One Green Palangi

The first day I arrived in my village the funeral of my host-mother’s father was starting, which in Samoa is a three day ordeal and a fascinating cultural event. There was a service in Apia, a caravan to take the coffin from there, another service, then the coffin is carried into a decorated open fale where the daughters of the village sing around it all night. The whole next day relatives from all over the country arrive and exchange gifts (boxes of food, fine mats, fabrics, slaughtered animals) in a very formal and traditional manner. The preparation for this is an undertaking in itself. I came in the morning before it began and there were around 400 boxes of canned mackerel, canned corn beef, boxes of chicken, and buckets of beef. Then throughout the day there were over 20 heads of cattle slaughtered and about the same number of large pigs. Throughout all of this there are at least a dozen people preparing food, which is passed out to everyone in attendance. I think I ate seven full meals in a 12 hour period. The next day the coffin is moved back into church, another service is had, and finally it is moved to the tomb, which lies directly in from of the house. It was so amazing to see the process from start to finish and really be apart of it. Samoans have really kept so many of their traditions alive to this day.