Fa'a Samoa

Fa'a Samoa in the Samoan language means literally The Samoan Way and describes the socio-political and cultural way of life of the people of the Samoan Islands.

In Samoa, it prescribes an all-encompassing traditional system of behavior and responsibilities that spells out all Samoans' relationships to one another and to persons holding positions of authority.

Central to the organisation of Samoan society is the culture's Fa'amatai traditional system of social organisation.^[1]

In addition to prescribed familial relationships, which extend to one's entire extended family (the aiga) with its familial chief (the Matai), Samoans also owe respect to other persons in positions of authority, and to customs of long standing which have rather more force than mere etiquette.

For example, most Samoan villages enforce a period of prayer in the early evening, signified by ringing a bell or by blowing a conch shell. During this period (the sa) one should not stop in the village if passing through, and appointed guardians may stand by the road to ensure that travelers do not do so. Likewise, it is extremely rude to eat or drink when walking through a village. Hosts have responsibility for the actions of their guests, and may incur a fine from the village authorities if any breach of custom occurs.

While this level of communal influence on what many Westerners might consider their private lives is pervasive, it also makes possible the allocation of communal resources in a predictable and coherent manner. With much land held in communal trust by the local matai, adherence to customary rights and traditions makes this theoretical autocracy less onerous than many Westerners might believe.

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