Samoan Music and Why We Love It

     Today I will be pulling you into the world of classical Samoan music. Before we hear the music, as always, you must dive into the culture first. Soma is a cluster of islands in the middle of Polynesia. Soma was once governed by New Zealand until the people gained independence in the early 1960s. after years under the New Zealand government, they adapted some cultural attributes from New Zealand. Most people o the islands of Samoa identify as soman, some identity with New Zealand and other ethnicities mixed with Samoan. Ethnically Samoa seems to be quite peaceful. this comes from homogeneity, which is a big part of Samoan culture.

Fa’a Samoa is a samosa term that means the Samoan way. This is, briefly from my understanding, the code or guide for the ideal Samoan life. The core values are the environment, family, language, connection with the ancestors, art, and political and social structures. The Samoan culture is very welcoming and open to sharing their culture.

In the above video kind of incorporates what was mentioned in the first paragraph. Anyhow on to the music…..

Samoan choral music

    Samoan choral music is used for religious practice. They are Samoan hymns. Choral is very popular in Samoa and not just because it's part of the culture but because at least 90 percent are very religious. These songs are played at religious ceremonies and gatherings. After watching a few YouTube videos I see that instruments aren’t necessary for the making of music. A spiritual song is to show praise for the higher power and show love in doing so.

    In this video, the children are seated and led by an instructor. the instructor claps to keep the beat and they soon join in. i think this a very cute video and shows how uniform music can be without instrument.

    Have you ever thought to roll up your mother’s good carpet and beat it with a rolling pin? No? good, you shouldn’t but you should learn to play the Fala. The Fala is an idiophone. Theoretically it is a rolled mat that is beaten with a bat, although it sounds simple there more to it. according to my research, there are two ways to make one. One way is to use a mat made of straw like material and roll it tightly around itself. After that you would tie the ends, so it won’t unravel. The other way is caring or hallowing out a cylinder shape piece of wood. There should be a long slit along the side in order to release sound.

    The Fala sounds like a hallow thud with a slit echo. The sound is usually lower in pitch. In a way this is In fact a drum. In the above song you will hear the lower register of a beat. That is the Fala. i also love how this video shows the culture in nature which is hige I samoan culture. the outfits are also beautiful.

    In my opinion classic Samoan songs have a calming vibe about them that is authentic. The mid tone registers those underlays in the harmony is soothing. Before researching and just going by what I had heard actually I though Hawaiian music and Samoan music were the same. Obviously, they are not, the biggest difference is the culture itself and being an outsider to this culture It seems hard to distinguish at times. If you want to dive deeper in knowing the difference, comparing the instruments and the most used patterns in songs. Even if toes patterns are close that of pop music.

    The traditional Samoan dance is the Siva. This dance is very gentle in movement especially for women. The movement gesture to the world around the dancer and are very fluent. Inthe video below watch how engaged the male dancer is wit the audience and how he is listening to the music and moving accordingly. Also, when the woman joins, you can see that his movements are slightly sharper than hers.

    Now on to my favorite part of Samoan culture, tattoos!! It is very likely that you have seen the idea of what a traditional Samoan tattoo looks like. They are very intricate, beautiful variety of lines, and symbolic to the culture. Each Samoan tattoo is different. The symbols within them mean different things, such as the lizard, spearhead, fish, or turtle. Each symbol can have over five different meanings for example the turtle can mean strength, fertility, longevity, peace, or wellness. Every aspect, every line within the Samoan tattoo incorporates their culture, which is amazing. In American tattooing the artist will usually us a tattoo gun, in traditional Samoan tattooing the artist will use a tattoo comb. A tattoo comb is a long stick like object but at the end there is a comb shaped head that is pointed downward. The prongs of the comb are sharp. The comb is dipped in ink and tapped with another stick against the skin to create markings.

    Samoan music like its culture adapt to American culture and creates beautiful harmony. Pop music is big in Samoa therefore they create great pop music. With international platforms such as tik tok most people have come across small part of Samoan culture but may not know anything about it besides how cool an authentic it is. 

this is simply a tik tok compilation I enjoyed watching and I thought id share.

this is a remake of the song at my worst by khalid and I love both versions, but there is something about how gentle and soothing the samoan laugue is. I don't understand what is being said, but I can feel the love thorough the screen.

welp this is my last blog and I hope you enjoyed it. I've learned a lot and will miss being apart of the class.

-iriana <3

Stokstad, M., & Cothren, M. W. (2018). Art history. Pearson.

Tattoo Comb. Girl Museum. (n.d.). Retrieved December 5, 2021, from https://www.girlmuseum.org/tattoo-comb/.

Kimberly, Love, and Nicole Tingson. “135 Sacred Samoan Tattoos and Their Meanings.” Inkme.tattoo, 13 June 2021, www.inkme.tattoo/samoan-tattoo/.

Samoans - Culture - Music - Liquisearch.com. www.liquisearch.com/samoans/culture/music.