英語訪談對話 441 Samoan Life

Joel: So, a lot of Americans, we know about Hawaii, and Samoa is fairly close to Hawaii, right? So is the culture similar? Do you know about Hawaii?

Patricia: I have family in Hawaii, actually and from seeing them and hearing about their way of life, I think it's a bit different. Perhaps the traidtional life, way of life in Hawaii, like 50 years ago probably is the same as our life now but I think we're more on a cultural basis as I said earlier.

Joel: OK, and is that because Hawaii has much more tourism, and so they've advanced more?

Patricia: I don't think it's based on the tourism. I think it's based on the multicultural ideal, idea in it, in Hawaii itself, I mean, it consists of so many cultures, so many ethnicities and Hawaii itself, like the original people are not really Hawaiians, I mean, there supposed to be from another area. If you, this has actually, this all goes back to history. It's a historical point that the migration, the original people of Hawaii. They were the last, I think they were perhaps the last settled, after them it was us and then New Zealand, so their people were also mixed so their tradition, there're different cultures that they inherited as they were navigating around the world created a certain culture that is very complex, very mutlicultural I think it's very different in Hawaii and Samoa.

Joel: So what are the popular sports and popular hobbies and pastimes in Samoa?

Patricia: Rugby

Joel: Rugby, really! What, even on the American side?

Patricia: Football

Joel: American football or soccer?

Patricia: Yeah, both.

Joel: yeah, a lot of big people so maybe they are good at American football and rugby. And what about triditional dance? I know Hawaii has like hula dance. Do you guys have something distinct like that?

Patricia: We have the taualunga. It's called taualunga.

Joel: taualunga.

Patricia: Taualunga. Hawaii is a bit different because they have, the hula is done by many people. For us, our traditional dance which is called the taualunga, is usually done by one individual. The girld is supposed to be the daughter of a cheif and she's known as a Taupo.

Joel: Taupo (Taupo) is the daughter of a chief. OK.

Patricia: The daughter of a chief, and she will be the only individual to be dancing and all the other people will be sitting around her cheering and singing songs while she's dancing. This individual the taupo is supposed to be, well you can consider her a princess of the village. She will hold the most highest title. she will also be the person who is most cared about. She will usually be the first person to eat. Her brothers are supposed to take care of her, sort of stuff, like all these sort of everyday life is put into the dance. (Wow) It's like appreciation value and the importance of being a female, and how culture should be respected in this way because this individual is pure, sort of.

Joel: Oh, that sounds really interesting. I'm going to have to go and see that some time. It usually happens like in the evening. I imagine like tiki torches and things like that, but maybe that's a stereotype.

Patricia: Usually it happens in the evening but nowadays with tourism and all we usually have it in the afternoon, morning, it depends on the event. If we have, say a festival or something, and important event, we usually have these taualungas

Joel: All right. Wow, that's fascinating