It was culture day today there at Safua. We learned some of the history and culture of the Samoans, then saw some older women demonstrate weaving and tapestry/traditional lavalava making. Very labor intensive. The fine woven mats are apparently very valuable, as they take 6 months to 1 year to make. And they used to be the only thing that one could give that would forgive an unforgivable sin, like murder.
Saw a guy climb a coconut tree – so cool! He made it look so easy. And we got fresh coconuts then too. Never had one before. It was pretty sweet, and different. Thought it was pretty good.
We also saw a demonstration of basket weaving done by Chris. I got to try it, and I make a basket out of one side of a palm branch. Woohoo. :) It was a lot of fun.They also cooked all sorts of food the traditional way too, from a pig to fish to breadfruit to octopus. Very old-fashioned, but it tasted really good.
They did this awesome fire dance after dinner. Probably the highlight of the day.
The little kids are getting more friendly; today they were all following me around and I played and danced with this 9 year old girl, Mari. She’s really cute, and spoke pretty good English too. They all love smiling at you and holding your hand. :)
Leah
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