Marriage+and+Kinship

= Family, Marriage and Kinship =


 * __Family __

The average Samoan household consists of many relatives living together in the same house. In some cases, there may be up to twenty to twenty five people in one home. With all of these people in the same home it is not surprising that the Samoans are not very concerned about privacy. In the Samoan culture, families do almost everything together. Samoans always eat together and use dinners as a time to bond. For most Samoan families, Sundays are considered a holy day and a day of rest. Many families will attend church together and at night will eat a family meal. At these meals, the eldest members of the family will eat first and the youngest are the last to eat.

The oldest males of respected families are usually called Matai. A Matai is a member of the village council or a chief. The village council is the governing body for the community. If there are disputes between families, the Matai will meet and settle the issue. A Matai is also the one who decides the families' financial contributions to weddings, family celebrations, and church donations.

The eldest people in the family are responsible for making decisions and teaching the young the ways of the Samoan culture. The Samoans' have a expression Fa'a Samoa, which means the Samoan way. This is very important to the people. The elders teach the young by allowing the children to follow them around and learn from observing. The children of the Samoan culture are very observant and not only learn from the elders but will learn from brothers, cousins and anyone else in the family. Since the children observe their older family members, there is a pressure on the family to teach and act the right way to make sure the children learn correctly (every culture).


 * __Marriage __



Before a Samoan couple is married, they must have their parents' consent. After the parents give their consent an exchange of goods occurs. In the Samoan culture, there are no arranged marriages, but partners are usually of similar social class. In Samoa, it is forbidden to marry someone within the same bloodline. It is also frowned upon to marry someone from the same endogamy. In the Samoan culture, a marriage signifies two families coming together as one. This means that the Brides' and Grooms' families will help each other financially and in anyway they would help someone in their own blood-related family. When a marriage occurs the bride and groom are usually from different äigas. The bride and groom will be a part of both äigas and the two äigas will become closer because of the connection in marriage.


 * __Kinship__

Land is passed down through people of the same äiga. Aiga is the Samoan word for extended family and is of high importance. In each community, there are multiple äiga who all have set plots of land. Usually land will be passed down from male to male. A family council will give members of their family certain titles to decide who will take over once the current Matai dies. The family council is made up of older family members and their job is to pick someone in the family they believe will be the best for their äiga (Sharon, 1975).