Nutrition
Today Samoans and pacific people are seen as “Big People.” Last year scientific research done in New Zealand found that a gene was a factor that could potentially contribute to obesity for people of Polynesian heritage. While I cannot dispute the findings of this research, it is important to note that this accounts for less than 5% of our weight problems. Clearly Samoan life-style, particularly the cultural way be use food, is responsible for disturbing declines in our health. Obesity was not a significant problem in the early days of colonialism, but it certainly is today.
The influx of cheap imported food soon followed - turkey tails, lamp flaps, salted beef, white flour, and sugar. Our people had a natural liking of these imported food products and soon developed our own unhealthy creations - pancakes, kopai, keke puaa, german buns, and siamu popo (jam) made by frying sugar to melt and add coconut cream. Even though most of these imported products are expensive today, we still buy them because we are “addicted” to them.
When our belief that “Big” is strong, wealthy and beautiful, is fuelled by cheap imported food, there are serious health consequences for our wonderful people.
We have also added imported food to our Cultural Ceremonies or gatherings such as Village Chief Title bestowment, Village penalties, Village gifts, funerals, weddings and opening a new church building and many others.
I believe to fix problems, we must find the underlying root cause, then, based on the findings, make the necessary changes to solve the problem. I believe that our health problems, started back in the 1800s when Samoa was colonised by the Germans, then Britain and finally passed on to New Zealand. Prior to colonisation we lived off the land and sea farming chickens, pigeons, pigs, goats, ducks, taro, banana, yams, and ta’amu to name a few. Fishing was massive as well. We were literally living on pure organic food and people were strong and fit from working hard on their daily routines.
