Fa'a Samoa (The Samoan Lifestyle)

      I'll take a stab at describing life down here, living amidst the Samoan culture - the fa'a Samoa. It is, all at the same time, delightful, frustrating, informative, maddening, and a bunch of other adjectives too numerous to mention. It is above all not American as we know that to be, not just because they speak Samoan instead of English. I write with some trepidation as I've only been here a couple weeks and anything I note is likely to be an over-generalization. It's a bit like trying to nail a drop of water to the wall; the first shot sends it scattered all over. But I'll give it a go.

      An overriding factor here is that this is a poor island. There simply isn't much money, economic activity or much going on. There is no tourism industry. What industry exists is limited to the tuna canneries (yes you, Charlie). They support a large number of people. But many of them are non-Samoans, at least non-American Samoans. They predominantly come from other, poorer, islands to work there. Western Samoa, Fiji, Tonga are common places from where laborers arrive. It is very true that wages here, lower by far than in the USA, are still much better than those islands. Canning tuna isn't a great career path.

      So there are many immigrants. Included are a lot of Koreans and/or Japanese who own & run a lot of the stores here. Most of the ubiquitous “convenience stores” are owned by them. You can tell, because they remain open on Sunday (while Samoans rest at home and in church) and also very late at night. Here's a photo of the store nearest my home; I go there several times a week for small things; it's quite typical:

Sogi store, with generic Samoan mutt in the street

It looks run down, as do all of them (not most, all) and appearances are not deceiving. These stores serve a need, but are certainly far from big money makers.

      I'm not too sure of the Samoan attitude about the immigrants. I can't say that they dislike them, but that may be, I just don't know. I'm pretty sure, however, that they don't mix too much, except for those from Western Samoa (independent country) who are themselves Samoan and often are related by family connections. I think it's mainly they tolerate foreigners because they do the work that the Samoans prefer not to do.

      None of that applies to palagis from the US, Australia, New Zealand, etc. That includes me. We tend to be here doing professional things that there simply aren't enough trained Samoans to do, though there are some. Most palagis tend to be lawyers, technicians, or scientists; and on balance there really aren't that many of us, and we almost all leave in a few years. There are a couple palagis who have come and stayed, but not too many at all. We are treated very well; Samoans talk to us politely, and are overall quite friendly. I've described how my Chief PD has invited me into her home, as have others in her family, and they've done their darnedest to make me comfortable here.

      Government is another big employer here, with many good people working - as well as a lot of paper pushing which, to our eyes, is absolutely maddening. That's a topic for another post.

      Anyway, I live in Leone, a village quite a distance from where I work in Utulei, near Pago Pago. This village was severely hit by a tsunami back in 2009; it's only been a year since then. There is still much damage visible, and some people remain living in tents supplied by FEMA. Here are a few photos; I had to be discrete in taking them so they aren't the best:

Entering Leone, from the west, note shoreline

Foundation of lost home, right on shoreline

Lost home, inland aways

FEMA tents still in use

Damaged fale

      I'll talk about the graves at the homes, but I first need to explain. Family is everything here. Well, almost; church is nearly as significant. But churches, I think, are heavily oriented to families, so they work in unison not opposite each other. Most Samoans will spend their non-working time – evenings, and especially Sundays - with family. A big proportion of that is in church activities. People are always visiting family, being visited, doing family things. Just driving around, people will stop and say hi to a mom or a child who is nearby. Cell phones are used a lot; it seems like everyone just knows where everyone else in the family might be at any given time. They give small gifts, do errands for each other, help out in all sorts of big and little ways every day.

      Land here is not owned by individuals but by families. A family's land is set by tradition; and is under the control of the family matai, or leader. That is very simplistic; while families have a matai they also have other lesser ranks in a bewildering pattern. And the matai doesn't rule autocratically or by fiat. It is much more of a consensus. Families are interrelated a lot, so there can be overlapping areas of authority which to an outsider are very hard to grasp. Who becomes a matai when succession is necessary is often a problem, and a branch of the Court system has many cases in that realm to decide.

      Anyway, however decided, the matai assigns living areas to family members. So where you & your family gets to live is neither your decision (though you have input) nor can it be called your own. It is always subject to family needs, and can, at least in theory, be reassigned to someone else. I don't know how often this has happened; I doubt very often, but it is a consideration. This has good and bad aspects. It may sound bad that you can be dispossessed, but also you have no mortgage payments (maybe rent) and cannot be foreclosed. You stay there through thick and thin. But you have no equity to build on, or borrow against (or apropos to court, to give as security for a bail bond). Then again, if you lose everything and become destitute, there will be a place for you on the family grounds. Just live in a way that keeps up those important family ties – respect the family. Your basic needs will be served.

     So, the graves. Note that they are right in the yard, even under a kid's swing set:

If you live in a house, and at that house are buried Grandpa, Grandma, and as many relatives as have gone before you, it is much harder to move you elsewhere. No one wants to move into a house with your grandparents buried out front. And these graves are solid; rocks, concrete, some huge crypts. So this house is yours, for sure. Even though it isn't yours legally.

      Families also have the family fale, or meeting place. I've mentioned the fale before, it's basically a patio with a cover on stilts, open-sided.  Fale are very practical here. It's always warm, no need for heat. It rains, so you have a roof. The open sides let in the breeze. What more do you want or need? The word fale means house; until modern times people lived in thatch roofed fale everywhere. Now they've gone to modern (that is, modern if it was 1955) concrete & stucco houses which have to be air-conditioned. But the big communal fale is very much alive, they are all over the place. Each family has their fale where they get together for Sunday, weddings, funerals, holidays, or whenever they please. Here's a few photos of them:

      The US military is important. Samoans are US nationals, not citizens. Going into the military service is a very honorable and practical career path. Many Samoans have served, through wars back to WW1, WW2, Korea, Vietnam, and of course Iraq and Afghanistan now. Quite a few have been killed there; you can see the memorials all over. This includes on cars; people will paint or decal their car with family servicemen and servicewomen who are serving, or in memory of those who have died. There are large, active ROTC programs in the high schools. Entering the military ensures good pay, benefits, and other privileges throughout life. Not the least of which is that you get “off the rock” by doing so. That's not a minor consideration, where as here there is little economic future for those who remain on the island.

Junior ROTC (High School) at football game

      Cars here are interesting. The climate is tough on them, and cars deteriorate quickly. Yet they keep going quite a long time, as long as they can run. My batmobile is an example; it's a junker but it runs, has AC, and so remains useful. When the fastest you can legally go (or practically, as the roads are bumpy and lousy; off the main highway they regulate speed with speed bumps all over) is 25 MPH, cars need not be hot. SUVs and pickup trucks are the most practical. You see people riding in the back of pickups everywhere. Most top government officials get cars as a perk; the plates are different and have the agency on the license plate – for example, we have two cars, licensed as “PD 1” and “PD 2”. The High Court judges each get a car; SUVs licensed as “HC 1”, “HC 2” etc. I've never seen a BMW here*, no sense to it. But big SUVs and pickups are all around. Expensive too. You see absolutely no auto dealership ads, much different from home where the auto dealers scream at you from TV, papers, billboards, etc. I checked a couple new car prices – well above manufacturer SRP. Used cars are very pricey too, as I learned to my chagrin. Traffic crawls around. But, people are courteous, they stop for all pedestrians, and will let you turn left, enter, a lot. I suppose when you can only go about 20 MPH, what does it matter?

      Buses are all over. No municipal system, they are all private, but seem to travel more or less set routes. Most are pretty dilapidated, but not all. People ride buses back & forth. Here's a couple photos:

Bus in Leone

Nice paint job

Bus, from the usual point of view

Da Cruizer

Note how they are decorated, painted, etc. Rides are about $1, with some longer ones up to $2. They just wheeze along the road, stopping whenever, getting there eventually. Most are Ford or Toyota pickup trucks with a bus body in place of the pickup bed. The painting is a Samoan habit.  School kids who skip, esp the older ones, spend days riding buses around the island and thus become our clients in various ways.

Bus stop in Leone; note home with graves behind

      Samoans are, overall, very laid back, friendly, open to talk. They love to congregate, talk, joke, hang out. There is a custom called the Saa; it's a rest period just before sunset. The village bell rings, and everyone is expected to sit & mellow out for 10 – 15 minutes. Since the saa period coincides with my favorite time to drink a glass of wine and watch the ocean & sunset, that amounts to real harmony.  The women love to dress up; one especially nice custom is to wear a flower in their hair, behind an ear.  Maybe which ear your flower sits on has meaning?  If so, I don't know the code.  But it is a most beautiful look.  The school kids wear uniforms, each school a different color.  Here's a photo of kids after school; they are from Tafuna High:

Tafuna HS students - lavalava uniforms

      Beauty and ugliness are all over. While the mountains can be spectacular, the central flat area has much of the grimy business facilities and is much like any American strip, if you're thinking a very run-down strip. Yet everywhere there are flowers, trees, exotic plants that in Minnesota must live indoors, in pots. Here are a few photos:

The ubiquitous coconut tree.  Don't linger under one.

Flowers along a driveway

Flowering tree

Ginger; spectacular!

Some kind of pine, very decorative

Bushes along a roadway

Another front yard

Old tire landscaping; all over

      This doesn't mention the fruit trees, which just don't photo well. Bananas, coconuts, mangoes, avocados, papayas, and breadfruit trees are staples and all over the place. Many people can simply go out into their yard and pick dinner. Breadfruit is coming into season, I haven't had it yet but hear that if prepared right it is excellent. I have a papaya tree in my back yard, and bananas nearby. One kind of local banana, the small yellow ones (there are other kinds as well) is so flavorful, it puts bananas anywhere else to shame. Vendors selling fruits at stands by the road are everywhere, so getting fruit is no hassle.

      One unattractive feature of American Samoa is the litter. There seems to be litter everywhere; on the streets, on the beaches, in trees, etc. Partly that's due to the dogs, who roam all over and get into garbage cans. That cannot explain all of it, however, or even most. But a closer look gives a slightly less disconcerting view. I've seen many Samoans out in their yards, raking, sweeping, cleaning. Most homes are as neat and clean as anywhere. It's the common areas that are junked up. Much like people everywhere; when it is a place you feel responsible for, you work to keep it up. But when it isn't yours, you let someone else do it - it's not worth your work. The difference here is that there is no one to do the work. At home, our governments actually take a lot of responsibility, spending much money and effort in the process. Parks, places that are preserved for the public to use are also kept clean and functional. People like it that way and pay taxes for that without much complaint. Here, the government may give lip service but doesn't have the will, the money or quite frankly the ability to do something so simple as pick up the trash consistently. So it accumulates. Right outside my home is a beautiful piece of rocky shoreline with blowholes and fantastic sunsets. Just keep your eyes up, don't look on the ground (but you must, broken glass & junk is all over). A sad but true tale, the sordid side of paradise that might have been.

     Well, that's a first stab at describing American Samoa. Will try again soon. Upcoming posts will look at courts, my life here (well, it matters to me, anyway, and it's my blog) and activities which will include more beaches and, God willing, golf.

*  UPDATE - there is at least one BMW 325.  Also a couple of Humvees and, yes, a Corvette.  God only knows why.