Men Tied Up Like

Pigs

Two Strange Cases in Samoa

TWO extraordinary cases, involving the ancient customs of Samoa—under which, on two separate occasions, Samoan men were treated in a most offensive manner—came before Chief Judge Carrol Harley, in Apia, in May.

In the first case, 20 Samoan chiefs and seven young Samoans, described as Tau lelea, were charged that, on April 21, at Faleasiu, they assaulted Faamao.

It appears that the seven Taulelea, under instructions from the chiefs, tied the man up like a pig, and placed him on a certain piece of ground known as the Malae. They were instructed to see that no bodily harm was done to him.

The police said that no reason could be ascertained why Faamao, who was also a chief, had been treated in this manner. It apparently had something to do with ancient customs.

Miss O. V. Nelson pleaded on behalf of the seven Taulelea that they were bound, according to Samoan custom, to obey the orders of the chiefs, and that they blindly obeyed, without knowing what Faamao had done, or why they were tying him.

The Chief Judge carefully explained to the accused that some old Samoan cus toms are good and some are bad. New Zealand recognised that certain ancient customs must be treated with respect; but European law was insistent on this point: that a man may not himself take steps to avenge what he considers to be his wrong—he must take his complaint to a proper court, and ask the court for protection. In this case, the accused had ignored the paramount law of the Europeans. The 20 chiefs were each fined 10/-, and the seven Taulelea were convicted and discharged.

The second case was much worse. In this case, five chiefs from the Magia district, instructed two Taulelea to “tie up Tauai like a pig and bring and put it in his mouth and make an oven to symbolise the cooking of a man.”

The two Taulelea accordingly attacked Tauai without warning; stunned him with a blow from a heavy pole; tied him up in the manner of a pig; removed his lava-lava; and carried him dangling from a pole along the public road to the nearby village of Faleatiu. This, accord ing to Samoan custom, is the greatest insult that can be inflicted upon anyone.

The only reason for the assault appeared to be that Tauai had given cer tain evidence in a land court case which had displeased the chiefs. The evidence was given last September, but the assault did not take place until April 19, owing to the absence of Tauai..

As the judge was about to sum up the case, Tauai, with his head enveloped in bandages, asked the Court’s permission to speak and then said: “I did not have it in mind to seek these events. I am willing to forgive the accused, and I ask the Court to consider my words. I re member what Our Lord said on the cross, ‘Father, forgive them for they know not what they do’.”

The Chief Judge expressed apprecia tion of the words spoken by Tauai which, he said, were what one would expect to come from a Christian man. His Honour said, however, that the assault was made without any reason at all, and that it represented the gravest Samoan insult that could be placed upon a Samoan man—it was also an insult to the Land and Titles Court. The five chiefs were each sentenced to two months’ imprison ment, and the two Taulelea to three months’ imprisonment.