Aiga
The main leader of each individual household is named the Aiga of the family. One person, predominately a male figure, is elected to become the Aiga of his extended family. Elections take place after the former Aiga has passed away or is no longer to fulfill his duties, either for ethical reasonings or old age.[1] Elections are a long and strenuous process for members of the extended family. For one portion of the family is going up against the other portion, leading to tensions within the whole family. [1] Each Aiga is the owner of their family's land. On that piece of land, extended families live, grow crops, cook and do other household chores. Also on that piece of land is where another elected member resides, the Matai. [1] Due to the large amount of households within a single village, there are a large amount of Aiga. So much so that some are able to trace back their Aiga timeline over a dozen different Aiga. The reasoning for the large amount of Aigas is that the title could be claimed through blood ties, marriage, and adoption.
Domestic Work
Domestic work varies between the two genders of the Samoan society. Different from a majority of other cultures, men are the cooks of the family. In the foraging life of the Samoan society, men hunt and gather fish and meat and cook them in three different ways. [1] Either broiling, cooking or roasting slowly over a fire. When roasting the fish or meat over a fire, the men wrap the fish in banana or coconut leaves, and cook it all day.[2] Men pass their hunting and gathering skills down to their offspring. Starting at a young age, children go hunting with their father and then are taught to cook, the way the skilled men has. Feasts are a very common scene within each village. Each Sunday, all extended families, with their familiar Matai leading the meal. Food is cooked all day and then served to the entirety of the family. [1] While men are the cooks of the major foods, women also have a role in cooking and setting up for feasts. Women cook various different foods. Some that are considered foreign foods. This includes pre-packaged foods and deserts. Which are cultivated in other cities and other countries. Women also set up settings and table with the how many people are in attendance at the feast. Feasts involve the whole village when other villages chiefs and talking chiefs come to visit. [1]
Women are also involved in creating clothing. The Samoan dressing are called backcloth. Backcloth is made from mulberry bush bark, which are then tied into foot long cloth to create a ceremonial scrub. The scrub are located beyond the skirts work by men and women both.
Land
The elected Matai of the community is the controller of every portion of a village land. The village Matai says what cultivators will do with land and "hold sway over allocation of plots and the ways in which those plots are used." [3]The only aspect the Matai does not control is who the land will go to after his death. This is to avoid it being controlled by one family for a long period of time. There are four categories that land is divided: Village House Lots, Underbrush, Family Reserve and Village Land. [3]
House Village Lots
Village house lots is where individual houses or huts of single person or family lives. These houses are built in clusters. The clusters include multiple different aspects, but all look the same. Each house includes a main sleeping house, a guest house and a latrine. Yards with trees and gardens make up the house village lot, with some lots containing the entirety of the extended family. [3]
Underbrush
The underbrush covers the entirety of the land. These plots of land are recognizable to all villagers and are separated by boundaries. Boundaries are usually made up from a variety of rocks, streams, trees and plants. It is very easy to distinguish the different properties owned by separate families. [3]
Family Reserve
Family reserve sections are where crops are cultivated. The biggest amount of crops grown within the Samoan culture is taro leaves and yams. These plots are available to be shared with other villages and other families. However, they would be no longer classified as a family reserve but regarded as owning the crops but not the land. [3] The family reserve is not cultivated as much as other sources of property. This is due to the fact that crops grown here are able to grow quickly and easily without many interruptions. [3]
Village Land
Village land is the least cultivated and most shared portion of land in Samoan villages. To be able to plant here requires permission from the village council. This is because "the land is community property and not family owned". Village land is the biggest aspect of any figure of land and is where hunting for food, such as wild pig and birds are allowed. Fishing is also an aspect that is allowed within village land.
Marriage and Family
Marriage
Marriage ceremonies are considered to be a big deal within the Samoan culture. It involves the transfer of property of the female property, the toga, to the male property the oloa. It is an entire village event, with two ceremonies and a feast at the conclusion. [4] The first ceremony is the bride and groom marching through the village to a district judge. The judge then conducts a civil ceremony.[4] Concluding that official ceremony, the newlyweds next gather in a church when a religious ceremony is preformed by a member of the church. [4]. A feast is had involving the entirety of village with dishes families provide from all over the village. The newlyweds do not go live off on their own after the conclusion of the wedding, instead they choose which side of the family they would like to live with. After moving in with a particular family, they are expected to do work around the land and the house to help provide for their family. [5]
When families have children, they too are expected to help with duties and chores around the land. However, they are not expected to do much until ages three or four. [4] The young girls take care of other children and housework. While the boys help with cultivation, animals and water gathering. By the time the children reach the age of seven or eight, they are supposed to know and are acclimated with the life and chores of the Soman culture. [4] This includes being adept in "agriculture, fishing, cooking, and child care" [4] to go along with a multitude of other chores that their elders have directed them to do in past. As the Samoan people age the most tasks they are given and the most responsibilities they hold, until they can take over fully for the aging members of their extended family.
Funerals
When a member of extended family passes away, the funeral preparations start almost immediately. Choirs are directed to the mourner's land. The deceased body is bathed and dress and white. They are places on women mats before the funeral only less than 24-hours later. [5] During those 24-hours, at least one family member has to stay with the deceased. A feast concludes the event, with food being served to mourners and people who helped with the burial. [6] Other family members take over the responsibilities of the deceased while still serving their own personal chores around the land.