Speech & Sacredness

Heya 👋

So yesterday I took you through a general overview of O le Tulāfale ("the Orator"). Today I'm going to expand some more into Samoan chiefly rhetoric, by looking at how speech and sacredness go hand-in-hand (and why).

Our ancestors - at least before the written word came along - put a lot of emphasis on the spoken word. This meant that formal traditions formed, like those found in Samoa, to ensure there was a separation between casual speech and more formal speech involving many of the points mentioned in Issue #093.

Because these words needed to be precise, they became more sacred (or held in high regard). A lot of practice was given to the storytellers/orators to ensure their words were delivered correctly.

It left little room for mistakes because cultural elements such as honor were intertwined.

Designing Arguments

For example, there are various types of speeches that the Tulāfale (Orator) needs to know. One includes the "welcome speech" (lauga o le feiloaiga) when engaging with groups from other villages, which includes very specific components in sequence:

1. Opening (tuvaoga): proverbial phrases hinting at the substance of the main body of the speech

2. Higher Gratitude (fa'afetai i le Atua): Thank the Almighty (e.g. God) for the safe arrival of the party, which has translated well into a post-missionary (Christian) society.

3. Apologies ('ava): common (tongue-in-cheek) apologies for the quality of presented kava roots to the arrival party, expressing a "wish they could be bigger and better." But usually, they are quite plentiful.

4. Village social organization recall (tapui le nu'u): recitation of the names (fa'alupega), in their proper status order, of all the important chiefs, clusters of chiefs, and special personages like the ceremonial maiden (taupou) and the prince (manaia) of the visitors' village.

5. Concluding remarks (fa'aiuga): singing praise to the other party, closing with remarks such as, "Now my speech is finished. God bless you and protect the malaga and the village."

Due to the constant recollection of above facts, little confusion develops about the duties and obligations of matais (chiefs).

The fa'alupega (recitation of names) "illuminates the chain of authority in districts, on given islands, or in island groups."¹ (Sounds like a good use-case for blockchain 😅)

After the initial party concludes their speech, there is the "reply speech" (lauga tali).

Rebuttals & Greek Rhetoric

Much like formal debates in today's times, there's also something called the seu, which is the traditional attempt of the host's village orator to interrupt the other's speech.

This certainly adds some drama and intrigue, but it's also a way for orators to try and demonstrate who's better. It becomes a battle of wits.

In classical Greek rhetoric, which I learned about in the Harvard course I enrolled for, the Samoan structure maps over quite well:

1. Exordium (introduction) -> Tuvaoga (opening)

2. Narratio (context/situation) → fa'afetai i le Atua (gratitude)

3. Confirmatio (arguments/facts) → tapui le nu'u (recitations)

4. Refutatio (counter) -> seu (interruption)

5. Peroratio (conclusion) → fa'aiuga (conclusion)

You might notice that the order is a bit different, but the structures are quite similar, despite the cultural differences.

Speech & Sacredness

Formalities combined with spirituality or religion can give way to a sense of "the sacred."

Samoans are highly spiritual/religious people, but this was already present even before Christian missionaries arrived in the South Pacific (which is probably what led to easier conversions).

For example, the top of the head is considered sacred in Samoan culture. It's considered an insult to pass something over it, or even touch/pat it, especially if of an adult.

As a result of Samoan reverence for a higher power (e.g. God), plus their connection to the physical environment around them, their culture and language evolved to reflect the sacred similarly. This sense of the sacred, plus a lack of written records, also means that words were used more precisely because they can't be wasted (or forgotten). It would be a dishonor.

In an age where we have all the world's information right in our pockets, we tend to forget how oral traditions gave more importance and respect to words and knowledge. Now, due to the overabundance of information, you could argue that we are much more careless with our words. So much so that we are losing the ability to discern fact from fiction.

Do you think we've lost our relationship with words? Do you think we could benefit more from a 'sacred' (or perhaps improved) relationship with knowledge and words? Would love to hear.

Tomorrow, we'll look at "distraction techniques" from Samoan rhetoric, which hopefully you can use when dealing with trolls online 😉

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