Sienkiewicz - Week 3 Notes

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Stephanie Sienkiewicz Week 3 Field Notes excerpts - Social Relations and a Funeral

Researched 9/22/99, Typed 9/22/99
Summary

After waking this morning I played with my cousin/brother's daughter Siteri. We rolled a tennis ball around. [It is strange to play with children who don't speak the same language as me.] We ate breakfast then, peri lai (thin, round, pancake-type breakfast/lunch food) with butter and the maple syrup I brought from New York. The diet here, at least in my family, consists of a lot of butter, salt, and carbohydrates. After breakfast we went into Vaileka. I wanted to take a bath before we went but then decided I would rather wait since we hadn't gotten any water at that point in the morning and I prefer that fresh water pour into the barrel while I'm bathing. That makes me feel better about the quality of the water. But the water started coming so I took my bath. My sister Nei knew that I was writing letters last night so she told me that they were going into town today; I could go with them and go to the post office. The purpose of my family's trip into town was to go see Puni (my nephew) at his school. Today was "Sports Day" at Penang Sangam School. My Tata, Nei and I drove into town bearing some sandwiches for Puni (Puni's father, my brother, did not come with us) and also some food for Adi Lai Lai. Adi lives in the house behind mine. She is my Tata's niece's daughter (his brother's daughter's daughter). She also attends Penang. We went to the post office first and then to the hospital. The purpose of this (I guess) was just to show it to me. We drove by the school and the children were not outside yet, I believe, so we went up to the hospital. I thought my Tata had some business there but we just walked through it. Then we drove back to the school and parked the car. Some of the children stared at me while I was there, most of them looked at me. Some said hello and others just giggled.
"Sports Day"

When we arrived, all of the children were sitting on the cement of the 'porch' of the school. This is the area up the stairs but outside of the classrooms, an outdoor hallway. Nei told me that there were about 700 students up there. This was only the primary school. Penang is an Indian school. Fijian children also attend however. We sat down on the lawn on benches, on the other side of the driveway. A woman addressed the students through a microphone at the front of the crowd. She said that it was a nice day (even though it rained very hard last night and this morning.) She described the importance of sports day, saying the school recognizes the place of athletics in education. She also said that all of the funds they raised during the day would go toward the purchase of band instruments, so that the school might form a band. She noted that there were some students with a couple of different kinds of drums in the front of the crowd, on the steps on the way up. They had been playing when we drove up earlier. They had marching drums. The woman then said that any extra money they made during the day, if they reached their goal amount, would go toward improving the athletic program. She then introduced another woman who would introduce the guest speaker of the day. I believe he was some sort of business man but I couldn't hear perfectly from where I was. They had given him the honor of wearing a necklace made of flowers. After he made a little speech, including urging good sportsmanship even if you are not a very good athlete, the first woman returned to the microphone. She told the students that this man had made a very generous donation and they all clapped. All of the students in unison put their hands in prayer position and started praying. This was an Indian/Hindu prayer but all of the students, Fijians who are presumably Christian included. The children were dismissed and started flooding down the steps and out into the empty field in front of the school. This had been lined (the grass removed in lines) to form an oval track and also one straight line track diagonally through the oval. The children played randomly all over the field. The teachers were all inside having tea, to which we were invited. They served tea and had two kinds of cake out as well as samosas and some peas (in some sauce, as a snack food).

The children played all over the field for around 15 to 20 minutes. The teachers brought out tables and snacks in small white paper bags, popsicles, drinks ( ice water in large bowls and around ten cups to distribute it), and some sort of fruit as well. They sold all of this to the children who crowded around the area. They continued serving throughout the time we were there and the events going on. They brought the microphone and speakers out onto the field and a woman made announcements as to what to do. "Go to your houses"; this must have referred to grouping the children. There was only one member of each 'house' per race. These houses were, eagle, cobra, tiger, and one other one. They started the races with the 1500 meter. Boys and girls had separate races, as did ages. A race would be boys under 11, or girls under 10, for instance. While we were there we saw only the 1500 and the 100 meter races. We left Narewa at approximately 8:45 a.m. and arrived back at around 12:30 p.m..

I tried to notice if Fijian students hung out with other Fijian students most of the time and Indian students with Indians. This seemed apparent at first but I then saw the children mixing up. There are many more Indian students then Fijian students. I did notice that the majority of the parents there to watch (approximately 20 people) was Fijian rather than Indian. All but one of the teachers I saw were Indian; they were all women except one man, that I saw. Some of the children had their school uniforms on. But they were allowed to wear street clothes today, tank tops and shorts mostly. My nephew wore street clothes but put his uniform on over them to go to school in the morning.

Researched 9/23/99, Typed 9/23/99
Summary

This morning after breakfast and my bath, my sister Nei and I went to a house in the village. My goal was to draw the woman's family's genealogy; her name is Soko. [ I wanted to check out her place because it is the only two-story house in the village.] After asking her my census questions I began with her family and her husband's family. I had her side complete but decided to come back later to finish her husband's side in his presence. She invited me to dinner this evening and we finished the genealogy after that. I went to another house to get census information after leaving Soko's home with Nei and Esei, my cousin/brother. After this we returned to my house to have lunch. I met one of my Tata Levus (my Tata's elder brother) and Nana Levu. I also met two of their sons. One of these is my brother Samisoni's namesake.

After lunch we prepared to go to Vitawa. One of my family's relatives had died in Suva last week. We went today to give mats and tomorrow we will attend the funeral. The body and the deceased man's wife were expected to arrive in Vitawa this evening. After delivering the mats, we sat outside. Soon Apryle and her sister Tila arrived after receiving word through the village grapevine that we were there. The two of them came to sit with us. Nei, my cousin/sister Rosi, Apryle, Tila, and I watched a volleyball game in the village green. After this Nei, Rosi, my Tata's niece Mila, and myself returned to Narewa. Samisoni drove us and expects me to practice driving standard on the left-hand side of the road soon. After returning, I typed some field notes. Nei and I then went to Soko's house for dinner. Later in the evening I typed census information and drew a final version of the family tree.
Grieving for the Deceased

When we arrived in Vitawa, the men and women in our group split up. The women entered the vale ni mate, the house of the dead (Ravuvu, 64). The men went to a building next door. This was a shelter made of bamboo poles and corrugated metal; I believe it was temporary. We women went into someone's home. This was the home of the deceased's sister, even though she lives in another village now. I believe this would have been the dead man's house had he not moved to Suva. Vitawa is his father's village. We came to this house to offer the reguregu, the tribute to the dead (Ravuvu, 64). We brought mats with us. When we approached the house, the women called something in unison. The women inside the house then replied with another phrase. We went inside the house then, carrying the mats. The women inside were crying as we went in. We knelt down to move across the floor and then sat near the entrance. My Nana moved up to the front of the row of women and got out her handkerchief. The women were making high pitched crying sounds. It reminded me of childhood when I would try not to stop crying and would force out crying sounds. I sat with my head bent down, as my family told me to do. I noticed though that some women did not have their heads down and were not crying. My cousin/sister was looking around with dry eyes. After approximately ten minutes of this crying, some women clapped and the sounds stopped. The women then moved around in the front room of the house, arranging themselves against the walls. They also spread the mats they had brought out on the floor. There were already many different mats spread over the whole floor and over the bed in the middle of the back wall. My Nana told me to introduce myself to my 'aunts.' These women seemed glad to meet me and wore large smiles. I noticed the stark contrast between the ten crying minutes and the time after that. After one bowl of yaqona, which my Nana served to certain women in the room, Nei, Rosi and I left the house to sit outside. Tila told me that the older women in the house would stay there for ten days. They will take their meals, baths and rest there.

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Researched 9/24/99, Typed 9/24/1999
Summary

Today my family and I attended the funeral of a man from Vitawa that died in Suva. When we arrived in Vitawa, around 10 a.m.; I noticed a gutted cow lying on the ground. My Tata went into the men's building. Puni stayed in the car. Nana, Nei, and I went to the house in which the women were grieving. We did not go inside but instead stayed in the shelter attached to the outside of the house. There was a tarp laid out on the cement as well as tarps acting as walls between the floor and the metal roof. After sitting here for approximately 30 minutes, we proceeded to the church. When we entered the choir was practicing. There were only about twenty people in the church, excluding the choir members. More people entered gradually. We waited for another 30 minutes. Then many people started shuffling in at once. The church was full as the coffin entered the building. Many attendants followed after this as well. The ceremony began. During the ceremony, I had to leave. After the ceremony finished a procession walked to the cemetery. I was unable to follow in this and my Nana, Tata, and Nei brought me home. Puni stayed to go to the cemetery. My Tata and Nana returned back to Vitawa while Nei and I stayed in Narewa.
Women's Grieving Sessions

The women's sessions were longer today than when my Nana, Nei, Rosi, and I went yesterday. They were also more dramatic. Although I was not inside the house, I was directly outside and could see and hear the actions inside. The wailing was much louder today accompanied by utterances. The women hadn't said anything yesterday when I was inside the house. Today more than one woman cried out with some phrase. I believe these must have been the "Who will make us smile now that you are gone" type statements which Ravuvu refers to in his chapter on "Life Cycles." There were also more women inside the house at one time. Someone told me that the session I witnessed today was the mother's side of the family. While sitting outside, a woman from Suva was asking me questions about where I was from and why I was living in a village. While commenting on how I can now see a funeral first-hand, she told me "Death brings us together." She was in part referring to the distances people had traveled to attend the funeral. She said that most of them were from Suva, some were from Lautoka, and there were many there from the surrounding villages.
The Funeral Service

During the choir practice, before the funeral started, a man beat the lali (drum calling church) once every minute or so. This was done until the body entered the church. Some people, when they entered, proceeded to the front of the church and laid down mats. There was already a table in front of this area with mats on it. These mats were presented by the mother's side of the family, the vasu. It is the obligation of the vasu to bury their dead. It was with those mats that the coffin was carried out of the church. The coffin was covered with a red velvety material. There was masi or tapa, bark cloth with dyed patterns stamped onto it, draped over the coffin. After the church was filled, the pallbearers entered the church with the coffin. These were uncles and one brother. After the coffin procession people with flowers poured in. Many children were the first in this line of people; adults followed. They all sat on the floor area behind the coffin. They placed the flowers on top of the coffin. The wife of the deceased, dressed all in black, entered the church at this time. She and another woman with her sat right next to the coffin. Chiefs sat behind the pulpit at the far end of the church. One of these was the Tui Navitilevu.

The choir stood to begin the ceremony. The reverend was also standing, as were some of the audience members. When the choir finished, the reverend opened with a prayer followed by a communal "Amen." There were hymns and intermittent prayers throughout the service. One man spoke on behalf of the Tui Navatu for approximately 20 minutes. He described the dead. He first thanked people for coming to the funeral in Vitawa. These included relatives and the Tui Navitilevu. He mentioned all of the villages in Rakiraki including the Malake Islands, where the vasu was from. He also thanked Drana, where the wife was from, and all that came from Lautoka and Suva. The name of the deceased was Inoke Nasikele. His mataqali was Naikoro. His yavusa was Naisogoliku. He was born on April 20, 1963, making him 36 years old at the time of his death. He had six siblings, three sisters and three brothers. He was the third child; both of his parents were already deceased. As a child he was sly, as he continued to be while he was single. He was also polite though. The speaker told the audience that the deceased was married at age 27. His wife was from Vanua Levu but grew up in Drana, where her grandmother lived. He was married only 12 years at his death.

A second speaker also talked at length. One of the things he described was the dead man's last moment. He was having his family prayer. He asked his wife to pray and then fell and died.
Getting Sick

During the funeral service I felt nauseous and then very hot and weak. I contemplated leaving the church. The next recollection I have is of Tila (Apryle's sister) holding me up and walking with me out of the church. My Nana and Nei followed closely behind. They sat me down on the steps in front of the church and asked me if I needed to rest. I said yes and they brought me to one of the houses in the village. I laid down on the floor and they brought me two pillows to use. They also located an indoor toilet in the village for me to use.

I had not been feeling well when I woke up in the morning. My Nana asked me what I had for dinner last night since I ate over at a different house in the village. When I told her that I had had coconut milk, she told me that was why I was sick. She said that that should only be taken in the afternoon. [I felt bad that she was pinning the blame on the woman whose house I had eaten at.] While in the house in Vitawa where I took my rest after leaving the church, I heard my Nana saying "lolo" which means coconut milk. She was again using that as the reason, this time for why I fainted. Numerous people asked me what I had to eat last night. Many people also noted how hot it was in the church. I don't believe that the coconut milk or the heat in the church (which didn't bother me that much until I got a hot flash) were direct causes. I keep saying it was probably the combination of many things. Each person I talk to seems to want to find one singular cause however. My tovale Esei even suggested that there was a strange wind today.

[There's nothing like passing out at a funeral to make you homesick.]

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