Faamatai: Traditional Religious System
Fa’amatai:
A Traditional Religious System
Samoa is considered as one of the most remarkable islands in the Pacific known for its traditional system of governance which is the Matai (chief) system. This matai system is defined as the chiefly traditional indigenous form of local governance in the Samoan islands. Some believe its structure and framework is very unique. Many believe its system can be analyzed as a phenomenon that surrounds its people at all times. In this paper, it focuses on the framework of the Matai system and its aganu’u (indigenous culture). It also aims to define and determine religious connections between the Matai system and the tapua’iga (indigenous religion). Last but not least, it also focuses on how the system changed after Christianity arrived.
Many people define the term matai in different ways. For example, Fiaui and Tuimaleali’ifano define matai as a “member of the nu’u (village) and a leader of an aiga potopoto (extended family) with a complex network of faia (diffuse cultural connections)”. Papali’i offers another definition which states that matai evolves from two words “mata” (eye or seeing) and “i” (towards or at). When two words are put together, it creates a traditional definition, the “act of looking towards or at someone or something”. In other words, a matai is the “eyes” of the family. He or she is the role model of the family. Family members look up to him or her as a strong leader and effective decision maker.
To understand the framework of the matai system, one must first review the Samoan culture characteristics. The Samoans identify their culture as the Fa’aSamoa way of life according to custom. Papali’i described the term Fa’aSamoa as referring to “the ancient ways of life inherited from the ancestors”. The word Fa’a means “in the manner of”, so the Samoans made it blend in with certain words in order to contrast the different ways of doing things. Traditionally, there are no laws in the context of the Samoan
A Traditional Religious System
Samoa is considered as one of the most remarkable islands in the Pacific known for its traditional system of governance which is the Matai (chief) system. This matai system is defined as the chiefly traditional indigenous form of local governance in the Samoan islands. Some believe its structure and framework is very unique. Many believe its system can be analyzed as a phenomenon that surrounds its people at all times. In this paper, it focuses on the framework of the Matai system and its aganu’u (indigenous culture). It also aims to define and determine religious connections between the Matai system and the tapua’iga (indigenous religion). Last but not least, it also focuses on how the system changed after Christianity arrived.
Many people define the term matai in different ways. For example, Fiaui and Tuimaleali’ifano define matai as a “member of the nu’u (village) and a leader of an aiga potopoto (extended family) with a complex network of faia (diffuse cultural connections)”. Papali’i offers another definition which states that matai evolves from two words “mata” (eye or seeing) and “i” (towards or at). When two words are put together, it creates a traditional definition, the “act of looking towards or at someone or something”. In other words, a matai is the “eyes” of the family. He or she is the role model of the family. Family members look up to him or her as a strong leader and effective decision maker.
To understand the framework of the matai system, one must first review the Samoan culture characteristics. The Samoans identify their culture as the Fa’aSamoa way of life according to custom. Papali’i described the term Fa’aSamoa as referring to “the ancient ways of life inherited from the ancestors”. The word Fa’a means “in the manner of”, so the Samoans made it blend in with certain words in order to contrast the different ways of doing things. Traditionally, there are no laws in the context of the Samoan