SAMOA: ART AND LITERATURE

In Samoa, there is a ritual exchange of goods and traditional arts. Women typically give a finely woven mat called an ‘ie toga.  They also give a type of bark cloth called siapo, which is decorated with pictures of flowers and other natural objects.

 

Men, on the other hand, will typically give items carved from wood and red feathers. Carving sculptures was pretty rare prior to the European’s arrival, but typically, their woodworking objects tend to be in line with similar arts from Fiji and Tonga.

Other traditional arts you’ll find made in Samoa include jewelry, hair accessories, and other ornaments. Many times, these things will be made from other naturally occurring materials found on the island, like coir (coconut fibers) and sea shells.

And let’s be honest – one of the types of art that really sticks out is tattooing. In the US, I feel like there is still a stigma against tattooed people, at least in some circles and even on a professional level. (The only reason why I don’t have one yet is because I can’t decide on what I want.) However, in Samoa as in other South Pacific countries, tattoos carry a different social standing. Both men and women are tattooed and each tattoo is related to their families, their communities, and their role within their community. According to dictionary.com, the word tattoo is ultimately derived from the Tahitian word tatau, which is also the same word in Samoan. 

The earliest form of literature in Samoa was oral storytelling. However, written literature didn’t truly emerge until the 1960s, right around the time of their independence. Most Samoan literature is written in English. There have been many writers who have emerged from Samoa.

Probably one of the more famous novelists is Albert Wendt. (His birthday [Oct 27] is the day before mine.) Wendt’s most famous novel, Leaves of the Banyan Tree, was published in 1979. He’s worked as a professor and visiting professor at several universities throughout the South Pacific islands and currently resides in New Zealand. There’s actually a documentary on him called The New Oceania.

Other writers from Samoa include Sia Figiel (poet, award-winning novelist), Emma Kruse Va’ai (poet, writer, educator), Caroline Sinavaiana-Gabbard (poet from American Samoa, but I’m including it here anyway), Savea Sano Malifa (poet, founder of the newspaper Samoa Observer), Eti Sa’aga (poet, journalist, writer), and Sapa’u Ruperake Petaia (poet, writer).

Up next: music and dance

MAURITANIA: ART AND LITERATURE

Artists in Mauritania are thought to contain a secret knowledge. In this way, I suppose there’s a certain mysticism in how they work. Although an artist’s particular artwork may vary, the knowledge of how to make it is passed down from generation to generation. 

 

Much of their art is handicraft work: pottery, weaving and textiles, carvings and such. There are also ample examples of rock wall drawings and paintings from the ancient days. Like most other African art traditions, most of their art wasn’t simply for art’s sake: it served a purpose. Some of their art was for practical purposes (tools, utensils, and other home wares, or even their architectural styles), but others were for religious purposes (like the iconic African masks or other sculptures). Mauritania has a blend of cultures—West African coming from the south and Berber traditions from the north—so particular artistic styles may be different in various parts of the country, depending on the ethnic background of the people. 

As the Arabs spread Islam into Mauritania, their art reflected this change as well. Islam strictly forbids the depiction of people and other living creatures in their art, so wall coverings and other building designs uses geometric and floral patterns, often based on mathematics. One common place for this type of decoration is around doorways. Not only is it beautiful, but many times, these intricately carved additions and archwork in buildings are also utilized to draw the wind in order to cool down buildings during the heat of the day as well as add stability to the structure. 

Stories and important historical events have been passed down from generation to generation orally for hundreds of generations. It was mostly in the form of epic poetry, religious poetry, storytelling, and riddles and puzzles. For this reason, there isn’t a strong written literary tradition in Mauritania. To compound these matters for Mauritanian writers, the country has a low adult literacy rate, ranging from 52-58%; the rates are significantly higher for males than females. That being said, the books that are published in Mauritania tend to be written in Arabic, French, or any of the other indigenous languages spoken in the country, but they’re only able to be read by roughly a little more than half the country.

Mauritanian storyteller Yahya Rajel

However, that’s not to say there wasn’t anything written down until the French got there. Clearly, as we learned with Mali, there were African scholars all over, sharing information and writing it down. Both public and private libraries in Mauritania are full of manuscripts and scrolls with historical information dating back thousands of years. The ancient city of Chinguetti, now crumbling away with only about 4000 people, is home to some of the oldest Koranic texts in the world. 

One modern author is Mohamed Bouya Ould Bamba, a Mauritanian author who was a Fulbright scholar at Kent State University. He did vow to publish one novel a summer, translate it into English, and offer it as a free download (there’s apparently a lack of Mauritanian literature that has been translated into English). His first book, Angels of Mauritania and the Curse of the Language, was published in 2011. (For a synopsis, check out one of my favorite blogs by clicking here.)  

Other writers from Mauritania include Ahmad ibn al-Amin al-Shinqiti (one of the most famous authors from this country), Ahmed Baba Miské (politician, ambassador to the US, UN representative, writer), Moussa Diagana (mainly writes in French), Ibn Razqa (poet and scholar, often thought of as the Father of Mauritanian Poets), Moussa Ould Ebnou (one of the country’s greatest novelists, published books in both French and Arabic), and Youssouf Gueye (wrote in French, died in prison because he opposed the government). 

Up next: music and dance

MARSHALL ISLANDS: ART AND LITERATURE

Long before modern maps, the islanders of the Marshall Islands would map out the ocean swells and islands using sticks and shells. These stick charts as they’re called use to sticks and fibers to map out the major swells in the ocean and the shells mark where the islands are located that caused changes in directions. This was used as a way for the islanders to navigate their way to other islands. What you end up with is almost a modern, Frank Lloyd Wright-esque frame of sticks tied at various angles and curves. Some can be small and other can be quite large. It’s rather fascinating. 

Much of their art is tied to handicrafts and especially woven arts. Popular items include baskets, mats, purses, hats, fans, and wall hangings. Each of these are made from natural materials found on the island, including coconut fibers, pandanas leaves, and shells. 

Locals also develop an array of products using coconut, from detergents to hand creams. Coconut is very good for your skin and hair and is environmentally safe. Not to mention quite plentiful on the islands. 

Another part of their culture, especially before the arrival of the Europeans, was tattooing. Both males and females were tattooed, although the designs and body parts that were tattooed vary slightly between the sexes. Different designs signified different family clans and ranks within the family. The Marshallese also stretched out their ear lobes, some as large as three inches. Sounds like they were punk before punk was punk. 

The early Marshall Islanders told their stories orally. Most of these stories were legends and stories used to explain their world around them, but some stories also told of historical events. Today, many of these oral traditions have been retold and written down. 

The Marshall Islands have also served as the setting for many European writers, some who either lived there for a while or had visited the islands. No doubt these islands had a lasting impression on them. A few notable writers who have written about the Marshall Islands or used it as their setting are Jane Downing, George Lewis “Louis” Becke, Rudolph von Scheven, and Ernest George Moll. 

There isn’t a large canon of literature from the islands. Although Marshallese is the official language, and certainly used in the language of government documents and so forth, most of the books I’ve seen mentioned are written in English. However, if you’re interested in folktales, one book to read is called Marshall Islands Legends and Stories by Daniel A Kelin II. This book contains 50 stories collected from the local storytellers.

Up next: music and dance