A Pacific View of Climate Change Tui Atua: Respecting The Sacredness of Trees by Seeking Pardon

His Highness Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Ta’isi Efi, Samoa’s Head of State receives a Hongi (Maori greeting) from Rangitihi Tahuparae during a Maori welcome ceremony at Government House on December 3, 2008 in Wellington, New Zealand.Photo by Marty Melville/Getty Images.

A weekly post on the writings of one of the Pacific most revered scholars and thought leaders:

Climate Change and the Perspective of the Fish

Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Ta’isi Efi

Head of State of Independent State of Samoa

Stars of Oceania Summit
University of Hawaii
9-12 April 2009

Excerpt

Respecting the sacredness of trees by seeking pardon

In the debate on climate change the role of the trees and the forest as the “lungs of the earth” is critical to the production of clean air. In our Samoan reference trees have a life and soul and so are divine creations. Trees catch airborne pollutants by their leaves and bark, and through their root systems are able to cleanse ground water. They allow us to breathe clean air.

In the Samoan indigenous context if a tree was to be cut down, a prayer chant or faalanu is performed. The word used to describe the cutting of a tree is oia, which derives from the word oi, meaning to cry in pain. This presupposes that a tree suffers pain. The faalanu is performed to seek pardon for causing pain.

In the celebrated story of the canoe-builder Lata (or Rata in other parts of the Pacific), when failing to seek pardon from the spirit guardians of the forest for taking the life of a tree, he was denied use of the tree. In this story Lata was baffled to find that after felling during the day a tree from the forest in Savaii to build himself a canoe, that the next morning when he rose to start working on carving the canoe, the tree trunk was restored to life in its original place.

On the third night of this happening Lata decided to hide during the night to see how the tree came back to life. After felling the tree he hid. Late into the night he saw female spirits encircling the tree, restoring it to life. He approached the spirit guardians and asked why they did this. They told him that he had disrespected them by failing to seek pardon before he fell the tree. Lata apologised and sought pardon. When he awoke the next morning the spirit guardians had carved him a beautiful canoe.

The relationship between man and his environment, between man and his co-inhabitors is based on a spiritual culture that finds affinity and equivalence, balance and harmony, between them. In taking from the environment we are accountable to the environment.

Conclusion

The relationship between trees, animals, ocean and mother earth is one of balance, where boundaries are respected and protected. This is captured in the Samoan saying: e le laa le uto i le maene pe sopo le tai i le eleele (lit. the floater cannot intrude on the function of the sinker, as the ocean cannot encroach on the boundaries of the land).

In our arrogance and greed we have encroached the boundaries of what is right and just. As we search for solutions we must be open to the wisdom of others. What has happened over the years as man has become more knowledgeable through science is that that very knowledge has given us a much greater capacity to abuse the elements and forget the need for harmony.

What we need in our search for balance and harmony is a culture of humility and sharing where arrogance and greed are openly admitted and addressed. This is the first step to healing. Man must have the courage to rise above himself and restore his fatumanava, i.e. the earth in his heart, and to finds ways to connect (metaphorically) with the fish.

I say the fish because I wish to end with a famous story from one of your own, Robert Benchley, who while a student of International Law at Harvard University, made a joke about the perspective of the fish. The story goes that in a final examination Benchley was confronted with the question: Discuss the arbitration of the International Fisheries problem in respect to hatcheries protocol and dragnet and trawl procedure, as it affects (a) the point of view of the United States; and (b) the point of view of Great Britain.

In addressing the question Benchley wrote desperately: “I know nothing about the fisheries problem; and nothing about the point of view of the United States; and nothing about the point of view of Great Britain. Therefore, I shall discuss the question from the point of view of the fish”.

Humour aside, for the climate change debate there is poignancy here in searching for the perspective of the fish. For Samoans there is a sacred essence, equivalence and affinity between man and fish. To find solutions to our current environmental problems we must ask ourselves what it is to be a fish. To do this you must be prepared to enter the mind of the fish, to become them, to live as them, and experience the sacrifice they might have to make in order to survive. To protect the environment you need to be able to respect the environment.

The relevance of the viewpoint of the fish is embedded in the wisdom of Robbie Burns:
Would some power the gift to give us
To see ourselves as others [the fish and trees] see us.

Soifua.