Voice Of the People. Interview with a Villager

Today we have a special guest. He is the father of one of the families that was banished from Chief Asuao’s village a month ago. Because he does not want to bring anymore unwanted attention to his village, he has chosen to remain anonymous. So for the sake of this interview, we will refer to him as Bob. Bob thank you for being here.

Bob: No problem.

Elaine: So tell me, what happened?

Bob: So about 6 months ago, there was a group that came to the village teaching us about a great man called Jesus. These people promised us salvation and a better life. However Chief Asuao was not happy with the visitors. He kicked them out because people were starting to worship Jesus and his God. Chief Asuao was threatened because people were starting to seek guidance from the missionaries and from God. The Chief was worried that people would start to question his reign if the missionaries felt that his beliefs were out of line with the mission of God. After the missionaries left, my family continued with our practice and The Chief was obviously disturbed. About a week after the missionaries left the village, Chief Asuao showed up at our home and said that we had leave the village. When we were asked why, he simply replied, “why don’t you ask your God for the answer”. My family was stunned. We did not know what do. Everything that we own and everyone that we know lived in that village with us. We left the village and we were very scared, we did not know what to do. We started to walk towards the nearest town where by God’s Devine grace, we ran into one of the missionaries that had visited our village. We told him what had happened and he referred us to an official at the courthouse. We filed a complaint and were informed that the Chief was not allowed to do that. I was really surprised when the official said that. I had never heard anyone say that the Chief was not allowed to do something. It took about a week and we were back in the village.

Elaine: What went through your mind when you went back to the village?

Bob: I could not believe that somebody from outside of the village told Chief Asuao what to do. I had never seen that happen. I was even more surprised when he was willing to take us back into the village even though he was obviously upset.

Elaine: Do you think that Chief Asuao is more upset about your practice or about the government?

Bob: Honestly, I think that he is upset about my family not listening to his order and having so many people question him. My family has brought a lot of unwanted attention his way and that is obviously the reason he is upset. Chief Asuao is not a bad person and we respect him and know that he will make the right decisions for the village, however he cannot do that if people are going against his will.

Elaine: Thank you very much for coming and meeting with me, your voice is very much appreciated in articulated the true story behind the current conflicts arising all over Samoa.
There you have it although religion has started this fire the fuel that has kept it going is the power struggle between chiefs and government.

Order for the Land. Interview with a Government Official

Greetings everyone, This week I am joined by Misa Smith, the government official that has made his voice heard in the case of involving the banishing of two families from Chief Asuao Tanumafili’s village. As I mentioned last week, Samoan Law states that everyone is entitled to freedom of practice. Mr. Smith was responsible for getting the two families back into the village and is here to share his side of this case. Thank you for joining us Misa.

Misa: it’s a pleasure to be here.

Elaine: so tell me, did you read about my interview with Chief Asuao last week?

Misa: yes I did.

Elaine: what did you think about it?

Misa: well I have to say that I disagree with his view on religion and the authority that he actually has. Yes he does have power within his village, however that does not mean that he does not have to follow federal law. It is like saying a company owner can mistreat his workers because it is his company. The government would step in to ensure that the workers are being taken care of. In short, Chief Asuao does cannot tell people what religion to practice.

Elaine: So do you feel that the government’s power is more important than that of the Chief and the Matai system?

Misa: I understand that the chief and the matai system have been in charge of what goes on in villages for a very long time, however the government is now in power it is the government’s job to ensure that the country is run properly. The chief should be willing to accept change just like everyone else in the country. With the government, there are a lot of benefits that will benefit everyone in Samoa. The government can provide support to villages and commerce can improve as the island becomes more globalized. If anything the Chief should be supporting the government because the government can provide a better lifestyle for the Samoa people. Chief Asuao knows this is true and that is why he allowed the villagers to return. I actually have to get going but if you have anymore questions please contact my office.

Elaine: Thank you I really appreciate you coming. Next week we will actually the father of one of the families that were kicked out of Chief Asuao’s Village.

My Village, My Decision. Interview with a Chief

Here with me now is chief Asuao "Joe" Tanumafili. He is the leader of a small village on the Upolu Island. He is here today to voice his opinion about religious practice in his village. He feels that the Samoan government has no right to step in and tell him how to run his village.

 

Elaine: So Chief Asuao tell me, why is it that you are upset about the government stepping in and telling you that you have to accept all religious practices in your village?

Chief: I do not like it. It is my responsibility as Chief of my village to look after the well-being of my people. If people start to not follow what I am saying, then I cannot maintain order in my village. If people want to not listen to my rule and start to practice their own religion in my village, that takes power away from me because people start to question my rule. Therefore, it they do not follow me, I kick them out of my village.

Elaine: I understand however, do you not think that it is kind of harsh to banish people from your village because of their religion? I mean it is their right according to the Samoan government.

Chief: No, it is not harsh for me to banish them because I do it for the well being of the village. Maitai system is present in my village and it is important that aspects like religion are controlled by the ruling family so that everyone in the village is on the same page. If people are not willing to follow these simple rules that are set for them, then they are a threat to the village. As far as the Samoan government is concerned, they need to step away and leave village matters to the village. I am not telling them how to do things and they should not be telling me how to run my village.

Elaine: I see. However your village is located within the jurisdiction of the Samoan Government.

Chief: That is the thing. We are our own village, and I rule this village. No one has the authority to tell me what to do here. My family has ruled this village for 6 generations and that is not going to change.

Elaine: Has the government taken any action against your village for banishing people based on religion?

Chief: Yes they have. The people that I have banished took their case up with the civil court. The court says that I have to let them back into the village because I cannot banish people because they want to practice another religion. I had government officials coming to talk to me telling me how to run my village. I had to let the people back in because there was just too much pressure and the best way to end it was just to let the people come back. The bottom line is that I want what is best for my village, and the government needs to leave my village alone.

Elaine: Thank you very much.