The Orator.
The Orator is Samoa's first ever feature film. It is all shot in Samoa as well as the movie being spoken in Samoan as well. Saili ( main character-Dwarf), is a Taro farmer who lives with his Wife Vaa'iga and her daughter Litia in a isolated village in Samoa. Saili’s family is looked upon by the villagers as outcasts, where he is taunted for his small stature and his wife is troubled by her past. Saili finds that he must gain the courage to speak up to regain his father’s chiefly status, and to protect his land and family. The scene i'll be focusing on is Saili on the bus on his way to Vaaiga's village to claim her body back after she passed away. It will be written from Saili's point of view.
I sat in the bus on the way to claim back the body of my partner Vaaiga, and I looked back at the time she never doubted my capabilities and always encouraged when I was in doubt. She saw a lot in me that I never saw in myself. She saw the pain in my eyes that I never wanted to talk about during the time my parents were being buried in a place where people have now used as their own plantation use. I couldn’t instruct them to move their plants; they intimidated me like everyone else in the village because of my size. Being a dwarf, people looked to me like I had no voice, they mocked me. Every short joke that was thought of, it was said. I remember at the pool where Vaaiga and I would go, she swam around while I sat there thinking about my parents land that have now been disrespected by others and I was helpless to do anything. Vaaiga and I both knew having an Oratory title to be a chief in the village will give me that voice to speak and make a stand to those that look down on me, taking advantage of me. Tagaloa, the highest chief in the village was the only person who can anoint me as one. It wasn’t something given to any man that ask for it, it was an honour to be earned. You had to have what it took to be exactly that, an Orator.
“Have you gone to see Tagaloa about the chief title? You need to get your parents back from where they lie, it’s sad the way things look on the land.”
I thought what was I to do? No one respected me.
“Who am I? Tagaloa would never consider me to be a chief.”
“Why not? God gave you a mouth and a heart, that’s all an Orator needs.”
She was right. But it really wasn’t as easy as that. I was still in doubt. Following this conversation I went and sat outside the house of Tagaloa, listening to him talking to the other chiefs of the village. He was blunt. He spoke roughly to them. Tagaloa said things straight and he made no mistake in what he said. I came again to him later on in that week, with offerings of food. I brought in front of him my situation. I was sceptical of what he thought about me, a dwarf asking to be a chief to solve the problem I had.
“Being a chief you have to be fearless at your weakest…”
I left. I was in doubt all over again. I later realised that the problem wasn’t the situation I had with the people in the village, the problem was me. I didn’t have the will in myself to talk and make a stand in the first place why am I looking at having a title to solve this when my fears of standing up and end up being declined by those that don’t take me seriously. Vaaiga, I saw and became to realise that her sickness wasn’t going away, so this chief title became less important. I went on with my day to day duties.
Vaaiga truly was the only person that spoke highly of me. We lived as outsiders in our own village. She was banished from her family’s village she grew up in 17 years ago. Each village in Samoa have their own set of laws to be followed by or else the village will not only down those that go against it, but they have the authority to remove that person from that village. Vaaiga was a teenager who fell pregnant, and she left with no regrets of keeping her child regardless of having to raise her alone. They both have since become my responsibility. I would do whatever it takes to shelter and provide for them. She never did hear from her family till now. A curse has become upon her older brother, Poto. He had a sickness in his leg that he believed led him to come to Vaaiga and take her back to the village where she was banished from to live together as a family again. I sat outside listening to what he and his family had to say. They claimed she was the only way he would be cured. Vaaiga refused.
“I will never return.”
The family went on to say how disrespectful and heartless she was. She was far from it. I was proud of her. They left the house and I heard every nasty thing they had to say about her, especially Poto’s wife. She seemed, evil.
Days went by and every day that came I could see Vaaiga wasn’t getting better. We sat in the house, eating the coco rice that she had made.
“The coco rice you made is delicious.”
She weaved her mat, the same mat she weaves every day I came home from cleaning around the land. She replied,
“If I die, bury me in the front of this house. I never want to go back to them.”
“Finish your coco rice first.” I joked back to her.
Why she thought like this confirmed to me that she probably could see her time coming.
I thought back to the Oratory chief title we talked about. If her time was to come how was I to represent her? And I couldn’t go on with my parents lying where they were. The land that once belonged to my parents has been abused for the selfish uses of others. It still belonged to me. I started to think about the respect I would gain, the respect I deserved just like every other human being.
Litia, Vaaiga’s daughter would look after her mother when I was out doing my daily duties. She was close to her mother. She wasn’t the most obedient daughter but she loved her mother like more than she loved anyone else. Vaaiga was all she had. The mistakes, the disobedience and troubles her daughter would go through Vaaiga would never let her stood alone regardless of whether or not she knew Litia was in the wrong. I heard litia when I got home,
“Vaaiga, why don’t we go to the hospital or someone come and see you? You’re not looking any better.”
“I don’t want anyone to come in this room.”
Vaaiga was stubborn, but she accepted death before it came for her. I sat and massaged her, all over. Her face was lifeless, she laid there breathing heavily. It became normal. I was hurting inside, thinking about life after she had gone. It wouldn’t fit. It was hard to accept that she would leave with a burden to her family left unresolved. Was this what she really wanted? Maybe this is what that mat symbolises that she has been weaving for so long, forgiveness. It all began to fall in to place what Vaaiga was doing. She prepared not only herself, but both Vaaiga and I for the worse and that we she won’t leave without giving us both a bit of back up. Even when I refused her help in the past, Vaaiga stood firm when she wanted to do something for me. I didn’t like her helping me I wanted to do things on my own, I was the man of the family I knew it’s my place to help them , not the other way around. I told Litia to take over massaging her body; I went to clean the front of the house. I needed to clear my head, I needed that fresh air and tried to keep myself busy away from tearing up in front of Vaaiga. I heard Litia’s sudden scream, her voice hysterical.
“VAAIGA! VAAIGA! VAAIGA!!”
She was gone. I froze, for a minute I thought to myself about what I was going to do next without even walking inside to see her yet. I finally walked in, Litia was crying hysterically on top of her mother. I kneeled there looking at them both. I walked over to the back and got everything ready for her. I got a bowl of water to wipe her body down, a fine mat to cover body with. I was numb all over emotionally. I knew what I had to do.
Next Day
I began digging where she requested she wanted to be buried. It took hours, almost the whole day. I started from the top with a coconut shell digging fast and hard, making sure Vaaiga wasn’t left out too long. I wanted her to lie peacefully straight away. It became nearer to the right depth for her to lie. The last dig I went to do the stick broke. This stick was my only way back of the whole how was I to get back to the top? It began to rain. It rain heavily and the water level in the whole I dug up came up fast. However, I heard a yell from the house.
“Poto!! Poto! Give my mother’s body back!”
Vaaiga’s brother had come and stolen his sister’s dead body from our home. Litia saw me struggling to stay above the water; she ran over with the staff and reached in to get me out. I got out of my wet clothes and changed. The rain soon stopped and I made my way over to Tagaloa’s house.
“So they’ve stolen your wife’s body, are you going to steal it back?” Tagaloa asked.
“I have come to talk to you about a title. I want to bring my wife back.”
He looked at me, he looked at me same way Vaaiga would when she knew I rightfully deserved a title.
“I know your words are sweet, but they can sting. Good, you shall receive what you have come for.”
I looked up, we met eye to eye. He now anointed me with the chief title name Leopao. He called for someone to bring out the ava and cup and for someone to find a maiden to mix the ava. The ava ceremony for me to take my place as a chief is officially took place. I felt humbled and at the same time determined to now use my Oratory to make a stand, fearful of the outcome, to bring my wife back where she belongs. So here I am in the bus on my way to the village where she once belonged to.
I got off the bus and walked on to their land with my staff. To my surprise, behind me walked Litia with the fine mat her mother had woven. Today that mat was used for it’s true purpose. WE walked in front of the house. The name calling didn’t take long. I heard people saying
“Look it’s a dwarf”
“Do you need a ladder?”
“It’s Moses and his Staff.”
The people of the village laughed at me. For the first time I didn’t feel intimidated, I could feel Vaaiga’s presence with me. This felt right and the words thrown at me didn’t faze me. I held my head up high; I looked over to Litia worried she would be affected by what others have against me.
“I don’t know how the family is going to treat me and what’s going to happen after this, but please go home and wait.” I told her quietly.
She kept her eyes firmly locked on her mother that was lying in the house.
“I’m not going anywhere till we get my mother back.”
I waited for Poto to walk out, I didn’t see anyone but the people of the village, the family kept their eyes locked on me.
I began my oratory,
“With great respect to the family in mourning, the bond between Vaaiga and my family has been broken by mistrust and disrespect. I have come, to weave our bond back together. I am asking, return the body of Vaaiga to me...”
I heard his wife, complaining. Making it clear for me to hear she wanted me gone, asking male members of the family to chuck me in the sea. They yelled, calling me names, trouble maker. I was nervous. Was Poto going to come out respectfully and talk to me in oratory respect? I didn’t know what was going to happen from here. They all stared. I saw him walking towards the front of the fale, with his staff and his necklace. He accepted my position to talk to me with respect that this chief title is bigger than the small person they take me for. I had such huge respect for him. He spoke,
“Wait, I want to correct you. Firstly, that bond does not belong to you. It belongs to this family,It has been seventeen years, since the bond has been severed, but it has been restored today, with the return of Vaaiga’s body. Secondly, I wish to acknowledge Vaaiga’s daughter. Your mother’s offence has now been pardoned, this here is now your real family, this is where you belong. I want to thank you Leopao, for giving shelter to Vaaiga, I applaud you for coming here today, you show great courage. However, on this day, your ties to Vaaiga will end. Bring a box and a mat.”
He signalled to the boys in the family to give gifts in return of me attempting to stand infront of Vaaiga’s family. He looked down at me at this point, but I had no intention of leaving.
“I am ashamed of myself; I am ashamed also of you. You come to my house and steal the body of Vaaiga away even though you know; she had refused to return to your family..”
He interrupted,
“If you love Vaaiga, then stop this now. Your family has suffered, my family has suffered, That’s why I say , lower your staff and go home.”
“You say to me, that the fate of my family has been determined on this yard,”
He exclaimed,
“You’re not listening to me. This day is vaaiga’s day. Today Vaaiga is reunited with her family!”
I went on,
“Death is unpredictable. I saw death, coming for Vaaiga. I saw it, inside our house, as we sat and ate together, and talked about our lives and our family. Death was there when we were at the pools. It was there when we said our evening prayers. I became so familiar with seeing death, that I became careless. It says in the Holy book, that death is like a thief at night. Vaaiga was alone. When death finally took her I wasn’t there. That is the burden I will carry for the rest of my life. So go ahead, but I say to you, if you bury her in this earth, the worms will find her. Even if you lift her high into the trees, the birds will find her. Give me Vaaiga, I will bury her here in the space between my heart and my lung. The worms will never find her there, nor the birds. She will be safe, and at peace in here within my soul.”
I looked to Litia and said,
“Go and take the mat- That mat, was woven by Vaaiga, and completed by her daughter Litia. That is Vaaiga’s gift to your family, with the hope that she can be forgiven…”
Today, Vaaiga lies together with my parents in front of our home.
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