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Living in the diaspora means we struggle between two worlds. The world we live in daily and the world of our ancestors. The pull between the two can cause some friction and internal struggles. It does not have to be this way. We can find our own balance and choose how much of whichever world we want to have in our daily life.
The struggle is so much harder when we view the situation as being one or the other. I once presented at a water conference about water tariffs. What works for one place may not work for another. I likened it to trying to find a good pair of shoes. If you get something that is too small you will not be able to walk for long distances as your feet will hurt. If you get shoes that are too big you will also not be able to walk for long distances because you will be falling over your feet. Your perfect fit allows you to walk the long distances without having sore feet or tripping over all the time. Incorporating Samoan traditions into daily life is like finding the right shoe. It is not the same for all people and you have to find what fits for you. Here are some tips that you can use to incorporate Samoan traditions into your life, remembering to take on what is best for you and your life.
Morning prayers
While I no longer participate in any chosen religion, I am going to admit that with colonisation came a change in Samoan religious beliefs. So, religion (mostly Christianity) is fast being seen as a part of Samoan culture (I don’t believe this personally). When my mother was growing up she shared stories of how her grandparents always woke her family up early in the morning to hold prayer as a family. They would sing Samoan hymns and reflect. Even if you are not Christian holding time to practice your religion, sing praise and reflect is one Samoan tradition that you could incorporate into everyday life.
Samoan music
I am currently challenging myself to listen to at least one Samoan song each day. This is helping me to learn the songs my parents and grandparents sang as well as letting me to hear Samoan each day so that it becomes normal. One thing that I miss about living in Samoa is hearing the language. I was not always confident enough to reply in Samoan, but hearing it made me feel like a part of the culture that I didn’t have access to growing up. Here is a link to the Samoan music playlist I am currently listening to. Comment below if there is a song that I should add to the list.
Learning how to Siva Samoa
Do the Samoan Siva Tik Tok challenges. Take the Siva Samoa classes in your area. Watch the Siva Samoa videos on YouTube on repeat. Do this so that you become comfortable dancing, not so that you can perform in front of people (although you can totally do that too). When you get to the point where you are comfortable dancing you know that you have let go of shame of not knowing or caring about what others think. You let go of other people’s expectation and start to feel like this is you, this is what you are supposed to be doing.
If you don’t like to Siva Samoa, try Siva Afi, the dance of our warrior ancestors. Not only do you connect to the culture, but you can also overcome barriers of gender and show the world that you are a fierce Samoan warrior and are not afraid to show the world the fire within you.
Decorating home with Samoan art and artifacts
We can walk into a Samoan home and know that we will see photos of family, necklaces around photos, a fale Samoa and ili. It is also common for Samoans to marry into other cultures. This means that you may have to work within your own family to decide what your interior decorating will look like. Instead of traditional ula on pictures you could hang Samoan art. You can purchase bed spread featuring Samoan designs. Having woven fala placemats and even elei cushions. Incorporating Samoan into your home is so much easier and can even be mixed into our modern way of living. There is no one way to do this, regardless of what we have been taught. You do you!
Wearing traditional Samoan clothing to work/school/church
One of my favourite scenes in the newly released movie Tina is where the school leadership was talking to the main character about how she needed to wear more western style clothing so that she could fit in. Her response was to say that where she is from, her puletasi is considered professional wear. I always like to wear something from our Measina Clothing collection to work as it combines the modern with the traditional. I had never thought to wear a puletasi to work other than on Harmony Week or cultural celebrations. When I lived in Samoa, I also struggled with wearing a puletasi, it was ingrained in me that western clothing was superior. I had a small collection of puletasi as I was working in the villages, and you had to. I realised recently that I only owned one puletasi! I went out and purchased another and am hoping to have at least 5 so that I can wear one every day to work.
Incorporating Samoan traditions into anyone’s life is an individual thing. You can do one thing or many different things. You can choose to mix modern with traditional or go straight traditional. The point we want to make is that you are in charge of your life and how that looks for you. Find your shoes that fit you perfectly and run with it.