Blog — Samoan Culture

Here are 5 beautiful Samoan cultural traditions: 1. Fa'a Samoa - This refers to the Samoan way of life, which emphasizes respect for family, community, and elders. 2. Traditional dance - Samoan dance, or Siva, is a beautiful and expressive art form that has been passed down through generations.   3. Tattooing - Samoan tattoos, or tatau, are highly respected and seen as a symbol of cultural identity and status. 4. Food - Samoan cuisine is known for its unique blend of flavours, using fresh ingredients like coconut, taro, and seafood.   5. Hospitality - Samoans are known for their...

Today we share our opinion on palagi (non-Samoans) and cultural appropriation. Why is this important? With the BLM more people became aware of the racism faced by Black people in the USA. This lead to more awareness of the racism faced by people of colour around the world. One way that we hope to help end racism is to point out things that could be changed. To make sure that our Samoan voices are heard directly from Samoans. Today we talk about cultural appropriation.  While it is not directly racist, it removes the meaning behind our culture and erases our...

Today we are sharing 5 Samoan phrases if you don't speak Samoan. If I can go to school and learn German and Spanish then anyone can learn Samoan. Our Learn Samoan series will help you to continue your Samoan journey whatever stage you are at. Phrase 1 E te iloa tautala faaperetania? Do you speak English? Phrase 2 Oute le iloa tautala faasamoa. I don't know how to speak Samoan. Phrase 3 Ua e malamalama? Do you understand? Phrase 4 Ua ou malamalama. I understand.  Phrase 5 Oute le malamalama. I don't understand. To hear the audio and pronunciations of the...

I grew up in a Christian household and saw tattoos as defiling our bodies. Movies and television depicted villains and "bad people" with tattoos. Tattoos in my youth meant something negative. Then as a teenager the cool thing to do was get a taulima (tattoo around arm). Today the cool thing would equate to a sleeve. The thing is, even though it is cool, it doesn't give our people the actual connection that tatau (tattoo) has to our Samoan culture.  Each motif has a meaning. Placement in the pe'a and malu has a meaning. We lose the meaning of the...

Yes, you heard that right, there is no such thing as Polynesia.  There are no distinct borders or landmarks that say you are now in Polynesia.  The terms Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia are colonial terminology to group Pacific islanders into what colonists believe makes sense to them. Polynesia means many islands and refers to a 'group' that share several similar cultural aspects.  Melanesia is a racist term that refers to the dark skin of people within that specific region.  Micronesia refers to the smaller sized islands in that area. Do they mean anything about who we are as people? Does...