A member of my family died this week. If I understood it correctly, she was the my father's grandmother's brother's wife. She was 99. The funeral was this morning and in Samoan tradition involved fa'alavelave.
Fa'alavelave is a concept I've struggled to understand. I don't believe I ever will. It basically involves the exchange of goods and money. I mentioned in the previous post that money was given at a school meeting. That's fa'alavelave (I think). Here's how it worked for this funeral.
Last night my family slaughtered a large pig. It was butchered and taken to the home where the funeral was to be held early this morning. It was not to be used to feed the family/friends present, but it was to be divided up and given to those present.
In addition to the pig, the family also gave money to the family members hosting the funeral.
A few minutes ago a pick up truck arrived and they off-loaded 2 large fine mats, 10 cases of tinned fish (probably mackeral) 2 cases of tinned corned beef and about 20 styrofoam containers of food. The family is currently sitting around eating the food. The fine mats were put away and the tinned food stored.
In addition to the "stuff", chances are the family was given cash. Fa'alavelave involves an exchange of goods and cash and causes families to go into debt. Most families have little cash. They eat what they grow and raise. When there are weddings, funerals, a new matai (chief) is named, etc., families frequently take out loans to pay for the fa'alavelave.
I've had numerous discussions with Samoans about how fa'alavelave works and why they do it. I, rightly or wrongly, equate it to weddings in the U.S.
Think about a typical wedding. A couple decides to tie the knot. They plan an expensive wedding, frequently involving parents helping with the expenses. Many couples take out loans to pay for the wedding.
Guests are treated to a lovely event with food and drink. In exchange they give a gift, that may or may not cost more than the cost of the event they attend. So, like, fa'alavelave, it's an exchange in which there's an event and people demonstrate love and respect by sharing money or items which they may or may not be able to afford.
Just as I went into debt when I was younger and all my friends were getting married (shower and wedding gifts) and having babies (baby shower gifts) people here go into debt for family occasions here. A big difference is that families here are huge and it doesn't matter how distant the relative, it still involves fa'lavelave.
It is such a serious issue here that the government and banks are trying to regulate and limit the amount of funds that can be borrowed for fa'alavelave.
Friends here were very surprised when I explained how funerals worked in my family. Yes, we brought food, but it was usually a cake or ham or covered dish. Only enough food was brought to feed the funeral crowd and the family for the week or two following the funeral. Noone would think to bring a few dozen cases of tuna.
Just one of the aspects of Samoan culture that is interesting yet difficult for me to fully understand.
Great analogy of faalavelave. It is a beautiful system, but with the advent of a monetary system (and the ability to get loans) it has meant families unfortunately borrow beyond their means. There have been attempts to take the system back to its original form, but a lot has to do with saving face. As long as people put high expectation on others (and as long as there is a willing lenders of funds) then families will continue to host lavish occasions and incurring greater debt.
ReplyDeleteSoifua