We’ve all seen it. You’re Googling something to do with Samoa and you see from the search results that others have been asking questions about Samoan people, too – but they’re really basic questions that you thought everybody knew the answers to by now. Surely! But then you realize the world is a big place […]
15+ Samoan names for your lover (from old Samoan love songs)
What is your favourite loved up pet name for your significant other? It is babe? Baby? Bae? Honey? Hun? Sweetheart? Sweetie? Darling? Dear? So many Samoan couples I know have adopted these English terms of affection, but until quite recently, I had no idea how many mushy nicknames we also have in the Samoan language. […]
Translating Naumati Lagona
Music has been a huge part of my life since, as a very young child, I couldn’t go to sleep without somebody singing to me… and then they must have got sick of it cause next minute I get this portable radio thing for my birthday… To this day I STILL find it easier to […]
Samoana, Ala Mai: Translating Lota Nu’u
You know how at the end of a long Samoan (usually family) function, someone says the closing prayer then everybody gets up to sing a song together? I love that. Not just because it means we can go home soon and eat the food we’ve already loaded in the car (who does that?) ’cause of […]
The two Samoan languages
While I was slowly picking up Samoan from my family and friends, I’d hear references to another, mysterious, ‘higher’ version of the language. ‘It’s different from our everyday Samoan,’ …they would say. ‘It’s the language that matais and ministers use’. And I would think, OK, so… what is it? Do they just use bigger words? […]
Samoan Etiquette: Mind your body parts!
Samoans seem to be very body-part-conscious. You might call it modest or reserved maybe, but all my training in ‘behaving so my mom, aunts and older cousins don’t give me the evils’ seemed to have a lot to do with how I positioned my body in specific situations. Now that I’m grown, I see the […]
The many uses of the Samoan ili
Samoans call this the ili, or fan. This hand-held version is Polynesia’s personal cooling system, except in the often relentless heat of Samoa, I’ve noticed it’s not the most effective tool for the job. It’s just as well they make these ili so pretty then or I wouldn’t have bothered getting one. It got me […]
Tulou – the magic word in Samoan etiquette
Our Samoan etiquette series is for people who are new to our culture or just want to brush up on the kind of behavior expected from ‘good’ Samoans. It’s especially helpful if you want to make a good impression on Samoan elders, perhaps the parents of your (hope to be) significant other? I wrote a […]
How do you like your Koko Alaisa (Samoan cocoa rice)?
Koko alaisa is yummy anywhere, anytime, but I love it most on cold New Zealand winter nights. A hot, sweet mug of deep, dark Samoan cocoa, mouthfuls of fat rice grains, a speckling of undissolved coconut cream, and pegu – little, nutty koko fibres – to crunch on at the end. Perfection. Every Samoan will […]
Samoan Proverb – Sorted like a fishing net in the morning
As the heart of the Pacific ocean, it makes sense that so many of Samoa’s alagaupu & muagagana (proverbs & idioms) use the imagery of fishing. Like this one: O le upega e fili i le po, ‘ae tatala i le ao Its literal translation: The fishing net is knotted (or braided) at night, but […]
