Friday, February 4, 2011

Minority Report

It's a four letter word. Well, it's really six letters, but it's come to be pretty offensive to some of us pisikoas.

Palagi. Pronounced puh-long-ee.

At first,hearing this word shouted  from multiple fales as you walked down the road really wasn't a big deal. To be blunt, palagi means "white person." For a while you can pretend it means "foreigner," but that isn't sa'o (true) once you find out Asians or Africans are called something different. For a while, I even liked to think it just meant someone who doesn't really know fa'a Samoa (the Samoan way), but this was clearly sese (wrong) when I moved to my new village and met a white Samoan. There is a little girl here, half Samoan, half "palagi" who has white skin, blonde hair, and brown eyes. She's maybe around kindergarden age and has spent her whole life here. They call her "palagi." This word clearly means "someone with white skin."

Maybe it's American (another overgeneralization) political correctness, but a few of us have come to dislike being called this word that is a huge racial overgeneralization. And yet, I remember a day back in training in Tafitoala when a car drove down our pretty secluded road with two white people in it. I said, "What are those palagis doing here?" It was honestly surprising to see someone white who wasn't a pisikoa. I hate to be called it, and yet, I still use it. I can call other white people "palagi" but I don't like to hear Samoans use it. Reminiscent of anything? The N-word, maybe? Which is kind of ironic because we've taught a few Samoans not to use that word to which they ask, "But it's OK for them to say it to each other? Because it's in their music."

One of the most disteressing things for me in Samoa is when I hear vast overgeneralizations about "palagis" or am told that I should teach people fa'a Palagi (the white way), as if I could speak for every culture of Caucasion descent.

Just today, I walked to the faleoloa (shop) and a little boy across the street yelled "palagi" at me the entire time. Sometimes my response to being called a palagi is, "O fea le palagi?" (Where is the palagi?) After I bought what I needed at the store, I alked over to the boy. "O ai lou igoa?" (What is your name?) He was too shy to respond now that I was only a few feet from him. "O lo'u igoa o Sema. Leai palagi. Sema. Fa." (My name is Sema. Not palagi. Sema. See yah.)

Even though I'm trying to get he kids not to call people palagi (I really don't think anyone means it in a derogatory way) and I am very adamantly against answering questions for all white people, being called palagi hasn't bothered me that much. Until one day, I went back to Tafitoala to visit for Tausaga Fou (New Years). It was early morning, which means my host family was awake and bustling while I was still moe umi (sleeping long), but really, how long can you sleep when you hear someone's name monotonously called for two minutes until they finally answer (other pisikoas know what I'm talking about here)? Relatives from overseas were visiting and I heard my host-mom talking about me in Samoan and saying "palagi" over and over. I just lived with you for two months and comptely fell in love with your village and now you start calling me palagi?! I have a name, you know it. Please use it.

Use "palagi" as a descriptor if you want, but don't use a cultural overgeneralization to replace my name.

P.S. Sema is pronounced Same-a.

6 comments:

  1. Talofa

    That's a very interesting post you've written about the term "palagi".

    Sure, "palagi" has various meanings depending on the context. It could mean a person of fairer-skinned (including half-castes), it could mean any Westener (a person who lives like a Westener - therefore overseas Samoans can often be called palagi), and it could also mean anything non-Samoan (more derogatory meaning).

    I am Samoan, and putting myself in your shoes, sure, overhearing a host family referring to me over and over as "the brown-skinned person" in a conversation with others would grate me a bit. But I guess in your situation the host family was calling you by your description: a "palagi" or a fairer-skinned person, rather than the derogatory meaning.

    Thank you again for the interesting read and sharing your thoughts.

    Soifua

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  2. that person is correct Sema. I'm Samoan born and raised in the US and palagi simply means "white person" ....in Samoan history, when the first white explorers came upon Samoa in the 1700s, the Samoan's referred to the explorers as "papalagi" or "pa-pa" pronounced "pah-pah" - lagi "sky or heavens" originally meaning bursting from the sky...light skinned people from the sky or heaven ...I guess you can take comfort in knowing that its not used in a bad way!!! but yes, I'd prefer to be called by my name as well ....your read is interesting; growing up in the Bay Area/and Kansas City in the early 70's I have seen my fair share of "sasa's" from both white and black people and very very often...in the days when kids used to respect their parents, kids were physically punished alot ...in my grade school in San Francisco and then Kansas City I was paddled multiple times by white teachers and the principal...so were all the other students; white, black, asian, hispanic, etc. - it wasn't until the 80s that kids professional social workers started telling parents that spanking was bad and so now we have a whole society of kids/teens that are lazy, disrespectful, who are full of entitlement and know that they can pretty much do as they please ....I don't agree with beating a kid but spanking within reason if they are young sometimes helps but the beating I don't condone...I love reading your posts and you're doing an awesome job there in my mother's homeland!!! Fai Fai Lemu and Fa'amalosi ~ take care now Sema!!! Peace and Blessings

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  3. Thanks for the comments!
    I did know that "palagi" originally meant "from the sky," which is very interesting.
    I would have to disagree, though, that just because kids in the US aren't hit anymore, does not mean they are "lazy, disrespectful, or full of entitlement." I was never hit; I think I remember being spanked once in my entire life. And I'm pretty sure anyone who knows me will tell you that I turned out just fine without being sasa-ed.

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  4. Hi Samantha, thanks for the opportunity. I am and have a been a youth counselor for the Clark County Unified school district (Las Vegas area) for 20+ years.

    I apologize if my description of kids being lazy, disrespectful, or full of entitlement didn't sit well with you but I know if from experience - directly from the mouths of parents themselves for the past 2 decades. Maybe your own childhood experience was exceptional but the overwhelming majority of educators that I've worked with know exactly what we have been dealing with over the years. Kids today (well not all kids, maybe 60%+) are more concerned about what their parents can do for them, buy them things, pick them up or drop them off when they live 2 blocks away from home. They get the latest outfits (clothes, shoes, accessories), cellphones, electronics, spending money (allowance), cars, and still complain that they don't have what their friends have - all of this, and they do not help with the family chores, or responsibilities usually held by younger family members; taking out the trash, doing the dishes, cleaning the bathrooms, cleaning their own rooms, helping out with dinner, laundry, helping out with the younger children, yardwork, etc. - todays kids have so much freedom and expenses etc. that they're too busy online and/texting to do anything else.

    However, what we do know is that the overwhelming number of youth in less fortunate countries value their education so much more than their American counterparts, and still put in lots of time and effort into helping the family dynamics flow more harmoniously.

    You are awesome for what you are doing no matter what country you're doing it in. I agree that the beatings are unnecessary but at the same time, there is definitely a time and place for discipline within reason.

    Samoa is pretty much in a position somewhat like the US was in the 50-70s when kids were physically disciplined and respected authority: teachers, parents, elders, etc. - today, its a different story which why a larger number than not, continue to point where police and security are needed at schools. Teachers are afraid for their lives. Teachers have less voice because the kids can turn on the school district if they do not like an educator.
    Things like bullying, gang intimidation, hazing, students bringing drugs or weapons to school, threats against the administration and educators, are things that probably do not happen in Samoa nor would you want them to .....

    I do know as well that a great number of kids like yourself never got sasa'd yet still turned out to be awesome young members of society. Also, there are large numbers of exceptional students across the country who continue to show that public education can work.

    Bottomline is the sasa'ing in Samoa needs to stop when it becomes a tool to show fear and control. Best of wishes in your endeavors as you continue to bless those children with your wisdom and own experiences.

    Fa'afetai Lava Sema. You're an inspiration to many; keep that fire burning. All the Best~

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  5. We were having after work drinks and it was me and 3 Samoans as well as one Tongan, I am NZ European and I used to word palagi jokingly to describe myself and was greeted with hostility as it seemed very offensive.
    I apologized and not too much came from it but I was hoping you could shed some light on how a white man saying it could be offensive to a Samoan.
    Bearing in mind we had all had too much to drink and the inflection of my tone or even my pronunciation could have been offensive.
    Any insight will help
    Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  6. We were having after work drinks and it was me and 3 Samoans as well as one Tongan, I am NZ European and I used to word palagi jokingly to describe myself and was greeted with hostility as it seemed very offensive.
    I apologized and not too much came from it but I was hoping you could shed some light on how a white man saying it could be offensive to a Samoan.
    Bearing in mind we had all had too much to drink and the inflection of my tone or even my pronunciation could have been offensive.
    Any insight will help
    Thanks

    ReplyDelete