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LegacyUser

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The Gathering of Oral Genealogies in Samoa

Father to Son Method of Transmitting Genealogy

(from the BYU Family History Library)

 

For many generations, Samoan genealogies have been handed down from father to son. The father will repeat to his son the names of his ancestors so that eventually, after much practice, the boy will have memorized his whole genealogy. When the Samoan patriarchs teach their sons their genealogy, they generally keep to the direct line. This can sometimes cause some difficulty when brothers or sisters are left out and/or complete families are difficult to locate. Some families have traditional poems which depict hunting, fishing, wars, and special events. Some even include important persons associated with these events. These are also memorized, and act as a means to preserve their pedigree.

 

Not all members of the family are taught the family genealogy. Usually, only the individual slated for candidacy to hold the title of matai (chief) is taught the whole pedigree, while other members of the family are only expected to know portions of the family lines. Some families have endeavored to record these pedigrees in family record books as it is widely important that the genealogies be preserved since they have a great effect on ownership of land titles, rights, and privileges. As a result, these records are well cared for because if they fall into the wrong hands, true heirs may lose all rights to these important things.

 

http://files.lib.byu.edu/family-history-library/research-outlines/Pacific/SamoaTahitiTongaFiji.pdf

LegacyUser

Thanks for sharing this Amber. I would love to see more Oral History collections. We can all be thankful to those that have seen the importance to collect these stories and to make them available.

 

Do any of these stories connect to any of the family members of people in this group? I would love to hear about your connections.

User15957457600306666857

THANKS for sharing Amber. I am interested in the resources that are suggested in the file you shared. Now I just have to figure out how to get access to them 👍 Who knew that Family History research could be so exciting.

LegacyUser

Be sure to share your experiences with us here in the Community @marlenetc marlenetc​. Or if you have any questions, my friends and I can work to help you the best we can!