Worldview and Religion

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Tagaloa 
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    Samoans are very religious and spiritual. The indigenous religion is based around Tagaloa which is the ancestor of all living things. These living things include humans, animals, plants, the sea, the land, and the cosmos. They believe that earth was created by the separation of Lagi the heavens and Papa the rock. Then Tuli, Tagaloa’s messenger was sent to germinate the earth and all living things were born. This idea resonates with the scientific theory of the “Big Bang”  but also has some Christian ideals with the presence of a God or creator of all things.
    
    The indigenous religion also has other gods. The atua gods were non-human and were believed to come from Pulotu, the other world, or Lagi. The human gods were called aitu and they were believed to be ancestral spirits. Samoans do not believe that death is the end of existence so as family members died they were remembered in the form of the aitus. Each family has its own aitu and they were usually represented by natural objects like animals and plants. Having the aitus represented by something from the natural world created a va or sacred relationship between Samoans and the land.

    Samoan death ceremonies are done quickly and often involve a lot of singing and praying. Samoans believe that death never really happens, and the dead are not treated as gone. They are usually buried in the front yard or somewhere close so that communication can still take place. Samoans visit the graves of the deceased often. It is believed that a person should die at home surrounded by family members so that the spirit does not cause trouble in the village and can be guided to Lagi. The ceremony is performed by the matai and extended family and friends offer up gifts and money to the family of the deceased to ease the passing. There is also a large feast that takes place where people tell stories about the deceased and remember the joyous times.
       
    The va between humans and the natural world creates a shared genealogy in which humans were the last created and are a child of both heaven and earth. This means that a human being is not an individual and that they are a part of the cosmos. This relationship is also present in the language of indigenous Samoans. Many words are used to describe human bodies and also the physical earth. Eleele means blood and dirt. Palapala also means blood and mud. Fauna means plant and also the placenta of a woman. This correlation really shows how connected Samoans feel to the environment around them and how they cherish the land that they live on. They do not feel more or less important than the earth and they do not believe in the ownership of the land.

Samoan women singing at Christian church. 
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    In the 1830’s Christianity was introduced to Samoa and was very widely accepted. This is partly due to the goddess of war Nafanua prophesizing that there would be a new religion that would take over. By a goddess prophesizing this, the Samoa people and leaders felt it was what the atuas wanted to happen and openly accepted Christianity and the Bible. Today many Samoans attend a Christian church every Sunday and use Sunday as a day of worship and rest. Most villages often set time aside every day for sa, which is prayers and is marked by a siren or bell. Many Samoans still practice certain beliefs from the indigenous religion and have blended them with Christian beliefs. Samoans are very tolerant about religion because of this blending.   

    The Samoan worldview is fairly homogenous because it is taught by the elders and passed down through the generations. Samoans are very structured in these beliefs and that hasn’t changed. There are not a lot of religious differences in Samoa even though there are different Christian religions in Samoa they see them as all Christian and they do not think one religion is superior because to Samoans religious and spiritual beliefs are one. They all believe in a God and creation. There is a small population that still only participates in the indigenous religion and keeps the traditions and beliefs alive. This population ensures that younger generations do not forget about the relationship between man and the land.

 

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