Arriving in Western Samoa
The islands of the South Pacific are all unique and wonderful and while they all have much in common, some things about each one stand out and remains indelible in my mind. I found two of the islands more fascinating than the rest; Western Samoa and Moorea.
Western Samoa: It could have been our tour guide on our excursion that made this island so interesting. He was the chief of his village, proud, very articulate and most willing to share information. “Everyone owns a plantation,” he explained. “We spend our time at the plantation and we share. The whole family is taken care of.” He explained that the land of Samoa cannot be sold. It is passed down to family members. If an outsider marries a Samoan woman, he will be allotted land but he will never own it and therefore cannot sell it.
Most Samoans live in fales; houses built on platforms, opened at the sides and supported by pillars. We passed many as we traveled through the country and noted that they rarely had any furniture. The residents sleep on mats that are rolled up and stored during the day. Curious about intimacy, after noting the lack of privacy, I asked our guide how a couple could be intimate under the circumstance. He had us cracking up when he said, “When I was a boy I asked my father the same question. He replied, ‘Why do you think your mother and I went to the plantation ten times a day? We were making babies!’”
I thought that answer was priceless.
Western Samoa: It could have been our tour guide on our excursion that made this island so interesting. He was the chief of his village, proud, very articulate and most willing to share information. “Everyone owns a plantation,” he explained. “We spend our time at the plantation and we share. The whole family is taken care of.” He explained that the land of Samoa cannot be sold. It is passed down to family members. If an outsider marries a Samoan woman, he will be allotted land but he will never own it and therefore cannot sell it.
Most Samoans live in fales; houses built on platforms, opened at the sides and supported by pillars. We passed many as we traveled through the country and noted that they rarely had any furniture. The residents sleep on mats that are rolled up and stored during the day. Curious about intimacy, after noting the lack of privacy, I asked our guide how a couple could be intimate under the circumstance. He had us cracking up when he said, “When I was a boy I asked my father the same question. He replied, ‘Why do you think your mother and I went to the plantation ten times a day? We were making babies!’”
I thought that answer was priceless.
