It takes a village...to cook a pig

The last post I wrote was about "John Wayne's" trip to Texas. I'm still trying to wrap my mind about the whole experience. There is so much to learn from this past weekend. There are cultural perspectives and spiritual perspectives that run deep. I think I'll split them in two and do what I learned about culture today and what spiritual lessons I gained tomorrow.

The biggest cultural lesson I learned was a re-affirmation about what it is to be Samoan. There were so many nuggets about this concept sprinkled in this trip. It begins before the trip, as our entire community prepared for the arrival of the father of our territory. The church prepared as well as the active duty military. It was like everyone was given a task and each person went about what they were assigned. It reminds me of the Biblical concept of many body parts but one body that Paul spoke of. Or the Samoan proverb about how many hands lightens a load. As the Governor and his party arrived on Friday, everything was ready. We had hosted big events before. But somehow, this was a little different. But there was a peace in my heart because there was a sense of trust that everyone had done their part.

On Saturday at his meeting with the commanding general of Ft. Hood, the general told the governor that he had wanted to cook a pig for a luau he was hosting. He was advised to look for Samoan soldiers if he wanted the job to be done well. He found three soldiers and they performed beyond his expectations. The general said that these soldiers has "brought their villages" to cook the pig. A task that he thought was insignificant, these soldiers took great pride in. The governor commented about how proud he was, that Samoan soldiers had represented our people well. They demonstrated the essence of the fa'aSamoa about service, love and respect.

The governor also spoke to the soldiers and encouraged them to bring their kids home. He didn't say to move back to Samoa. But he said we should bring our children home at least once, "to touch the earth, to feel the soil under their feet that their forefathers once walked on." The statement had a profound impact on me. I had never thought it a big deal, but in retrospect, it is important. To go back to the motherland, to take your children to their ancestral home is important. They may not choose to live there, but they have touched the land and felt the soil of their ancestry. I think one's journey in life is not complete until you've been "home."

On Sunday, both Tama and the governor spoke on the concept of service, or tautua in Samoan. Tama said that tautua had many deep connotations in the Samoan culture. He listed many types of service. There is blood servicethat the soldiers do. There is financial service, which people do all the time when they send money home to their families. There is service to the chiefs, to the churches, and so forth. He said in essence that service is a fundamental to the Samoan culture. That if you don't tautua, then you're missing a big part of your culture. I never thought of it that way before, but he's right. You are not a Samoan if you don't serve. Our culture dictates it. Service is a way of self abasement, a way of showing respect to your family, your village and your God. He tied it in with Jesus' service, about how He came to serve, not to be served. What a unique concept.

When I observe our church and community, these traits are evident. People serve, not because of other people, but because of the culture, because of our faith. I saw that at the to'ana'i after the service on Sunday. I saw that all day Saturday at the different functions that were held. I learned about that from the story the general told. The governor said we serve because it shows obedience, humility and a can do attitude. And tautua is the physical embodiment of our alofa. We serve because we love. I agree. No matter what station in life you are in, I believe we are called to serve. It is the essence of our culture, and of our faith. I hope we never lose sight of it.