Saofa'i Ceremony - Getting a Samoan Matai Title

Samoan Matai titles (suafa, literally "formal name") are bestowed upon family members during a cultural ceremony called a saofa'i.
The saofa'i marks the formal acceptance of a new matai by their family and village into the circle of chiefs and orators. It involves the gathering of chiefs and orators in a fale tele meeting house, the exchanging of oratory speeches, the reciting of genealogies and an ava ceremony followed by a feast provided by the new matai's family.
For many Samoans living in the diaspora this age old highly significant ceremony can be hard to follow and understand - luckily for kiwi Samoan actor Fasitua Amosa, his father Rev Asora Amosa who is bestowed a title with him, breaks down all the elements of their saofa'i for all the new generations who want to know.
Here is their story of their special day, and some of the meanings behind the ritual of a Samoan saofa'i.
www.thecoconet.tv/how-to/samoa/

[@MsAnnaSamu]

I really enjoyed listening to his father speak. Elders are really cultural jewels that many fail to want to learn from. I'd love to be taught by this man on our beautiful culture. Faafetai le faasoa. Manuia.

[@jdogg2098]

MsAnnaSamu but there’s nothing to learn tho...

[@morgankamari9985]

instaBlaster...

[@tookoo3491]

Being Samoan n raised in the states n learning from generations of knownlegde is a blessing...☝️✊👊👊love from Alaska

[@taylorfaoa4956]

Facts

[@chrisa2612]

I'm a Matai from the village of Mountain View in the Anchorage district. I am the current holder of the Tui Red Apple Title.

[@Big_Poppa_Bear]

That's pretty cool to learn first time I've heard about this when Dwayne Johnson went to Samoa. Me even though I have Tongan blood I always love continuing to learn about the rest of Polynesian and the Pacific. Tokouso

[@dubstup23]

It’s great listening to the old man passing his knowledge through the art of storytelling. Most Pacific cultures history are passed through this way from one generation to the next. A real tusitala. Love and respect from Fiji.

[@Daone685]

I really enjoyed hearing the Father explained that, reminds me of my Grandfather.

[@deedarz]

This is very educational, especially for those of us who rarely have the experience of attending such proceedings or have firsthand knowledge of what each part of the ceremony represents. Love it. Congrats on your title.

[@sirjuju4766]

Although i was born n raised in the states i had the pleasure of attending gathering such as these and others as my Father was the Mata'i for my Aiga. The only thing i truly regret is not taking full advantage and Learning from my Father before he passed on. My only thoughts were running around in the streets with the homies. But anyway~ Congrats on the not only accepting your calling to be the Mata'i but also accepting responsibility for whatever my come. God bless.. Alofa tele atu!! TOA!

[@Yessahblessahnevastressuh]

Samoans are the proudest people. God bless our people, our love for god, our culture and customs.

[@UceLui03]

Carrying my culture to the grave with me. 🇼🇸 🇦🇸💯

[@pimpinproes1803]

🤙🏼 Yessah uce

[@vaiona5156]

Your father is really charismatic. He could make any boring subject sound really exciting 😄🙌

[@mrconspiracyunsolved2737]

this is beautiful, I left Samoa when I was 12, now I'm 19 I can't wait to go back, only six years and it feels like I been gone for a very very long time.

[@jeremyhill6647]

Beautiful, I am blessed to know the Amosas. Thanks for the educative video brothers.

[@melanesianpapuan]

Great video..learnt abit about Samoan Tradition here. !! Im from Papua New Guinea & My great-grand father from my mothers side came from Samoa !!

[@rapiamosa6226]

This is an amazing recording that will be remembered for a long time. and I a so proud of you and your sons for fulfilling this challenge given to us by our fathers. Malo le faatoatoa! Malo le lototele. God has a way and the time to call us and use us for his work on earth. I pray God will give you and your children a long and a useful life to praise him and to glorify His name through the service as a matai for our family in Taga. Fafetai Faafetai Tele fai aiga lelei. Alofaga e le mavae Rev. Rapi Emau Amosa & Ainuu Taase Amosa

[@jesusbonnie]

The sound from the Uke is just on another level.

[@t.warmington4301]

Name of song pls

[@paullualemaga4189]

Faliu le la

[@Lannz31]

I experienced my first saofa'i last year when dad got his title and it was such an awesome, surreal experience for me. Visiting our motherland after 15 years, I was just so glad to be home. Thanks for passing on the knowledge! Alofas.

[@patmasoe5189]

The old man speaks very well with a wealth of knowledge. I would love to sit down and have a cuppa with him. Wisdom.

[@vaibaker3246]

Well explained Reverend Asora Amosa the meaning behind all these. I hope you write a book with simple explanation on our Saofa'i Ceremonies for us who don't know. These are valued explanation of our tikanga

[@kalevepilikaki4054]

Samoa 101...Fa’afetai mo le lesona I mea fa’amatai. Manuia lava lou nofo.

[@LysaraOdyssey]

Amazing vid. Well put together your father is so well spoken man. I can only imagine how great her sermons would be. 🙌🏽 loved this

[@samoan_gangstah127]

Wow! Very Very Well Explained!!! Thank You For That Treasure Of Information.

[@LiiFelise]

Thank you so much for posting this. It's one thing to be in a saofa'i and not know what's going on and another to hear the teachings. Alofa atu!

[@optulent4041]

First comment. Very beautiful depiction of our Samoan cultural & chiefly practices...nice to learn what I didn't know before. Much love & appreciation.

[@vetaiapettitt9749]

Samoa still respects and hold our pacific traditions of 1000 of years. Some other nations have fall to western cultures ways and a abusing the culture of the pacific by making up new rules or ignoring the olden laws of our ancestors laws. Eg drinking Kava everyday for social activities like white man do with alcohol.

[@lewissolo3676]

So much respect for my culture so proud to B Samoan !!! Love from Seattle usos

[@krazykris4785]

Samoans are beautiful looking people 😍

[@rutavitello7189]

Samoa I love you when I sow you guy so think I am in my Islands all the Island S they enjoyed you guys I proud of your Islands Love God bless

[@fayevids7391]

I was always curious how the Matai ceremony actually works. So Thankful to watch this video - Thank you TCTV and that man who explained it 👍🏼👍🏼

[@Timuia_ipaepaetele685]

Very nice malo lava good for us not born in Samoa I love my culture NZ born samoan 🇼🇸🇦🇸

[@christian-jf7nu]

More informative series like this! For the guys wanting to know about samoa

[@Samoan_Diecast]

Love this post. More of these please.

[@AT-wn1vh]

Beautiful tradition and history our beautiful Samoa !! Ofa atu xo

[@leaisoufeauyoutube]

Beautiful! Love our Samoan culture ❤

[@vailima49aston99]

Manaia Le fa’asoa aoga tele mo tamaiti I fafo mai Samoa 🇼🇸 love my culture!!

[@lasp0065]

Beautiful. Thank you for sharing your experience with us.

[@avebac1]

Wow a very intelligent, knowledgable, and well spoken elder

[@smifftsmifft8811]

Love how the dad was explaining it, excellent.

[@MrJbroederlow]

You guys have some great content👍👍

[@georgitaylor2922]

Gods work your doing is a good thing Thank you for taking time to tell your storyo

[@aijalonkolone6741]

Fa’afetai for this video. Very Educational

[@1stmrsfaga]

Our culture is so beautiful!

[@epatimalataipaletaoga9290]

This must be in Taga Savaii... Manaia tele le manino o le faamalamalamaina e le susuga i le Feagaiga o lea foi vaega taua o le aganuu.

[@TM-bh8dv]

Great knowledge 🇼🇸 ❤️

[@aucklanduati1932]

This is beautiful

[@charleyt9558]

Beautiful ceremony, well done my brothers

[@UUKNOWN343]

Amazing, what a honour 💕

[@raesounds]

Beautiful 🙌🏿❤️

[@ham5481]

Well said! 💯🙏🏾

[@parker_films]

Well explained, Thanks

[@islander_Fj]

The word "Matai" means "First" in Fijian !

[@SPtheGREAT]

I'm not Samoan, but that would be SUCH AN HONOR...

[@ballsdeep5743]

DEEP STUFF, I love my culture just not the fa’alavelave’s.🥴

[@avebac1]

Totally agree lol

[@EnVesty]

No stress or problems, there is always Money Shop willing to loan you at good interest rates.

[@lenafooks4776]

I think as time went on the purpose of family faalavelaves was lost in terms of love and grace, sharing and fellowshipping. Nowadays there is so much pressure and abuse in contributing that folks no longer want to be involved, it’s unfortunate.

[@suafoletaimane1282]

1:30 -1:50 the best definition of what a Matai tittle means.

[@moemm804]

Wow!! awesome Dad you have ,

[@mosesevakasiuola4080]

Good stuff👌

[@samuellacambra-scanlan1660]

Buy a title? It is earned through service.

[@pirate3599]

Very good commentary

[@mochapella]

beautiful

[@tauvauia2013]

Awesome

[@ironfist684]

Beautiful

[@dtcomet]

9:00 A dad beaming with pride!

[@kdiv3908]

Amuia Samoa o lo'o olaola lana aganu'u

[@gavinkitchen1472]

Absolutely great! I found this after recently watching "The Orator". This looks similar to The Orator. Is this filmed in the same location? If your reading this your a great young man & your Country is a great Country, your living a great life, that many of us like where i live Australia could do well to replicate but they won't, too many of us like our fast lifestyle but is it the best? Have we got Chief's & Orator's in the Samoan Communities in Australia?

[@hs4a085]

I frkn love my culture. Samoa mo Samoa

[@charsovex4962]

Vinaka vakalevu mai viti. vinaka Samoa vaka vanua rairai vinaka.

[@KingofAloha808]

❤️🙌🏼

[@william_coduks]

Seki a Samoa 🤙🏾

[@lisaleiato3227]

💕💕💕💕💕

[@t.warmington4301]

Name of song please at intro with uke playing

[@rasavastar308]

1st Aikuy 2 SAY, ALOFA TELE AKU SAMOA☝️❤💛💚🤙

[@petelosuaniu]

Also the seu o lauga, which happens at these occasions when the orator gets to the part of the speech where he faalagilagi the Aiga which holds the title(s) being bestowed. Usually some chief of the Aiga will shut down the speaker at this point so that the speaker (if he knows his stuff) does not spill out all the genealogical history of the family before the eyes and ears of Samoa who are there lol This knowledge is protected (intellectual property of the family) to guard against people with no true links to the titles trying to use this information for their own ends at the land and titles court lol ....However, these days too many No School Befores Seu at the wrong time. They seu the lauga when he is paying homage to Samoa as a whole. Well, that is stupid and those people are dumb to seu a lauga when a speaker is just reciting the national faalupega. lol Anyway, that's my pet hate - people who seu sese o lauga. lol

[@L3a98]

Very true! I’ve even heard a Tulafale seu another’s lauga simply because of time, which is a terrible reason to give 🤦🏽‍♂️

[@chiefrocker19]

🙏🙏🙏

[@tautuaom]

Did he say koha for gifts?

[@saitoriahanipale5631]

Both my grandpas from my mum and Dad had the Matai title but unfortunately they’ve both passed away

[@TravelingTribe685]

That's pretty awesome bro, you got a cool dad too. I was just wondering, you didn't have the colorful lava lava and the colorful rags around the waist, etc what is the significance off that costume and meaning to it?

[@jonyfreston256]

The real samoan ceremony their supposed to wear mats or ie fala toga vut these are small ceremonys so they can be shirtless and wear lavalava its traditional

[@josephiosefa7260]

❤️🇼🇸💯

[@freshapps8504]

hectic USO 👑👑👑

[@studaman3509]

He has the comment of the language. Good job. Malo le tufa.

[@bernicesua8264]

Tell me anyone what is the meaning of the royalty princess ?

[@jomatai3307]

Talofa Samoa , bonjour le peuple Samoa de Tahiti j'essaye de comprendre la langue la culture Samoa merci pour la vidéo

[@lillianbrown8388]

Did your dad say "kalofae"?? 😂🌺❤

[@tautalagalaauli6500]

This is my village Taga aiga sa Tagaloa i saw my good friend Lealofi Vagavao Lealofi god bless

[@deadnitezn.z.4938]

Nice👍Question: can women be chief?🤔

[@kinglybeast1769]

It’s crazy how similar he looks to my dad

[@bernicesua8264]

Because seriously I’m one of them the tile name Teuaililo from Masefau

[@PolyGang42]

I’m Samoan & i understand our Samoan language but I don’t understand the Samoan High chief language lol thats so weird to me.

[@Mac-lv7gp]

Dat kava is more water than kava. Put all dat stuff inside

[@bluulima8069]

That’s great this process is only good in Samoa any where in the world this stuff don’t mean anything

[@elainemiller8892]

f'a'samoa

[@richierich9404]

Kaka muli

[@jakkmoite2231]

Disliked by Tongans because they wish their culture is as badass as ours is lol