SAMOAN LANGUAGE WEEK 2012: PROVERBS & MEANINGS
Samoan proverbs form an important part of the traditions and culture of Samoa
where oratory, poetry, metaphors and subtlety in language art forms are held in
high esteem as a form of communication in ceremony and ritual of fa'a Samoa.
They are used mainly by matais (chief) when discussing matters of importance.
It is a formal language and the proverbs can be difficult to understand. Even if
you know what the orator is saying, you may not understand what he means,
because the proverbs could relate to obscure historical events.
To give you some idea, we have collected a number of the proverbs in Samoan,
with their English translation, and where necessary an explanation of what it
means.
The selected proverbs are based around the theme of va fealoa’i
O le ala i le pule o le tautua
The way to authority is through service
The concept of tautua includes the notion that in order to lead, one must serve
Ia malu le vai i lou finagalo
May your mind be like cool water
Used to ask an offended person for forgiveness
Ua mu le lima, tapa le i'ofi
Having foolishly got into trouble he is asking for help
Once bitten, twice shy
Ua se aga e tasi
They all use a one gauge mesh
They are all of one mind
Ia seu le manu ae silasila i le galu
Catch the bird and watch the breakers
Take proper precautions
Ua sanisani fa’a manu ao
Singing like the birds dawn chorus
Joy at seeing one’s friends
E pala le maʻa, a e le pala le upu
Even stones decay but words endure.
Offences are hard to forget.
So’o le fau i le fau
Join the hibiscus fibre to hibiscus fibre
Unity is strength.
Ua vela le fala
The mat is warm
Refers to a long meeting
O le fuata ma lona lou
There is a lou (harvesting pole) for every crop
A leader will arise in every emergency
Se’i fono le pa’a ma ona vae
Let the crab take counsel with its legs
Be careful to think things out before taking action
Tali i lagi vai o A’opo
A’opo waits for water from heavens
All blessings comes from above
E poto le tautai ae se le atu i ama
Even a skilled fisherman entangles the bonito in the outrigger
An apology for offending someone