A way of life disappearing

By Vatapuia Maiava 13 December 2016, 12:00AM

For Le’a’ana Fepulea’i, a farmer from the village of Faleula, he has noticed many changes and he says that with changes comes a disappearing way of life.

He explains how we are starting to be too lenient with the younger generation and we are teaching them that some key parts of the Samoan way of life aren’t important.

An example Le’a’ana brought to light was the evening curfews and how you hardly see a full family sitting together anymore having a family devotion followed by family time.

“Right now I have noticed that the Samoan lifestyle and culture is disappearing,” he told the Village Voice.

“The many ways we used to do things in this nation is being lost. A good example would be the evening curfews that people seem to care little about.

“Back in the days when the curfew bell rang everyone would be at home doing their family devotion and communicating as a family; but now that is no longer the case.

“That and many other practices are slowly slipping away. It’s hard to find villages who take this matter seriously. Looking at the past, the way Samoans lived life was peaceful and it kept families in line.

“That’s because during the evening curfew, parents would look and see if all their children were present at home for the devotion.”

Reminiscing back to how life was in Samoa in the past, Le’a’ana says he misses seeing that vital communication between parent and child every evening.

“Another great thing about back in the days was the communication between the parents and their children,” he said.

“Right after the family devotion, there would be a family talk to see the issues everyone is dealing with and what needs to be done within the family.

“That’s the main change these days. The parents are to blame for this change because it seems as if they don’t really want to spend time as a family.”

And with many people complaining about the troublesome youth, Le’a’ana says that the lack of communication within the family is to blame.

“You know, I have heard a lot of people blaming the teachers for the troublesome children,” he said.

“Kids start up fights in town and muck around, and people say it’s the fault of the teacher, I really don’t agree with that.

“The child lives a few years before going to school and then they have a lot of time without the teachers. How can the teachers be at fault when majority of the child’s life is spent without the teachers. “The real reason the children are like this is because there is not enough communication within the family.

“That’s why family time is very important. The parents need to teach their children about life and how to live a responsible life.”

By Vatapuia Maiava 13 December 2016, 12:00AM

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