Village Justice, Samoan Style

9/10/07

In Samoa, criminal matters are almost always handled by the Village Council which consists of over 100 men with Matai titles. An offense is brought before the council by the Matai who represents the offended family, the council discusses it, comes to a consensus about whether the charge is valid and what penalties should be imposed.

Penalties, sala, can be harsh. If the individual cannot meet the demands of the sala, then the person’s family must come up with the sala. Usually the penalty is a monetary fine, but if the family does not have the money, then livestock or some other foodstuff is substituted. The sala is then divided among the villagers. The person offended gets a share like anyone else. This sharing among the villagers is something to behold.

Today a person had to bring three cows, a fine mat, several cases of canned mackerel, and money for killing someone else’s calf to eat. This is done before the entire village council and other villagers to see. This is a huge penalty imposed on a poor family. The cows are then butchered and divided among the Matai. The canned mackerel is divided among those without Matai titles, because of their lower rank.

We got a large piece of beef because of our guest status in the village. Since there is little refrigeration in the village, we are eating beef tonight!

Dividing up the Fine for the Village

Our Share