Eggs, Hot Tuna, Another Star Mound, & a Ferry

I managed to get a panorama shot of this star mound, the only one we saw completely exposed.

Monday, July 17, 2023

My gifts from the untitled men of Gataivai.

On Monday we got up and prepared to leave to catch our ferry. The High Chief asked us to stay for the leaving ceremony or if we could come back for the final ceremony before leaving. It's a ceremony presented by the untitled women, as the 'ava ceremony had been hosted by the untitled men. We had exchanged gifts with the untitled men on Friday.

We strolled around the area a bit. I was following pigs around because they reminded me of my chihuahuas!

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I think I found the #4s, and I decided not to get any closer.

Full breakfast and full lunch together!

Since our ferry ticket was technically for 2pm, the village considered us under their care until we left the island, even though we'd have to leave the village a few hours early to get lined up for the ferry and because we wanted to go to the market beforehand.

That meant they wanted/needed to feed us breakfast and lunch, so they brought it to us together. Breakfast was awesome. I was still a little overfull from the day before, so koko aris (cocoa rice), fruit, eggs, and bread were fine. But then they brought "lunch," which included hot tuna and cucumber. After the hot tuna last night, I couldn't do it again. Nope.

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We had so much food from the 'umu the night before that we had a whole cooked #2 pig and a chicken to take back to 'Upolu. We agreed that Leota would take it back to his house, and we'd all go over there for a Samoan meal before we left for American Samoa later in the week.

We took photos with the family before leaving, then stopped to see another star mound on the way to the ferry. This was the most visible mound we'd seen yet. This mound had been cleared off in conjunction with the Centre for Samoan Studies (CSS), and the owner had been advertising it for tourism. But they'd taken the sign down and were no longer maintaining the site, using it as a plantation for taro, coconut, and cattle instead. But Leota stopped by the home of the owner and received permission for us to visit with Leota.

Not only was this mound the most visible, the low walls or walkways that CSS archaeologist Greg Jackmond had told us about were clear. They were the most obvious route to the mound, so you are walking on them before you realize what it is and that it's a human-made feature you're walking on.

Games and 'ava in the Salelologa New Market, Savai'i, Samoa.

We stopped off at the market and wandered around like zombies. Grant bought a few more of the carved weapons to take back for friends. I should have done the same. They really are perfect gifts.

​The ferry ride back was lovely and uneventful, unlike the stressful trip here. We got out of the car and enjoyed the view.

​We saw the other small Samoan islands like Manono that people live on but are only accessible by boat. Su'a Petelo Sulu'ape (brother of the more internationally renown Su'a Alaiva'a Sulu'ape) lives on Manono, so I have been wanting to visit and hopefully meet him, but we were not able to make it on this visit.

Manono (left) and Apolima Islands.