Tua’ā

Samoan customs and attitudes reveal devotion to tua’ā, with the deceased generally buried on family land and property. This allows the family to remain close to their tua’ā, and to continue to care for them by maintaining and decorating the grave. In lauga (formal speeches), people honor one another in a wide variety of different ways, such as by acknowledging their ancestors, sometimes distant tua’ā who are often spoken about in legends. One such example occurred at my wedding, during which an orator/chief representing the non-family guests gave a lauga to express their thanks to my family and my husband’s family, as per fa’asamoa. He addressed me and my family through my paternal lineage by acknowledging a woman of power called Salamasina, also known as Queen Salamasina, who played a notable role in transforming Samoa’s male-dominated aristrocracy in the 1500s. This was a significant sign of respect shown by the chief to me and my family. In George Bertram Milner’s Samoan Dictionary (1966), ancestor is translated as tupuga and tupu’aga. The former is used to refer to one’s origin or lineal connection, such as in the phrase “O Ruby e tupuga mai ia Mulioaiga,” which translates to “Ruby descends from Mulioaiga” (i.e., Mulioaiga is my great-grandmother).