Table of Contents Part
1: Components of Ceremony 'Epa, Apei,
and Päega: Ceremonial Mats Death
and Funerals |
Ancient
Marriage Customs Child
Betrothal
In
the old days, marriages were sometimes contracted while the couple
was very young (preadolescent). The boy's parents chose a certain
girl to marry their son. They approached the girl's parents, and if
the latter agreed, the boy's parents brought him to the girl's home
so that they could meet. Parents initiated this kind of betrothal
('inos af'aki) in order to gain material benefits such
as access to land. The
boy's parents made a hata (bier) and put over it three mats (agrua, 'eap ma 'on faua, apei) as a päega. They carried the boy to the girl's family
with a koua. They had a feast with
the girl's family, who also provided a koua.
During the feast, the girl sat with the boy on a päega
provided by her family. The
boy's family left the mats from the hata
as a gift with the girl's family, who had to replace them with three
comparable mats from the päega they had made for the couple. After the feast,
the boy and girl were seated on the new päega
on the hata and carried to the boy's
home with two koua provided by the girl's family. The first koua was called a'aragi
(to get fresh air). It was a provision for the travellers on their
way to the boy's home in case they had to travel for a long distance.
The second koua was the a'au or asi (to go after, to follow). It had to reach its destination
because it created an obligation for the couple to return to the girl's
home later on. They stayed at the boy's home for a period of time
and were entertained by his relatives until his parents decided it
was time to send them back. They
were returned to the girl's home on the hata,
which again had to be furnished with a päega
of three new mats and two koua, the
a'aragi and a'au
(or asi). The courtship process took
place over a long period of time and involved numerous visits back
and forth. On each excursion, the young couple sat on a päega of three mats atop the hata,
and were accompanied by two koua. Only
new mats could be used for these päega,
so enough time had to be allotted between visits to allow new mats
to be made. The boy and girl stayed together during this period, either
at the girl's or boy's home, but always under supervision. As
the couple were carried from one place to another, those accompanying
them sang the following song:
This
was a way of teasing the boy's side for starting the whole affair
and not following through. If
the courtship continued until the couple became of age, a proper marriage
ceremony ('inos 'e 'on ava) was held. The boy's family presented
a koua (mo'
hani) to the girl's side to acknowledge their agreeing to the
match. To lend dignity to the occasion, a chief from the boy's side
might accompany the presentation. In
cases in which this kind of child betrothal had not taken place, the
process of initiating a marriage began with sok
fäega. A chief or any near relative of the boy went to
the girl's parents to inform them that they wished the girl to be
the wife of the boy they represented. If
her parents agreed, the süf hani followed. The chiefs from the boy's side
went to the girl's home with a fia' he
(small kava plant) or a koua. Ideally
they did this early in the morning (about 6 or 7 am), to demonstrate
their eagerness. If they came later, say about 10 am, the girl's family
might think they were not very interested. On this occasion, unlike
any other, the chiefs entered through the back door. After
conversing with the visiting chiefs the bride's family served them
breakfast, which could include food from the süf
hani party's koua. The girl came out to shake hands with the chiefs,
giving them a chance to have a good look at her. The girl's parents
and the chiefs discussed the date, partly dependent on the age of
the girl and partly to allow time to plait mats. Besides the date,
the boy's party were waiting to hear the parents of the girl say whether
they planned to have a big formal wedding (re
faksu) or just a simple one (kat re faksu ra). Responsibilities
of the Bride's and Groom's Parties
After
the süf hani koua, if they decided to re faksu, each party met with their own relatives to
assign work needed to prepare for the wedding. Men and women held
separate meetings in this regard. The man who presided over the men's
meeting was known as the fa puer su; the woman presiding over the women's meeting
was the han puer su. For a proper wedding,
nine koua were required from the boy's
side and six from the girl's side. The men from the boy's side provided: 1.
'Amaho: breakfast on the wedding day. 2.
Fakpou: the first koua
taken to the girl's place, which meant they were going to get married.
3.
Koua ne mose: the koua
brought with the boy when he and the girl were to sleep together. 4.
Fakasoko: a koua brought
by the boy's side to the girl's side on the third day to acknowledge
the consummation of the marriage. 5.
'Ofiag sope: a koua for
the ceremonial cutting of the couple's hair. 6.
Laloag ne su ta: the main meal at the wedding feast. 7.
A'vahiag su ta: the last meal for the couple and relatives. 8.
'Omoe: the evening meal. 9.
Paag ri: a koua for "putting
up the walls."[1]
The
men from the bride's side had to make six koua: 1. 'Amaho 2. Fakpou 3. 'Ofiag sope 4. Laloag ne su ta 5. A'vahiag su ta 6. 'Omoe The
women from the groom's side had to provide: 1.
The mosega (marriage bed), composed of any number of agrua, 'eap ma 'on faua, and apei. 2.
A kuruga (wooden pillow) for the mosega. 3.
A mosquito net (of 'uha, the tapa cloth made from the bark of the mulberry
tree, until cloth mosquito netting was introduced by Europeans). 4.
Taga (a bag made from an apei,
and filled with folded apei). All the
apei brought from the groom's side were stuffed into
the taga. Right in the middle was the
best apei (tö'rere), to be given to the bride's 'a su (chiefly representative). 5.
A päega made up of mats and apei
that preceded the procession to the bride's home. It was added to
the päega prepared by the bride's side. 6.
Paag ri (apei and matsputting
the walls back up). 7.
Osi (an apei to wrap around
the bride as new clothing, plus other decorations such as lei [small whale's teeth, shaped to wear around the neck
by women of high rank, or by young beautiful girls], tefui and flowers for the ears). 8.
For the 'ofiag sope (hair-cutting ritual), the groom's sigoa provided an apei
and 'eap ma 'on faua, and the sharp
shells for cutting the bride's hair. The
women on the bride's side had to provide the following for the te
fakhanisi (gifts): 1.
Farao ta (10 agrua) for
covering the floor. 2.
'Eap ma 'on faua (20). 3.
'Eap hapa (any number, the more the better, topped by
all the rest of the apei and a tapa
mosquito net). 4.
The bride's moseag hoa'ho'a (travelling bed). 5.
A kuruga. 6.
'Ofiag sope: The bride's sigoa
provided an apei and 'eap
ma 'on faua, and the sharp shells for cutting the groom's hair. 7.
'At fara: A small purse containing essentials for wedding
night: potea (oil) in a pirorogo (small gourd), 'as hapa
(half shell of the 'asi [cockle] in
which the oil and mena were mixed),
mena, reureu (bit of soft tapa cloth for cleaning up
after intercourse), and maliha (very
soft, cool piece of white lily stem on which the blood could be seen
clearly). 8.
Osi (an apei to wrap around
the groom as new clothing, plus a tefui). Preliminary
Ceremonies
In
the old days, the main wedding ceremonies were performed only after
the couple had consummated the marriage. The ceremonies were performed
over a five-day span, beginning with 'amaho (breakfast). Some of the groom's relatives brought
a koua to the bride's side where another
koua (also called 'amaho)
had been prepared. On the first day the walls of the bride's home,
where the wedding was to be held, were taken down. Later
in the day, a group of men from the groom's side arrived with another
koua, the fakpou.
The men in this party brought with them a hata
(bier) topped by a päega (three mats: agrua,
'eap ma 'on faua, apei). A brother or other close male relative
of the groom lifted the bride onto the hata
(and later lifted her off it). While she was seated on the hata,
the men carried her around the outside of her house, or perhaps around
the village for a while. This was called fakpou
(like the mast of a ship); it symbolized her special status as a bride,
because only high chiefs and sau were
carried in this fashion. Everyone present then partook of a feast
from the fakpou koua. On
the second day, a party of men from the bride's side went to the groom's
home to do the same with him. A brother or other close male relative
of the bride lifted him onto and off of the hata.
The men brought with them their own hata topped by a päega
for the bridegroom to sit on, and a koua
for the fakpou. After carrying the
groom around for a while, those present shared in a feast, after which
everyone went home. On
the third day the boy's relatives took him with the koua
ne mose to the girl's side. The groom went with a contingent
of men and women; the men brought the koua
and the women took the mosega. When they arrived at the bride's side, the ag 'inoso took place. This involved people from neighbouring
districts who had been invited to dance and sing for the bride and
groom, who sat on a päega (ag 'inoso means facing the bride and groom and entertaining
them). The entertainment, which the bride's side presented, continued
all night long. While the entertainment was going on, the women from
the men's side prepared the mosega
inside the house. They made a curtain of tapa cloth or used an apei
to screen off one end (roki) of the
house in which they made the bridal bed. [2] First
they spread the agrua, then the 'eap ma 'on faua, 'eap hapa,
topped by an apei. They placed the
kuruga on top of this, and hung the mosquito net. Finally,
by the side of the bed, they placed a taga
(a pile of rolled-up apei wrapped inside
an apei), made from the apei
that were left over from the la'o.
They put the best apei right in the
middle as tö'rere (tö' meaning to break, and rere signifying top). The girl's family took the best
mat of the mosega to the 'a su of the bride soon after the couple went back to the groom's
home (na 'inoso). The
bride, or her female elders, prepared a moseag
hoa'hoa' heta (travelling bed) for the bride to take with her
to the groom's home to use at night; she brought it back to her home
when she returned there to stay. This moseag hoa'hoa' heta consisted of a small brown mat ('eap ma 'on faua), an apei,
and a mosquito net. The couple slept on these mats, which the bride's
attendants put on top of the bridal bed that the women from the groom's
side had prepared earlier, before nightfall. The bride's attendants
put aside the mosquito net that had been hung by the other women and
used the one in the moseag hoa'hoa' heta. At
some point during the evening the couple were expected to take their
leave and go to bed. One or two female elders from the groom's side
went with the couple to advise the groom how to have intercourse with
his wife. Because virginity was valued, the women looked for blood
as proof that the bride's hymen had been intact. If the bride proved
not to be a virgin, the groom was released from his obligation to
marry her. The
Wedding Day
Early
the next morning, on the fourth day, the bride's attendants folded
the moseag hoa'hoa' heta and put it
aside, together with the mosquito net the couple had used, hanging
the former one back in place. Her attendants did the same every morning
and evening, leaving the original bridal bed clean and unstained,
because these mats, along with those that composed the bride's te fakhanisi to the groom, were to be given to the relatives
who helped prepare for the wedding. The distribution of mats took
place when the couple moved to the groom's home (see na
'inoso) and when they returned to the bride's home. On
the fourth morning, in preparation for their ritual bath, the bride
and groom were wrapped in apei provided by bride's side. The bride's side made
a päega on a hata
and the couple were seated on it and carried down to the sea to bathe.
They washed each other; the girl lay face up in the water and the
boy face down. They were given new apei (osi)
to put on and were carried back on a hata
prepared by the groom's side to the päega
inside the house where they had sat the night before. The mats from
the groom's side's päega on the hata
were added to the päega inside
the house. These mats were placed underneath the bride's apei,
which had to remain on top. The bride and groom sat on the päega
flanked by their respective 'a su and
chiefs. A
few men closely related to the groom brought their koua
fakasoko (or kao filo'u, to break heads) and sat by waiting while
a man from the bride's side came dancing with a club and hit them
on the head sufficiently hard to draw blood. After bloodying the men
from the groom's side, he bloodied himself with his club. This part
of the ceremony was held only if the bride had been a virgin. The
shedding of their blood was a form of reciprocation for the blood
shed by the virgin bride at the hands of the groom. Each of the groom's
close relatives whose heads had been bloodied was given an apei from those wrapped around the couple before they
went into the sea to bathe, or from the päega
of the hata that carried them down
to the sea. All these white mats came from the bride's side. This
was the actual wedding day, the day of most rejoicing for both parties.
It took place after the bride had been proven a virgin. Nin
Su: Anointing the Couple
A
young woman from the bride's side then came forward to the päega
where the couple were seated to anoint them (nin
su) with oil mixed with turmeric. She smeared the mixture on
their faces, making marks like half-moons on each cheek. The woman
then garlanded the bride and groom with tefui.
This marked the couple as husband and wife. Fit'ak
Te: Spreading the White Mats
The
nin su was followed by fit'ak
te, the spreading of white mats in front of the 'a
su, the couple, and the chiefs. First the apei
from the groom's side were brought to the front and piled up. These
were the apei that had been wrapped in a taga and set aside near the bed. First, a woman brought
the best apei (tö'rere), which
had been in the middle of the taga,
showed it (iat'ak) to the 'a su
of the bride, then laid it down. Other women followed, bringing the
rest of the white mats and piling them on top of the first one. Two
women then started to unfold the apei,
one on top of the other, for public inspection. The first one, the
one shown to the bride's 'a su, topped the whole lot, and the 'a su saw for herself that the best of the white mats
really would come to her afterwards. Then the two women started folding
the white mats, which were taken away. After
the groom's side had displayed and taken back all its white mats,
the bride's side brought and displayed its white mats in the same
manner. Her relatives showed the tö'rere to the groom's 'a
su, then presented it to the chief after the couple had slept
on the bed and all the ceremonies were finished. 'Öf
Sope: Hair-cutting Ritual
Next
came the 'öf sope. The groom's sigoa[3]
carried a folded apei
on top of a folded 'eap ma 'on faua, along with a sharpened shell [in modern
times, a pair of scissors with colourful ribbons tied to it]. She
knelt in front of the bride and cut a lock of hair from each tugito,
or sope (a plait of hair hanging on
either side of her head as a sign that she was unmarried). [4]
The hair that was cut fell onto the apei
and 'epa that the woman was holding, and the mats with her
hair were placed beside the bride. The bride's sigoa
then came forward to cut the sope of
the groom in the same way, except that the sope
of the groom was a single plait on top of his head, which had not
been cut since the time of his birth. The apei
with his hair on it was placed next to him. This resulted in an exchange
of apei between the two sigoa because
they were entitled to take each other's apei
home with them, but they might also decide to leave them as presents
for the couple. While
the fit'ak te and 'öf sope
were taking place, the group that was invited to entertain on the
wedding day (ag su) performed a tautoga.
They came well prepared to dance until late in the evening, with songs
composed especially about the bride and groom. [5]
The han mane'ak su (female
clown; literally, the woman who plays the wedding) continued to entertain
the crowd the whole day. She ordered everyone to do whatever she wanted;
she even had the power to order the chiefs around. All the people
had to do as she said, for instance, to kneel in the sun, to dance,
to bring drinks. She carried a big stick as a sign of her authority;
she used it to point at people when telling them what to do, and could
even hit them if they were reluctant to act. Her antics made everyone
laugh.
[6] 'Ate
Ta: Wedding Feast
After
the two rituals, the fit'ak te and 'öf sope,
the wedding feast was served. The koua
from both parties were brought in front of the couple, the two 'a
su, and the chiefs, for the mafua
to announce in the usual manner. Five types of koua
were involved. 1)
The fakasoko, in honour of taking the bride's virginity,
was eaten with the main meal. 2)
The 'ofiag sope, from the sigoa
of the bride and the sigoa of the groom,
was also eaten with the main meal, the wedding feast. 3)
The laloag ne su ta, from both parties, supplied most of
the food for the wedding feast. Before the announcement of the feast,
the mafua had to thank the entertainers and tell them that
the end of their dancing had come, as evening was approaching. The
men served the feast in the chiefly way for the important people.
The fumarä'e was in charge of
food that was left after they took out the chiefly fono. The fumarä'e
gave a portion of food to the parties of each of the two sigoa.
On rows of coconut and banana leaves on the ground, the men placed
the rest of the food for all the visitors: taro, yams, papai,
pork, roast beef, corned beef, watermelon, pineapple, and sugar-cane.
4)
Soon after the main feast was finished and the visitors were moving
away, the groom's male relatives brought the next koua,
called a'vahiag su. The mafua announced
it, and the men served it. Then the kava makers, servers, and close
relatives of the couple ate. The couple and the village chiefs who
were still present joined in the feast. 5)
The bride's and groom's parties prepared the 'omoe,
or evening meal. The families of the bride and groom, the ag
'inoso or entertainers for the evening, and others who remained
together with the newlywed couple, then ate. During the 'omoe,
plans for the next day were confirmed. On
the fifth day, the groom's party arrived in the morning, bringing
the paag ri koua with the a'au
or asi. The latter was brought on the same day as the paag ri koua because otherwise it was hard to send the
new couple to the groom's home. The men who brought these koua reconstructed the walls of the bride's family house.
On
this day, the bride and groom were taken to the groom's home (na
'inoso). The bride's female relatives assembled the mats to
be taken for the fau ceremony and as te fakhanisi
(gifts) to the groom's side, along with two koua:a'aragi and a'au (asi). The a'aragi koua
accompanied the bride and groom who were seated on a päega
on a hata and carried by men from the
bride's side. The a'au followed the
a'aragi in procession and lent weight to the request
to have the couple returned to the bride's home. Before
coming to the groom's home, at the compound of a nearby house, the
women accompanying the bride laid an agrua
mat on the ground, topped by an apei, ready for the fau
ceremony. They left these two mats there as a present to whoever owned
the ground where the fau was held.
As the bride and groom stood on the mats, the bride's mother and her
close relatives wrapped the couple in apei
they had plaited. Men from the groom's party, who had come to meet
them at the compound, carried the bride and groom to the groom's home.
The bride's 'a su preceded the couple.
At the groom's home, the groom's people laid down agrua topped by an apei
in front of the house. They set the couple down on the mats and unwrapped
them. The fau mats were shared among
the groom's close relatives. The 'a su
led the couple inside the house where a päega
had been prepared for them by the groom's relatives and a welcome
feast was served. The
te fakhanisi was the bride's present
to the groom, including all the mats that were brought by the visiting
bride's party. The mosquito net, pillow, and 'at fara were then brought inside and piled in front
of the päega. The mats had to
be brought in order: first the apei,
then the 'eap hapa, 'eap ma 'on faua, and agrua last. Then the men brought the koua. The mafua from the
groom's party announced the gifts and the koua.
The women who brought the mats and other items then took them to the
end of the house allocated to the couple, where they prepared the
marital bed. The mats were quietly passed to the two women who were
designated to make the bed. First came the farao
(10 agrua topped by an apei
and a mosquito net); then the women spread the mosega
mats in this order: 'epa ma 'on faua, 'eap hapa, and all the remaining apei. They placed the pillow on the apei and hung a mosquito net over the bed. They hung
the 'at fara at the foot of the bed.
The
elderly women accompanying the bride brought with them the moseag
hoa'ho'a (folded, unlike the display of the te
fakhanisi), on which the couple had slept the night before,
and placed it beside the newly made bed. When it was time to go to
bed, they spread these mats on top of the mosega, took down the mosquito net, and replaced it with
the one from the moseag hoa'ho'a. Ever
After
The newlyweds stayed at the groom's home for a couple of days, after which they returned to the bride's home, where they stayed indefinitely. The groom's parents might have said to him, "Or un" (Tie with sennit), metaphorically encouraging him to be patient and stick with his commitment. The groom brought his bush knife (the main tool for doing gardening) and his own clothes with him; the bride brought the mosegahoa'ho'a. The young people who had been entertaining the couple at the boy's place accompanied them to the girl's place, singing and dancing. An a'aragi koua was taken to the girl's house but not another a'au koua this time, because the couple were going to stay there permanently. The girl's family made a koua to welcome the couple home, together with the party of entertainers who took their leave after the feast. Notes
to Ancient Marriage Customs [1]
Weddings in the old days took place
inside the bride's house. The walls of the girl's house were taken
down prior to the ceremony and put back up later. [2]
Traditional Rotuman houses had rounded
ends. Both ends of the house were usually screened off as sleeping
areas. The middle of the house was for entertaining, ceremonies,
and other activities open to public view. [3]
If the groom's sigoa is a man, a close
female relative (such as a sister) of his performs this ceremony.
[4]
Nowadays, they merely pass the scissors
over the head without cutting any hair. [5]
The ag su
dancers presented an apei and 'epa to the couple before the performance, and after
the main meal (laloag ne su ta),
they departed, having been given te fakhanisi
(mats and food) by the bride's side. [6]
For more about the han mane'ak su, see Vilsoni Hereniko's book, Woven Gods(University
of Hawai'i Press, Honolulu, 1995). |