Friday, October 2, 2009

Talofa Tonga

Talofa Means Aloha
in Samoa & Tonga-



TODAY,
Our hearts are with those isles
as many of our Honolulu neighbors wait to hear about family "back home."






The first military relief flights that reached Pago Pago today took off from right here at Honolulu's Hickam Air Force Base. A Significant portion of the crew are Americans of Samoan ethnicity on a double mission: to do their military duty, and to search for family.



In the 1990 census of the United States, over 55,000 Americans reported themselves to be of Samoan descent. Approximately 26,000 of the respondents resided in California, with another 15,000 in Hawaii, and 2,000 in Utah. But the influence of Samoan Americans has spread far beyond these limited regions.



The contributions made by Samoan Americans have been many and diverse; From courage and legendary valor in the US military during the Korean conflict and the Vietnam war (to today), to prowess on the athletic field that has brought much well earned recognition for Samoan Americans in college and professional football.



Samoan culture is sophisticated, exemplified by rhetorical skills, which are considerable. Samoan villages are complex in their structure, with different levels of matai, or chiefs.
(Yes, the drink was named for them)
Villagers are related in various complex ways
through common descent groups.



The involvement of small numbers of immigrant Samoan youth in gang activity has led some to dismiss all young Samoan Americans as hoodlums. But most Samoans and Tongans are people of deep faith, as the growing number of their churches attests. My own anxieties around illness and death have been lightened considerably by their attitude & example of deep gratitude and resignation in such matters. At the end, everyone gathers to join in wonderful (loud!) choral singing. Gospel music has a whole new voice!




Since most things & resources are shared by the entire family group, it is considered selfish to keep everything you earn for your own "nuclear" family. This can create psychological conflict for Islanders assimilating into western type cultures like the US and New Zealand.
They are very generous to their churches.





The Samoan islands were colonized between 500 and 800 B.C. by an oceanic people distinguished by their production of Lapita pottery—a unique pottery form named after one of the original sites of pottery shard discovery in Melanesia. Based on archaeological, botanical, and linguistic evidence, it seems almost certain that the ancestors of the Samoans originated in Indo-Malaysia, spent several centuries living along coastal areas of New Guinea, and then colonized Samoa and Tonga.


Over time the descendants of these original immigrants colonized other regions, including Tahiti and other areas of eastern Polynesia, the Marquesas, Hawaii, and New Zealand.



Western awareness of Samoa grew over time due to its proximity to southern whaling grounds and the unparalleled harbor of Pago Pago. In 1857 a German firm greatly expanded the copra trade, establishing a regional center in Samoa. This led to the establishment of a German consulate in 1861. This increased interest in Samoa created significant tensions between the colonial powers. Samoa was finally partitioned between the east (Eastern Samoa) and the west (German Samoa) during the 1880s.





American Samoa was eventually ceded by the chiefs of Tutuila and Manu'a to the United States and administered by the Department of the Navy as a U.S. territory. The region was largely forgotten until the 1960s, under President John F. Kennedy who had served in the South Pacific during WWII. During the 1960s and 1970s construction on American Samoa increased dramatically. Elections now determine the territorial governor, a position previously filled by appointment from Washington, D.C.
Tuna canning has been a major employer.





Western Samoa changed hands from German ownership to New Zealand administration during the First World War after a bloodless invasion.


Jacob Roggeveen, the first European to discover Samoa, happened upon the islands in 1722 during his ill-fated voyage from the Netherlands to New Ireland.



Today's Honolulu mayor is Mufi Hanneman, a Harvard educated song bird of Samoan ethnicity. (Get call waiting when you phone the City, and you will hear him singing!)
The mayor's brother, Gus, called a meeting of Samoan comunity leaders to Honolulu Hale (City Hall) yesterday in order to organize prayer and relief efforts. I was once at a smallish event where Da Mayor spoke with evident feeling about seeing the names of his chiefly family members on the historic treaties kept in Harvard's library collection.



Let's face it, growing up in America in the 50s, 60's & 70s one never saw an Asian, person of color, or even overtly ethnic person unless it was part of the plot or setting. The US was called a "melting pot" - which meant "Everyone try to pass as culturally English/American."




But living in Hawaii gives us the opportunity to interact with others with a certain Esprit Des Isles that gets us past stereotyping (well, except for island humour that teases us all, from the talkative Portugee, to the Filipino who can't be an HPD detective because he cannot wear plain clothes, to the "thrifty" Chinese, to the clueless Haole in the ugly Aloha shirt).




One of the heroes of my little novel, Aloha Where You Like Go? was Fia the taxi yard boss. That character is based on a man who was a very kind mentor to a certain clueless young haole wahine , and who taught ME da Honolulu taxi business many years ago when I needed the job. When a dignified Tongan boss tell your husband that you are "one hard worker" well, that remark (from HIM) meant as much to me as my college degree. Maybe I'm even prouder of it.




So Talofa Tonga, Samoa, and Indonesia today as you struggle with the instant emergency of earthquake and tsunami. I know that you are resilient folks with great heart - and hearts very dear to God.



And thanks to each of
YOU
who stopped by today.
Warm ALOHA/Talofa cloudia

27 comments:

  1. Mahalo for the history and information. I know some of Hawaii's "tourist" spots accurately distinguish the Samoa and Tonga dances and dress.

    Cloudia -- How, where, can we best help? Is there an organization that you recommend to send donations or specific items?

    (If you won't tell us, I WILL find a spot....we sent packages for the rescue dogs during New York's 9/11 searches.)

    Thoughts and prayers, DrumMajor

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  2. At least it won't be another Katrina disaster. This president knows where all of America is and will help them.

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  3. Hi Cloudia

    Growing up in NZ we knew the Samoan people to be generous in size and generous in heart!

    Happy days

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  4. Damn I hate stuff like this~I will be doing my part to help.
    <><

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  5. i am also thinking about the samoans as they are so close to new zealand

    love the idea of hearing someone singing when i get call waiting - i think more people should do this too!

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  6. Maybe that should be a new criterion for mayors: being able to sing (on key) for the city's call waiting!

    Love this post, Cloudia. There is a Samoan church across from the Costco where we shop.

    You are right about their sense of community. My mother worked for many years as a Public Defender and got involved in the Bar Association's mentoring program for former gang members trying to turn their lives around. One of her best successes was a young Samoan gentleman because once the judge got him into the program, his family and church community kept him there!

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  8. Off to see where/what I can contribute to here for there!

    Aloha!

    xo

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  9. Thank you so much for this post! Here in the mainland the tsunami in the Pacific seems so far away, like I can't relate to it at all. Thank you for the reminder of how people all over the world are part of us, even if we don't realize it.

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  10. Thank you for the history. We have seen some images of the disaster on TV, but of course these are the tip of the iceberg. Lives changed forever yes; it is hard to connect, being so far away.

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  11. I'm over here complaining about my cold and the laundry...and you're in Hawaii. No fair! At least I get to come and have my own vacation for a few minutes each day! :)

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  12. We moved from a heavily Asian community here in Southern California four years ago. My children went to school with, Chinese, Korean, Filipino, Thai, Japanese, and Samoan kids. In fact, whites were the minority behind Asians and hispanics in the school system there. Samoan people are fun loving, my son had a friend and we became acquainted with his extended family, aunts, cousins, uncles, grandparents, they all lived in three houses in a row. One thing I learned, do one family member wrong, and you've crossed them all!

    Even if everyone just sent $5 bucks...

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  13. Amazing post, Cloudia. And my prayers are with the people of Talofa Tonga, Samoa, and Indonesia.

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  14. Thank you for all this, the info and the sharing about the culture and people..continued hopes for their safetly and recovery.

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  15. Thanks to EACH of you for these thoughtful comments.

    There is no particular aid organization that I can recommend.

    Here there are drop off places, and the Hawaii chapter of the Red Cross has sent aid & Volunteers.

    Aloha, Friends

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  16. If it would be possible to create a tsunami of words which spread love and comfort, it would for sure find its best source in you.

    A nice weekend for you.

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  17. Thank you for the history and for the information. It's good to hear that the military are involved in a humanitarian effort. That is good. I hope many people are helped and comforted and that they get all the help they need.

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  18. Great post. I have had lots of Samoan friends from college and seminary. They are great, loving, fun, and generous people...and most of them have beautiful singing voices and can dance. Thanks for sharing this information. Prayers continue to go for all those who are suffering from the disasters.

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  19. thank you for this wonderful post.

    namaste /\
    aloha!
    talofa to all the samoans
    wishing them well

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  20. Thanks for all this great information, Cloudia. One of my very good friends after college was Kina from Tonga. I hope her family is doing OK. What a difficult time this must be for Mayor Mufi.

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  21. Great post Cloudia and very informative! Thank you.

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  22. Amen to your blessings to the instant victims of nature's fury.

    This post is so interesting. Love the idea of Esprit des Isles.

    Yes, I remember growing up in America's melting pot. BTW, when the waves of mass immigration hit young Israel, it was called a "pressure cooker."

    Talofa, Sista.

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  23. Thanks for the info, New Zealand is doing as much as pos, to assist in mainly Samoa but also in Tonga. it is sad that so many have been hit so hard, but as you say they are a strong resilient race. We all help where we can.

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