On the morning of the tsunami of Tuesday 29th September, as the death toll climbed and climbed, local Samoans on the ground, and abroad, voiced the same concerns expressed by Samoa’s Head of State, His Highness Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Ta’isi Efi in Auckland yesterday.
The tsunami that hit Samoa in September killing 149 people may change the country’s tradition of extravagant gift-giving at funerals, says the nation’s highest leader.
Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Ta’isi Efi, a former Prime Minister who was elected head of state by the Samoan Parliament in 2007, said in Auckland yesterday that the sheer number of people who needed to be buried quickly had forced families to cut back on the usual lavish scale of funerals.
“The paraphernalia that we have become accustomed to seeing at a Samoan funeral, especially one held in the villages, was so scaled down that one could not help but ask: how much of it do we really need?” he said.
He said tradition had always demanded that bereaved families should put all the resources at their disposal, including borrowed funds, into cash and other gifts for the chiefs, pastors and villagers who attended a funeral.
“The social stigma of losing face if family resources are found wanting is so great that family heads are willing to do almost anything to avoid it, including creating inter-generational debt,” he told a Families Commission conference on Pacific families.
Simon Collins, NZHerald
Filed under: Analysis, Breaking News, Business, Community, Current, Earthquake Tsunami Samoa/AmSampa 09, NZPacific, South Pacific Region, education | Tagged: death, fa'asamoa, financial burden, funerals in samoa, His Highness Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Ta’isi Efi, pressure on families, samoa, Samoa's Head of State, taofi le malo, tsunami
Thank you to the Head of State for his comments and reflection. A great delivery showing his leadership and vision in times where leadership is much needed.
I’m hoping other current leaders will take his many examples and wise advise. I’m also hoping families will also adhere to this especially around funeral spending which can spiral into financial overload.
Funeral Homes will also need to be socially responsible by offering options to families rather than adding to financial debt by displaying expensive caskets, lavish mourners cars and other ‘over the top’ optical illusions that can invite further financial hardship because it’s freely on offer. Get advice, there’s plenty around.
[...] Link: Tsunami Prompts Rethink on Costly Fa'asamoa Funerals … [...]