Tau mai na o le pua ula Samoan fragrances in Samoan Thought

Transcription

1 Tau mai na o le pua ula Samoan fragrances in Samoan Thought Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Ta isi Efi Head of State of Independent State of Samoa Pacific Thought Symposium MAU Forum, Waitakere City Council Chambers 7 March 2009 In July 2006 my wife and I, along with others, attended the opening of the Carmelite Monastery in Uea (the Wallis Islands). At the airport we were met by an official reception party and were presented with ula or garlands. The sweet aromas from our ula filled the evening air. The different scents overwhelmed my emotions and reminded me of Afoafouvale s chant, where he laments: Manogi le moso oi ma le lagaali, [The scent of the mosooi and the lagaali] Faaoso e le sea ma le asi [Enhanced by the sea and the asi] Ma le sinago ua fenamua i [And the sinago which adds to the aroma of many fragrances] Many of these aromas I have not smelled since my childhood. In Uea they literally charmed me into nostalgia. The following day I was in for a treat. Not only did we receive more fragrant ula but there were also fatu or flower arrangements decorating the formal reception house or fale, its entrance ways and surroundings. The ambience that this festivity of flowers created, reminded me of how, when during my youth, my family would use these same fragrances to create similar atmosphere. The different scents from the flowers also reminded of the love and care that my family would take when preparing lolo or scented oil, traditionally used to perfume the body. I was so overwhelmed by the nostalgic beauty of what I saw and smelt that I became emotional and shed tears. I have since reflected on my visit to Uea and why it impacted so much on me. These reflections led me to engage in a discussion with Lemi, the organiser of this symposium, in October last year on the making of lolo or fragranced oil, and on the theme of a Samoan culture of fragrance. In sharing our stories about lolo making I realised that there was something quite profound about making lolo and/or gathering the manogi (or fragrances) of different plants or flowers, both common chores for the young during my youth. These reflections have led me on a series of reminiscent and theoretical musings about a Samoan culture of fragrance and what that might mean for the development of the human spirit and for our collective soul as a people. Within my musings I posit the idea that our sense of smell is central to our indigenous Samoan theology; that it guided the art of traditional Samoan thought and defined our spiritual relationships with each other and all other living things. For this address I want to firstly focus on one of the Tagaloa versions of creation, cited in a funeral chant, and its tribute to our sense of smell. Second, I want to talk about the 1

2 significance of fragrances to rituals such as the pe a or male tattoo and to celebratory marriage chants such as the Salani tini. To end my address I provide some reflections on the symbolic value of fragrances to exilic accounts of home and the idea of hope or faamoemoe, implicit within. From the Samoan thesis of creation through to our Samoan marriage, funeral and exilic chants, one finds evidence of a fragrance culture and its significance to a collective Samoan psyche, spirit and soul. The salutation to our sense of smell In the Tagaloa religion, Tagaloa sent down his tuli (plover bird) to earth and on his instructions the tuli formed the image of man from bacteria (ilo). It is said that man originates from ilo and eventually evolved from that into human form. The images and significance of the tuli and ilo are recorded in the motifs of traditional male and female tattoos, i.e. the pe a and the malu, and in woodcarvings and bark cloth (siapo) designs. Artistic representations of the tuli and ilo in these art forms are named the faavae tuli (or plover feet) and faaanufe (or like the worm). These names record Samoan beliefs about the origins of man as descendents of bacteria and worms. The importance of ilo to the funeral chants of the Tagaloa religion is found in the commemoration to the second heaven which affirms its belief in the importance of the sense of smell to the origins and destination of man. Ilo as bacteria and later worms rely on smell for survival. The salutations read: Tulouna le lagi tuatasi! Tulouna le pogisa ma le leai! Salutations to the first heaven! Salutations to the darkness and the void! Tulouna le lagi tualua! Tulouna le nanamu! Salutations to the second heaven! Salutations to the sense of smell! Tulouna le lagi tuatolu! Tulouna le efuefu! Salutations to the third heaven! Salutations to the dust! Tulouna le lagi tuafa! Tulouna le iloa! Salutations to the fourth heaven! Salutations to the knowable! Tulouna le lagi tualima! Tulouna le maua! Salutations to the fifth heaven! Salutations to the obtainable! Tulouna le lagi tuaono! Tulouna le ele ele! Salutations to the sixth heaven! Salutations to the earth! Tulouna le lagi tuafitu! Tulouna le papatū! Salutations to the seventh heaven! Salutations to the standing rock! Tulouna le lagi tuavalu! Tulouna le maa taanoa! Salutations to the eighth heaven! Salutations to the stones! Tulouna le lagi tuaiva! Tulouna le mauga! 2

3 Salutations to the ninth heaven! Salutations to the mountain! The salutation to the first heaven commemorates the transformation of void and darkness to substance and matter. The second salutation recognises the beginnings of human life and the significance of the senses to those human beginnings. The next salutation recognises efuefu, i.e. dust. The fourth salutation acknowledges the formation of intelligence and desire for the knowable (iloa). The fifth salutation highlights the importance of discernment and being able to obtain what is attainable (maua). In gaining intelligence and discernment man then pays tribute to the creation of an environment (eleele) commemorated in salutation six, which he requires in order to grow. On the provision of this environment man then acknowledges the importance of marking boundaries through landmarks in the landscape, i.e. standing rock (papatu). Once these boundaries are set, man then pays tribute to the formation of a residence that he calls home. This is recognised through the symbolism of maa taanoa (small stones used in building and decorating a residence) the subject of salutation eight. The final salutation, salutation nine, acknowledges through the symbolism of the mountain, man s recognition of the Prime Mover and presents an image of man s reaching out to the heavens, or to Lagi, where Tagaloa resides. These salutations offer not only a Samoan story of creation but also a destination pathway or auala for the dead. They outline a theory of creation and theology of life. They pay deference to the Prime Mover and to the beginnings and designations of man. The significance of fragrance as a marker of our sense of smell is implicit within these salutations. Deferring to our sense of smell only after deference to darkness and void is clear recognition by my forefathers that in their Genesis the life-giving, life-generating properties of smell are critical, not only to our beginnings but to our sustenance and growth. There are a number of significant life events in a Samoan person s life that are marked by the social and physical ambience created by different fragrances and these have been recorded in traditional song chants. These song chants are infused with references to our sense of smell and its impacts on the psyche and spirit of a person, couple or people. I turn now to an exploration of excerpts from song chants sung during pe a tattooing rituals, marriage ceremonies and exilic reminiscences. Solo o le pe a A traditional tattoo song chant In traditional times a young adolescent man when ready to enter into manhood would usually join the aumaga or young men s guild. During this time he would take on new responsibilities, such as working the plantations and serving village and family chiefs. To mark this life transition in traditional Samoa, Samoan young men would receive a tattoo. This is known as taking on a pe a (literally meaning, a flying fox or bat). The ritual of getting a pe a done involves preparing the boy psychologically and spiritually for the onset of physical pain, blood loss and sexual abstinence although, when the pe a is complete there is sexual pleasure all are metaphors for the pains of life and manhood. Enduring the pain of receiving a pe a is the male equivalent of 3

4 female labour pains. In the solo o le pe a or chant of the pe a, one stanza makes this point explicitly. It reads: A o le tu mai lea a le vavau [It is a custom from time immemorial] E te saga oi oe, a e pese au [That you cry in pain and I sing] E tupu le fafine fananau 1, [Growing will be the woman who breeds] E tupu le tane ta le tatau [Growing will be the man who is tattooed] Fasia fo i tufuga e le to elau [The tattooists will be assaulted by the Northerlies] 2 Achieving a successful outcome requires enduring pain psychological, physical or otherwise. This is captured in the saying a e mana o i le pe a, talia tiga, meaning, if you want a pe a then you have to endure pain. While the tufuga ta tatau or traditional tattooist tattoos the body, song chants are sung by the supporters to help not only to ease the pain, but at the same time, to remind the boy of his history and identity; to strengthen and inspire him; and in particular, to ensure that he is given enough moral and spiritual support to successfully complete his metamorphosis from boy to man. The tufuga ta tatau has a sacred responsibility to care for the life of the boy. To acknowledge the successful work and care of the tufuga ta tatau, the family of the young man would prepare material gifts, such as food and fine-mats, in reciprocation. To celebrate the successful completion of a tatau, one would say, ua sama le pe a. During the whole process of the tatau, scented oil or u u is used to help prevent scarring and infection. At the end of the process, scented oil is used together with lega or turmeric to assist the body to heal quickly. The lega when combined with the u u gives the newly tattooed body a yellow shine. The protective role of the u u and turmeric is similar to that of the tufuga ta tatau. It is to care for the physical and spiritual wellness of the body. The natural scents of the body sweat and blood and of nature i.e. coconut oil, flower and plant extracts and the sun combine with that of the lama or candlenut ink to create a symphony of smells unique to the pe a ritual. When the pe a is complete it is described in the same solo as a garland. Here the socio-cultural significance of fragrance is captured yet again to describe something that is core to the Samoan traditional self. Its significance graphically adorns the body telling all who see that here no longer stands a boy but a man. As chanted below his identity and origins are proudly worn as his ula tutumau, his permanent ula. The stanza reads Spelling in Kramer is disputed here. Kramer spells the word fanaunau. Samoan text from Kramer [1994], vii, p.72-73; English translation mine. 4

5 Tu ufau mai, ali i e [Give over to my care] E isia le ula, isia le fau [The ula (garland) can break and so can the fau (wood)] A e le isia si au tatau, [But that cannot happen to my tatau (tattoo)] O si au ula tutumau [Which is my permanent ula] E te alu ma oe i le tu ugamau [That you take to your grave] 3 The design of the pe a is meant to reflect the Samoan thesis of creation, man s journey through life and the importance of the penis to procreation and regeneration. As a final gesture of celebration and achievement, the pain of enduring the tatau is released and the tattooed body is re-energised by the pleasure of the final ritual act of cleansing the pe a (fufulu le pe a). Here the penis, which on full frontal view takes the image of the flying fox or pe a, gives the body relief by making love to a woman. The act of sexual intercourse produces a further co-mingling of scents, that of the man and the woman. During traditional po ula (literally translated as the night of the shrimp) a physically fit tattooed body exuded sensuality, sexuality and cultural mana. During these nighttime festivities the sensual and sexual drives of the young, both male and female, were openly flaunted and invigorated by the ambience created by the perfumes of the flowers and scented oils used to beautify place and bodies. Although issues of the high-born needed to be careful about their sexual liaisons, there was nothing apologetic within the culture of po ula about having a healthy sex drive. The moral ease by which these evenings were referred to by my elders showed a general social and cultural comfort with sexual desire and the natural relationship between sexual fulfilment and human wellbeing. In preparing for marriage an openness to one s sexuality was considered critical and this call for openness is evident in the jest of our marriage chants or tini. Preparing for and celebrating marriage Aromatic settings help to set a mood for romance. Massage using scented oil sensitises the body and prepares the mind for the touch of another. In preparing for the union of marriage during traditional Samoan times, Samoan couples were given an environment where designated persons such as faatosaga (or traditional midwives), or members within the aumaga (young men s guild) and/or aualuma (young women s guild) would educate and deliberately arouse the couple through song, touch, peer jesting or tausua, towards a moral measure. Within these aromatic settings lighthearted bonding sessions with the couple was believed to help positively dispose their minds, bodies and spirits to the sensual pleasures and moral conditions of marriage. Sensual titillation and education occurred through teaching the art of touching (i.e. the massage), developing a preference for fragrance and fragrant settings, for the 3 Samoan text from Kramer [1994], vii, p.73; English translation mine. 5

6 ambience of good laughter and overall beauty in the senses. This kind of sensual education and counselling was considered necessary for successful reproduction, the ultimate goal of traditional marriages. In some villages in Samoa part of their traditional marriage ceremonies involved tini or chants specifically composed with the aims of flaunting village and family lineages and promoting sexual comfort and reproductive necessity. Flowers provided strong motifs or emblems for identity, place, atmosphere and cultural and sexual nuance. In the village of Salani there is a marriage chant that uses the oli or eugenia neurocalyx flower to represent it as a people and place; its manogi or fragrance is emblematic of Salani. As told in the celebrated story about Tu i Kanokopolu Tukuaho, while appearances can be disguised the scents associated with a people can give you away. In this story the assassins, when looking for Tukuaho could not immediately see him sleeping among others in the dark, so they identified him by the smell of asi or sandalwood scent in his hair. Asi was sacred during this time and during this time leaders would often use fragrances different to their following. Just as asi identified Tukuaho, the sight and smell of oli is identified with the aumaga of Salani. The significance of the oli to Salani, like the maple leaf to Canada, is evident in the tini below. This tini was usually performed during traditional times when a nunu faaipoipo or traditional Samoan marriage ceremony, was held. In this Salani tini there are seven stanzas and these are retold here. The first stanza gives an immediate sense of how the oli is used as metaphor for the imperatives of sexuality, sensuality, reproduction, family and village pride. The first stanza reads: Le alii e, le pulou ena [Hail the man with the brown cap] Vii ou puipui o sega [Hail your guardians, the parakeets] Ae tuu mai nai ou fega [Pass me your lips] O oli lava o le vao i Pinega [The oli from the forest of Pinega] O oli na e te oli ai [This is the oli flower you will wear] Mua This first stanza gives praise to the ripening of the oli fragrance, acknowledging that it is in season. The image provided here is of the Sega (parakeet) who imbibes on the sweet nectar of the oli. The sega is referred to as the guardian (puipui), party to the process of pollination, symbolic of the sexual act. The use of metaphorical language is employed to provide the image of impregnation. The description of the oli flower is symbolic of the private part of a woman. The sweetness of the oli nectar to the sega bird is likened to the sweetness of a woman to a man. The underlying messages in this 6

7 first stanza are that marriage anticipates the union of two families and the birthing of a new generation. The rest of the stanzas record the stories and characters of old, weaving the significance of the theme of fragrance throughout. These are: Palapu e, ua logosula [Palapu our god of love has been apprised by the chant] Ua ita le tago i le oli pula [Angered he does not reach out for the ripe oli] A ua ita sii le fafaga a oli ula [But he takes the whole bunch of red oli] Mua Asa pae! Asa pae! [Walk the path that is strewn with oli] Le ala i le Mafa e! [The paths in the Mafa 4 ] Le ala i le Mafa e! [The paths in the Mafa] Mua Soli i tai! Soli i uta! [Tread seaward and tread inland] Fa i o Aana lona mausa [You may have thought that the best were in Aana] Ae leai o oli lava o le vao i Auga [But no, they are oli from the forest of Auga 5 ] Mua Fuipisia ma Fuilo ua [The waterfalls of Fuipisia and Fuilo ua] Ua aufuia le vao Atua [Are the main sources of water for the forests of Atua] Mua Palapu e, faatu lou i u [Palapu e, get your prick up] Ua lata mai lou mata i aitu! [Soon you will have a commanding view] Mua 4 5 Mafa is the name of a place in the top of the mountains that overlooks the village of Salani. Auga is a place in the Mafa. 7

8 Fuatino le tausala [Fuatino the belle] Tupua le manaia [Tupua the beau] Mua The tini through tone, language and imagery sets a mood and affirms the mythologies of a place and the histories of its people. The power of the oli to Salani people lies in the cultural and spiritual connections it makes within their minds, hearts and souls. The fragrance culture of Salani involves more than just acknowledging its fragrant emblems and smells; it is about the impact of those emblems and smells on the collective psyche and soul. From this come tools for garnering a commitment to collective core values. I wish to end my musings about fragrances with the yearnings of Afoafouvale, Toleafoa and Alipia and with the promises of new buds or moemoe. Conclusion Afoafouvale, faamoemoe and fragrancing knowledge and hope Afoafouvale, a King of Samoa around the late 18 th century, went into exile after losing to his brother Galumalemana, a rival King. Afoafouvale, whose name means one who rebels with no good reason was defeated in combat by his brother. Stripped of his Kingship and punished for his rebellion he was exiled to the island of Tutuila. Like the Salani tini and the solo o le pe a, the solo or lamentation of Afoafouvale carries in it yet again the images of flowers as core symbols to describe yearnings or hope for a place and time. In thinking of home Afoafouvale laments for those things which were familiar and pleasing: perfumed oil in the hair; sleeping between the ladies; the perfumes of his former residences Mulinuu and Nuuausala; and the springs of Vaioletama. He chants: Moe moe lava ou te i a e! [I was in deep slumber, then I woke] Pe sa ta miti ea? Pe ta te alavalevale? [Am I dreaming or was it wakeful fretting?] Po ua ta u u? Po ua ta pani? [Am I oiled? Is there perfumed oil in my hair?] Ua ta moe i le va o tama itai? [As I sleep between ladies.] Manogi le moso oi ma le lagaali, [The scent of the mosooi and the lagaali] Faaoso e le sea ma le asi [Enhanced by the sea and the asi] Ma le sinago ua fenamua i [And the sinago which adds to the aroma of many fragrances] O lo ou te moea mai nei le ala. [In my journey I sleep along the way] I lou fiapa i ia Vaioletama [In my pining for the Vai o le Tama] Le Mulinuu ma le Nuuausala [Mulinuu and Nuuausala] 8

9 Pei o le upu faiva o le nu u o Tuamasaga: [As in the saying about the Tuamasaga:] A puni i matatogo a e ia Faleata, [When the fishing net is laid between the mangroves the catch is presented to Faleata] A puni loa a e i le Mata afa [But when the net is laid more extensively outside the mangrove, the catch is presented to Mataafa]. Here Afoafouvale pines not just for a former way of life, but for the spiritual connections one has to place and home and for all that that connection enables for the soul. He utilises fragrance symbols in the same way that the Hebraic exilic experience recorded in Psalms 137:1-3, uses the harp and willows. These symbols are used to engender more than mere nostalgic renderings. They lift the heart and inspirits the mind and the will. The Psalm reads: By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. For there that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they wasted us required of mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion (NKJ version). The exercise of lifting the spirit is not always an easy one and when a people have been down for years the exercise is near impossible. Here reviving traditional cultures or customs is not about reifying a past, it is about revitalising a present to consolidate a future. To see a new bud emerge from a living plant is to see the power of God in action, forever reminding and representing hope and new beginnings. The Samoan term for hope is faamoemoe literally meaning like the bud. Moemoe is the term commonly used to describe the first bloom; or flower bud; the first sprout or shoot. For example, the banana tree produces a purple bud and this is called a moemoe. In the famous story of Toleafoa and Alipia, where Toleafoa asks why Alipia is so sad, Alipia responds, amuia le moemoe o le fa i o la e mafuta ma ana tama; amuia le moa o la e opogi lana toloa i [meaning, I wish I am a moemoe sharing with budding sprouts; I wish I am a hen sharing with my brood]. Like Afoafouvale, Toleafoa and Alipia were exiled in Tutuila and pining in hope for home and family, using the metaphors of nature to express their yearning. In the Samoan language the products of nature offer a wide and colourful repertoire of metaphors for the yearnings of life and expressions of hope. To speak of a Samoan fragrance culture is to speak of the fragrances of our natural environment that inform, define, enhance and lift our connections with and between ourselves and our environment. The art of aoao manogi, of searching, collecting and blending fragrances, is part of this culture of fragrance. It is practiced by a guild that believe in the spiritual qualities of the elements the sun, plants, water and their impacts on the health and wellbeing of man. 9

10 In reflective nostalgia I recall the process of making lolo or scented oil as an art form left to those with a flair for blending. I recall the stings to my ear when I was slapped by my family elders for letting the lolo spill or for distracting my cousins from ensuring that the rainwater did not get into the lolo mix. Many in my generation would remember lolo making both for the smells and for the punishments. As with my emotional experience in Uea, fragrant garlands or ula and flower arrangements or fatu evoke memories not only of a time but of spending time, i.e. quality time, in the sun, rivers, seas, gardens and mountains. A spiritual connection with the environment is not an intellectual exercise. It comes through taking the necessary time to connect, feel and experience. Not through television or artificial sun beds, but through waking up and walking out onto the grass, smelling the flowers, tending the trees and feeling the sun, rain and wind on one s face; feeling the energy move and invigorate one s body. These experiences with the fragrances of nature allow us to reenergise in ways that the mass manufacturing of fragrances do not. The impact and influence of the sun on blending the scents of the lolo and my feeling of loss for a way of life that understood the spirituality of this are graphically expressed by my friend Fr. Paul Ojibway in his review comments on the recently published festschrift Su esu e Manogi. Fr Paul draws on D.H. Lawrence s reflections on the animating qualities of the sun and makes a profound reflection on this. He states: D. H. Lawrence who wrote, in his Apocalypse, We and the cosmos are one. The cosmos is a vast living body, of which we are still parts. The sun is a great heart whose tremors run through our smallest veins. The moon is a great gleaming nerve-centre from which we quiver forever. Who knows the power Saturn has over us, or Venus? But it is a vital power, rippling exquisitely through us all the time. The extraordinary value of this collection comes in articulating the experience of spiritual, psychological, ceremonial and cultural animation - that quality and capacity of imagination that sees the hand of the Creator in all things, in all experience, and all relations. Such animation comprehends an aliveness in creation and human relations that is medicine for the soul, so easily lost in our contemporary world that does not remember, does not embrace, does not find power in being a whole, rooted and loving human being who knows the search for the fragrance, the touch of gentleness, the hearing of truth or see the impossible breaking into the ordinary. The point I draw from my friend is that when preparing for the ordinary we need not limit our imaginations. As he quite rightly says our imaginations can be fed and animated as much by experiencing the power of the sun and moon as by taking in the scents of that which is all around us. The aliveness we need to sustain hope in an environment so quick to forget or discard for the sake of convenience, is an aliveness that must be infused by those fragrances that touch the heart and soul. It must be an aliveness that allows for the impossible to break apart and animate the lethargies and pessimisms of the ordinary. One example of the tragedy of forgetting so easily and unnecessarily our old ways of life is the seeming loss of asi trees in both Samoas. Asi is core to Samoan identity and history. Five years ago I searched high and low unsuccessfully in both Samoas for asi. 10

11 The fact that we couldn t locate one asi tree for the whole year that we searched is a sad commentary on the state of our fragrance culture. Eventually I sought and gained the assistance of the Prime Minister to have the government set up asi nurseries drawing on asi seedlings from our neighbours. In my final comments I want to leave with you this image. I remember my aunts when they would return with fragrances, they would sit themselves down and place these fragrances in front of them. They would take a bunch in their hands, place it before their noses, close their eyes and take a deep breath. In watching them you can literally see the impact of interaction by the glow in their faces. Through this gesture they communicate with God, nature and culture. The glow when one finds something they love is not only telling, it is infectious and potentially enduring. Things that make one glow are often things of substance. When preparing for a special event where we all wish to look and smell our best, we tend to choose only the choicest flower for a sei (i.e. flower decoration in the ear), or the best and freshest flowers for an ula (i.e. garland). In Samoan oratory when elders want to make a point about substance, they would metaphorically say, tau mai na o le pua e ula pick only gardenia which is worthy to be in a garland ; or fili mai na o le auga o aute choose only the finest of the hibiscus. These sayings deliberately use the image of the gardenia and hibiscus, and all that are associated with them culturally, to make their point. This is the message that frames this paper. In my quest to revive and revitalise the fragrance culture of my elders I seek relief from the pains of cathartic nostalgia. I yearn like the Jews exiled in Babylon or like Afoafouvale, Toleafoa and Alipia exiled in Tutuila. The awful irony of my yearning is that I yearn yet I live at home. It is in the logic and imperative of this irony that I locate the source of my emotional reaction in Uea. Taking my cue from my aunts, I look at budding flowers, take a bunch of them and lovingly place them in my face, close my eyes and breathe fragrance and there I find relief in faamoemoe. Soifua. 11