The shade of the high trees in the forest will not allow the weeds to come up and the path is always visible. O le lupe na fa'ia mai i le fuifui. Upu faifai applied to an orator whose speech does not meet with approval. A white tern that is so proud of its glossy plumage that it will not associate with darker birds. 24. Upu fa'anoanoa or alofa or faifai referring to a person who has come to harm through his own fault or that of a relative or friend. He tries to find out if the other person is good natured, liberal, hospitable and how he can turn things to his advantage. 77. Words of encouragement: dont be negligent, but do the thing thoroughly. Like the crying of the pu that is going to die. Whos responsibility is it to have this be done? A few men managed to regain the shore. To catch one pigeon after the other. Here are some examples of the Samoans proverbs (taken from http://www.samoa.co.uk/proverbs.html): Ua tautalagia le umu lapalapa. A tattooer who has a job to do will, on the previous evening, put all his instruments into a container (tunuma). 103. Samoan Sit and wait for the good chestnuts. Your will is as the flight of an old pigeon. A paddle lying on this half deck may easily fall off. Few mats, however, meet these requirements. Ufiufi manu gase. Loss is too significant to mend itself, but not even death can take away the Like the taro holes in Asau. E gase a uluga. 102. O le lupe na seu silasila. 25. A man from Faleata tried to net one of the pigeons that had been enticed to the tia, but he failed. At this very moment a fish (malauli) happened to jump out of the water and, with one swoop of the net, Pepe caught both pigeon and fish. E tasi, 'ae afe. If he is doing this awkwardly, so that the motion of his hand can be seen, the wild pigeons will be suspicious and fly away. Inspirational Samoan Quotes & Sayings. Se'i motu le pa 'a 'ua iloa. A piece of forked wood standing on the outrigger. The unavau is a poisonous fish that occasionally appears in a school of edible pelupelu. Euphemisms for Dead, Death, and Dying: Are They Helpful or Harmful? Proverbs and folk sayings about death, grief, and mourning from a variety of cultural traditions can sometimes speak the words you are unable to express yourself. Ua numi le fau. Mocking words referring to common people who begin to eat before the high chiefs, and to similar cases. The sting-ray (fai) has a sharp barbed spine in its tail with which it can inflict severe wounds. E le se tunuma ma moe fa'atasi. The sinnet ring and the stand for the fishing rod must be equally strong. 91. Buy Sympathy FlowersShop Funeral StationeryBrowse Memorial Items. 2023 Dotdash Media, Inc. All rights reserved. One of the best Samoan sayings about family meaning, in the face of adversity, only family will truly be there for us. The hunting implements are hung up. 186. A gau le poutu, e le tali poulalo. It is also used as an excuse; for instance, when one wishes to discuss village affairs in the presence of a stranger: Ia fa'amolemole, o le a se'i mamalu mai pea le atua i le aoa. Hawaiian Funeral Songs and Chants Folau a alamea. 144. Place the ridge pole first, then we shall pass the battens. When a crab is caught it is pierced with its own leg. 137. Here are some rules, or Proverbs, in which someone in the Samoan culture has to follow to be accepted and take part in their culture. Upu fa'aalualu: General invitation to assist in the reconciliation of quarrelling parties. We must be of one mind in the undertaking. The fuga has soft dorsal fins; the maono, hard and spiny ones. In time, remembering a loved one may bring more comfort than pain. Each had born him a son. The tradition of the tulafale illustrates a highly developed part of the Samoan culture that consists of its own style and language. Birds were caught either with a hoop-net or in a cage in whose open top the decoy bird (manutagi) was fettered. 0 le pa ua sala le fausaga. They are all of one mind. It is also used in the form of: Ua fa'ae'e le 'au'au, etc., after the leader has concluded his address. ", The death of an elderly man is like a burning library. If the saying is to refer to incestuous brothers and sisters, it may be used only as an obscene jest, but never in the presence of relatives. Upu fa'aulaula, alofa or fa'anoanoa: He who comes too late must content himself with what is left. The bow and the stern are partly decked in. 9. 127. Ia tafatafa fuga, 'ae 'aua le tafatafa maono. At other times, it may help those who are coping with a strained relationship with the loved one. Upu taofiofi: Warning: Look before you leap. Only the manutagi is still caught in the old way and, if the report be true, the chiefs of Aopo and Tiave'a will, occasionally, net pigeons according to the ancient rules of the hunt. When the middle post is broken, the side posts cannot withstand (the weight of the roof). E 'asa le faiva, 'ae le 'asa le masalo. The king had a pa but he did not know how to tie it correctly into a fish-hook. The barracuda sleeps by itself because the other fish fear and avoid it. E tenetene fua le livaliva, 'ae sagasaga 'ai le vili ia. 7. O le upega tautau, ae fagota. Below Ive listed the most famous Samoan proverbs and their meanings as well as some common Samoan sayings. Our website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. She then related what she had seen. However, when hostilities began he joined the fish. Ua tuliloa le atu a le sa'u. While the fisher is waiting for a bite, his boat must move on slowly. To keep up friendly relations with one's neighbour. It is, therefore, compared to a quarrelsome person. ), SCHULTZ, E. Sprichwortliche Redenserten der Samoaner. Apia, Samoa, 1916. Thus says a person who has not been invited to express his opinion at a council meeting. As it feeds mostly on the blossoms of the coconut tree, a cluster of bloom is its usual dinner table. The Samoan fish-hook consists of a longish shaft of polished pearl shell, pa, and a hook made of tortoise shell, maga. Seu foga'afa. 140. Upu fa'aalualu referring to the frequency of the Samoan civil wars. Talanoa atu, 'ae le talanoa manu. Required fields are marked *, CALL: (415) 431-3717Hours: 9AM-5PM PST. Compare also Nos. See also the next three proverbs. Divided on top of the fatuga. Look at those stars that are waving on it: This is the symbol of Jesus, who died on it for Samoa. Another explanation is as follows: For the capture of the dolphin (masimasi) the hook is baited with flying fish. 177. Take down the huts and put everything away. O lo'o mamalu le atua i le aoa. However, the fish were not bonitos but aitu (devils, spirits) in the form of big sea eels. Fa'alupe tumulifale. Ou te se tagata tau suati. Affiliate Disclaimer: Lingalot is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. Choose your words wisely, allowing the person to grieve in their own time. Turner, on page 221, says: If a pigeon sees its mate fall dead, it will drop down and cover the body with its wings even though it should be killed also. Coconut milk was usually given to the birds. Upu faifai applied to a community (family, village, district) composed of many but unimportant individuals. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. A fisherman at his work or returning from the sea, being asked whether he has caught anything, will give a negative answer if he wants to keep all the fish for himself. Upu faalumaluma. On a narrow neck of land near Puipa'a in Faleata there was a tia. 149. 40. E fa'apupuati le gase. Some manutagi have the bad habit of driving the wild birds out of the cage before the hunter has had time to catch them. After the catch, the net is carried ashore and hung up. At the termination of the war the birds held a fono and drank kava. Jeanine Tuivaiki. The more formal ways to say this are: Hello (polite). See No. Sinasegi, the daughter of the Tuiaana Fa'apilipili and his wife Sinalaua, went fishing one night on the reef of Falelima. Nalayeh H. Addressing the cultural, spiritual and religious perspectives of palliative care. 119. The wider meaning of the saying is: To stand up for a friend or relative, to help him bear his misfortune, to forgive and cover up his mistakes. Samoan The careless fish will be eaten by the shark. O le va'a fau po fau ao. Upu vivi'i: Words of praise referring to the speech of one high chief or orator and the reply made by another. Foga'afa is idiomatic for faga'afa. Now, it is common to delay funerals for overseas loved ones. A new boat was smoothed with pieces of coral, each workman being assigned to a particular part of the boat. 125. The matai orders his men to build a small hunting hut and carry it with the rest of the hunting implements to the swamp which is the bird's usual habitat. Shall I become your working girdle? The paths in the bush are never obliterated. In Asau, Savai'i, the soil is very stony. Samoan Blessed is the moon; it goes but it comes back again. The net that became entangled in the night will be disentangled in the morning. Upu fa'alumaluma: To the u ta'afale we compare a person who meddles in all kinds of things and thereby causes discord, particularly a tale-bearer. Upu fa'aalualu: When you see an advantage, turn it to good account. The work, called milota'i, is usually done by the women. By exerting slow pressure on the scraped bark of the 'o'a tree a reddish-brown dye is obtained. The fact is that, now and then, fatal poisonings occur after the natives have partaken of pelupelu that were caught with an unavau. Upu vivi'i: Ua se fau e ta'i le nu'u neithe people of this village are all of the same opinion (ua tapulima fa'atasi, loto gatasi). Upu fa'anoanoa or alofa: The former concord is at an end. There are two explanations: (1) During the hunt of the tern a pause is made for the purpose of feeding the decoy birds. Pratt translates: Why do you not steer out of the way? The word seu has two meanings: to turn the head of a canoe and to catch birds or fish in a net. As soon as the fisherman appears, the fish will escape into deep water where it can no longer be caught. An old childless couple of Neiafu were gathering dry coconut leaves (material for lighting and cooking). Upu faifai referring to weakness and inefficiency. The aesthetic sense of the Samoans requires a person of dignity to be well-fed and portly. Ia sui tonu le mata o le niu. O le fogatia ua malu maunu. Both fish are frequently caught together. The figure is taken from the work of the boatbuilder setting a plank. Upu fa'aulaula addressed to a person who appears unexpectedly. Like a pigeon sitting on the pola (plaited coconut leaves used to enclose the sides of a house). More Samoan Proverbs: You shake in vain the branch that bears no fruit. Thinking they were bonitos they hurried to the shore, embarked in their canoes and went out. Because of this incomplete fastening the term: 136. The 'apoa have spines on the back and breast. Lua mata is a figure of speech for a small taro patch; to 'ese is elliptical for toto i se mea 'ese. The falling of a ripe coconut. Read our, Remembering a Loved One During the Holidays, Differences Between Normal and Complicated Grief, Turning to Grief Counseling When You Need Help, 5 Stages of Grief When Facing a Terminal Diagnosis, Signs You Are Experiencing Disenfranchised Grief, How to Deal with the Grief of Losing a Child. Ua vela lana umu i lo tatou nu'u. This Samoan quote is used when a beloved chief dies. Upu vivi'i: Traditions, family trees and the happenings of ancient times are not forgotten, but survive among the people. Death leaves a heartache no one can heal; Love leaves a memory no one can steal. Unknown . 170. Ua tu'u tasi le upega o Pili. E pata le tutu i ona vae. It is used for the pit in the ground in which the Samoans cook their food with hot stones. ", "The only truly dead are those who have been forgotten. The proverb advised that People aren't good unless others are made better by them. The dying of the pair of birds. 15. As they had to wait for low tide, they lay down and fell asleep. , each workman being assigned to a quarrelsome person escape into deep water where it can no longer be.... Appears in a school of edible pelupelu high chiefs, and a hook made of samoan sayings about death shell maga! To have this be done mend itself, but he did not how! 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