| Feb. 25, 2002 Unraveling Samoa Samoa is a strange and complicated place, beneath the coconut palms and floral-print clothing. We spent almost a month digging through the facade, finding surprises all along the way. When we first arrived, we saw a typical tropical paradise filled with fruit trees and smiling faces. As our bus crossed the larger island of Savaii, we noticed lots of people napping the afternoon away in their fales (thatch-roof huts without walls.) We concluded Samoa is a happy place, where no one works too hard and no one goes hungry. Just catch a few fish and grab anything else you might want off trees: bananas, papayas, coconut, breadfruit... more than enough to feed the country's 170,000 people. It didn't take long to find the catch. From talking with women and reading a book, we learned about the strict tribal system that still reigns. Every family has its chiefs, and each village has a council of high chiefs. Everyone must obey the chiefs. If they say go to church, you go. If they say quit your job and work on the family plantation, you have no choice but to obey. In addition, women must obey men and young family members must obey older ones, even when they are adults. Those who disobey, particularly children, may be beaten or ostracized from their families, even sent out of their village. It's aggravating seeing grown women having to ask their fathers or husbands for permission about everything (whether it's ok to go out with friends, or change jobs, or eat lunch.) One 21 year old was forbidden from going out with us on Friday night, visiting her boyfriend in New Zealand and working on Saturday (even though her boss requested it.) Yet, everyone seems to go along with this. Or so we thought, as we began our mangrove conservation project in the village of Saanapu. One level deeper and we discovered the rebellious side. One of the women in our host family has a job in Samoa's capital, Apia. She commutes two hours there and back each day, she loves working so much. Any woman who works in town gets a reprieve from obeying husbands and brothers all day. She hardly earns enough to cover her bus fare and all the beer she drinks on the way home. Her boss drives her home each day, in exchange for beer. We caught a ride home with them one evening, after working in Apia. There being no open container law, she bought beers for all of us to drink on the way. Just outside her village, the truck pulled off to the side of the road. She explained that we all had to finish the beer before driving any further. Her father and brothers did not approve of the women drinking alcohol, so she had to make sure no one saw her. We're talking about a 33 year old woman hiding on the side of the road so Daddy doesn't see her drinking! This is typical of the country, not just this particular family. We spoke with other adult women who revealed similar situations. One positive side of the strict family structure is that Samoa has no old age homes. Any family that did not take care of its elders would be completely disgraced. There's a very strong sense of loyalty and commitment to family that Samoans take pride in. Regarding our project, we feel very good about the end results. After talking with the local guides and reading books on the mangrove forest, we prepared a website and informational pages describing the native plants and trees, as well as ecological and cultural significance of the mangrove area. The idea is to give visitors a better appreciation of the Saanapu Mangrove Conservation Area, and encourage more to come and support the project (a fee for walking the nature trail or taking a canoe tour goes to the Saanapu community.) At first, the guide and others seemed a bit apprenhensive about how much we might accomplish. Things generally go at a slow pace in Samoa. People who show too much initiative are considered to be "showing off." However, when they saw a rough draft we put together, everything changed. They got excited about the project, suggested changes and additions and generally warmed up to what we were doing. We also got input from Samoa's Dept. of Environment. By the end, the guide, Afa, told us we helped renew his faith and enthusiasm for working in the conservation area. What a good feeling to be able to renew someone's faith or enthusiasm in their work! The chief of our host family, Moa-au, also expressed his gratitude on behalf of the village of Saanapu. While the cultural differences we found in Samoa were frustrating at times, the experience was fascinating and satisfying. We lived in one of the fales with no walls and learned what it's like to have no privacy. We ate foods we had never heard of, like taro (a starchy root thing) and strange fruits. We learned a ton about a society very different from our own, and about plants and trees and fish, and feel like we helped give them a better feeling about outsiders, called "palagis." For a look at the website we set up, visit www.geocities.com/saanapumangroves. We are still working on some problems with images loading too slowly. Eventually, the website will be hosted on www.greenturtle.ws (a Samoan ecotourism company) with links from Samoa's Tourist Bureau and Dept. of Environment. |