a’ano, ‘a ‘o le’ā ta’e le niu mai le sua a le ali’i, ona fa’asalaina lava lea o ‘ilātou. ‘Ua fasia ‘ilātou e taulele’a o le ‘āiga o le ali’i. ‘0 le tasi sala, ‘o le veteina po ‘o le tufaina ‘o a lātou mea, po ‘o le fasiga ‘o a lātou pua’a. ‘Ua fa’asalaina ‘ilātou, ‘auā o le āmio fa’alemigao ‘ua faia.
‘0 le fa’ailoga lea o lo lātou fiasili. ‘A fai fo’i ‘o se tagata ‘ua ui ane ‘i le malae po ‘o le maota o se ali’i ma fa’amalu i ni tāuluulu la’au, po ‘o ni lau fa’i, pe fai sana faufautū, ‘a e le tu’ua ‘i lalo e ta’ita’i, ‘ua fasia fo’i ia ‘auā ‘o lona le fa’aaloalo ‘i ali’i o le nu’u.
‘A iai fo’i se tagata ‘ua alu ane ma sana ‘avega, po ‘o se to’i e amo i lona ua i le malae po ‘o lumāfale o se ali’i, ona faiatu lea o le ali’i o le nu’u ‘i ona taulele’a, “‘la ō. atu ma pu’e mai lea vale ma fasi ’i ā te ia ‘ia foafoa ma gaugau.”
‘Ā fai ‘o se tagata e tautala tū i luma o ali’i ma tulāfale i totonu o se fale, ‘o le fa’alemigao fo’i lea. ‘E tosoina ‘o ia ‘i fafo e ni taulele’a; i le, ‘ua latou fasi ‘i ā te ia ma tuli ‘ese.
‘E o’o ‘i tamaiti, sā tatau lava ona lātou tausi ‘i tu fa’aaloalo. ‘0 lea la, ‘ua matuā ‘otegia pe sasaina fo’i so lātou ‘ua le migao’i se ali’i po ‘o se tulafale. Fa’apena fo’i ona nofo sala so ’o se tama po ’o se teine o lo ‘o so’ona tali atu i ona matua po ‘o se ali’i, pe fa’asausili, pe pisapisao vale.
V. ‘0 le Tu’i Paepae
‘0 le “tu’i paepae,” ‘o le fa’asalaga lea ‘ua sili ona mata’utia i fa’asalaga ‘uma na māsani ai Sāmoa i aso anamua. ‘Auā fo’i, ‘e le gata ona lavea ai le tagata e to’atasi, ‘a ‘o le ‘āiga ‘ātoa.
‘Ā fai ‘o se ‘āiga ‘ua fouvale po ‘ua fa’amaualuga fo’i po ‘o le fa’asausili ‘i le nu’u ‘ātoa, ma ‘ua āfua ai ona faia e le ‘āiga o mea matavale i totonu, ma ‘ua le mafai ai ona ‘onosa’i e le nu’u le loto fa’amaualuga o le ‘āiga, ona potopoto lea o le nu’u ’i ona ali’i ma faipule ma taupulepule fa’alilolilo ‘o le’ā faia le fa’asalaga ‘i lenā ‘āiga, ‘o le’ā tu’i le paepae. ‘Ua potopoto loa le nu’u ‘ātoa, ‘o taulele’a, ali’i ma faipule, ‘ua tofu ni isi o ‘ilitou ma le aga’ese, ’o nisi *ua sāuni afi ma fa’asaga atu loa ma fa’aleagaina loa meafale ’uma a le ’aiga ’ua fa’asalaina, ’e o’o fo’i ’i mea i tuā’olō po ’o fanua lava.
’O le’ā fai mea fa’alogo lava le nu’u ‘i se saunoaga mai le ali’i sili o le nu’u ‘ātoa ma ona failāuga sili ‘i le fa’ai’uina o le faiga o le fa’asalaga, po ‘o le faia pea pe leai.
‘A fai lava ‘o le’a malie le to’asā o le nu’u, ‘o le’a fa’apea lava ona o’o o le fa’asalaga ‘i tagata, ‘ā le ‘o le fasiotia, ‘ua na ona fa’atāfea ‘ese ‘ilātou ma le nu’u e o’o lava ‘i le fa’avavau.
‘A e peita’i, ‘e iai se tasi togafiti e mafai ona fa’amāgāloina ai se ‘aiga ‘ua nofo sala i le “tu’i paepae.” ‘0 le mea e tatau ona faia e lea ‘āiga, ‘ia latou fa’asaga atu ma faia sa latou ifoga ‘i ni ‘ie toga se tele e ifo ai i luma o le nu’u, ‘ia lava ai ali’i ‘ātoa ma tulāfale. ‘0 ia lava mea, ‘o le’ā ‘avea ma mea e togiolaina ai tagata ‘uma o le ‘āiga e o’o lava ‘i ā latou meaola ma mea totoina.
The Thief
In the old days, Samoans were not used to the offense of stealing, because the mere word itself brought shame upon them, especially since the wrongdoings of a thief would also affect the children.
The stealing of household goods was rare; but what people did steal is food: breadfruit, banana, taro, chicken, and pigs, for example.
Thieves had been sentenced to different fines, as was the country’s usual practice. The severity of the sentence depended on the level of the offense. Other fines were, for example, five bunches of bananas and five chickens; another penalty might be four small pigs and a hundred taro.
But the worst punishment was public humiliation: they would tie the thief up and leave him out in the sun. The rationale for this punishment was that he would be treated like a pig, with his hands and feet tied up. Thus bound, he was carried like a pig on a wooden pole by people who then placed him in the sun in the front of the house from which he stole.
Men and women were treated differently. If a young girl or a woman stole anything, she might be punished by weeding the grass on the paths or by the communal centre (malae).
It appears the effect of the severe penalties was that the thief is deeply shamed and becomes the object of public disgust.
The Murderer
Death rewards death. There was no waiting for the killer to be found to be brought to justice, as long as the victim’s family could quickly find a brother, or chief of the family, or son of the killer, to take the place of the killer. But there was also a way to excuse the punishment. The way to pardon the prisoner and save his life, was by the īfoga, meaning the traditional ceremony of apology.
The chief (matai) would conduct the ifoga, together with the other chiefs and orators from the prisoner’s family or village, as well as with the prisoner himself. A procession was formed, and when they reached the front of the house of the victim, the prisoner would be covered with ietoga. (see below)
They sat down in front of the victim’s house with heads bowed and waited patiently for a word from the chief of the house.
It takes time to accept the apology. While discussions occurred between the chiefs and orators in the house, they could ignore the people who are suffering in the heat of the sun. However, when the time came, and when their anger had subsided, the family of the prisoner was invited to come into the house. This is a sign that the apology would be accepted. Then the chiefs and orators went in, while the prisoner remained seated outside. Then an apologetic speech was given by the orator who had been selected as the prisoner’s representative. He even offered the ietoga that covered the prisoner as a token of forgiveness. This ietoga is called “The cloth of the kingdom.” When the ietoga was accepted, another speech was given. Finally, the ifoga is ended with the ava ceremony.
Chewing the teve Tree
The chewing of the teve was an extremely severe punishment. Perhaps this punishment is far worse than the penalty for murder. It is no wonder people were afraid of this terrible punishment.
However, this punishment was rarely ordered because the effects on the prisoner were so severe. This penalty was reserved only for a person who committed a very serious crime or for a person who was a repeat offender.
The teve is a small tree that grows in the wild. It is soft in body, but its sap is bitter and sour in its roots.
When anyone was punished with chewing the teve, he was brought before the house where chiefs and orators of the village had gathered. The prisoner was made to sit with his legs crossed in front of the house, surrounded by untitled men who would prevent him should he try to escape, and compel him to obey the chiefs’ and orators’ commands.
When the orator will stood up, he ordered the prisoner to chew the roots of the teve which was given to him by one of the untitled men who was guarding him. The orator will then return to his appointed place (seat) to observe.
The prisoner fearfully obeys because he cannot reject the roots of the teve due to the pressure from the untitled men surrounding him. He then puts the roots in his mouth and chews it slowly and carefully because it is bitter. Soon after tasting the bitter juice, his mouth began burning, but he could not stop chewing; the untitled men stood by, threatening him with sticks if he showed weakness during his punishment.
Poor man, his gums are burned as well as his tongue and his lips. His whole mouth is swollen from the sourness and bitter taste of the teve juice. He will faint and be severely affected, unless the punishment is quickly stopped.
What a relief! The boy will live because the orator will stand again, and drop the sentence. The young man is happy when the teve is finished, even though he still continues to suffer, his whole mouth will continue to be swollen for many days. He will not eat hard food, for even water will cause him great pain.
The young man was fortunate, as his punishment was quickly stopped by the orator. Others, however, became gravely ill from chewing the teve. Others might not just suffer for many days, but could eventually die.
Disrespect
One tradition that has long been celebrated in Samoa is that of honor and respect for chiefs and orators. It is strictly forbidden to make a sound or noise in the evening from the entire time people were getting ready to come into the house until dinner is finished.
If a family had already had their dinner, and were drinking coconut juice or breaking the coconut flesh, whilst the coconut for the chief is being broken, they shall be punished for drinking before the chief. For such disrespect, they were beaten by the young untitled men of the chief’s family. Another penalty was to destroy or distribute their possessions or to kill their pigs. They were punished, because their actions were disrespectful and a sign of their arrogance.
And if a man walks by the malae (communal area) or the house of a chief, while shielding himself from the sun with branches, or banana leaves, or a tall head covering, he risks punishment.If he does not remove this from his head and carry it, then he will be beaten because this, also, is an act of disrespect to the chiefs of the village.
If a person walks by with a load or an axe carried on his shoulder at the malae or in front of the chief’s house, the chief will say to the untitled men, “Go and catch the fool and beat him until he is broken and (severely) injured.”
If a person speaks while standing in front of chiefs and orators inside of a house, this too is disrespectful. The young untitled men will drag him out and they will beat him, and drive him away. He will be banished from village gatherings. The same punishment applies to a person who drinks and stands inside a house while chiefs are present, because drinking while standing is another disrespectful act.
It is acceptable for someone to walk behind a chief, but not before him, unless his head is bowed low as he walks to excuse oneself. To not abide by this courtesy is disrespectful. Such a person will be punished by the chiefs and orators.
Even children should be taught to obey and practice respect. As such, they will be scolded or beaten for their disrespect towards the chiefs or orators. Likewise, any boy or girl who talks back to their parents or to chiefs, with cheekiness or silly noises, will be punished.
Tui Paepae: EXILE OR DEATH
Exiling is the most severe of all the punishments common in ancient times in Samoa. Since it doesn’t affect just one person, but the whole family.
If a whole family is rebellious or prideful, self important or arrogant in the village, or the family commits shameful behaviours which cause frustration throughout the village, the people will gather their chiefs and orators to have secret discussions about whether to exile them as punishment. The whole village would gather together, both the young untitled men and the chiefs, and orators, some of whom will have machetes, while others prepare the fire, to immediately destroy the entire household possessions of the condemned family, including their livestock and land.
The village will first hear a speech from the high chief of the whole village and his highest orators about their decision whether to carry out the punishment of exile or not. If the village decides to proceed with punishment, it must decide together whether to kill them or exile them from the land forever.
However, there is another way that a family can be pardoned from being punished by exile. To seek a pardon the entire family must perform the īfoga by providing lots of ietōga before the village, enough for all the chiefs and orators. Only by doing this, will they achieve redemption for all members of the household, and save their livestock and land.
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