In this visit to the Museum of Pre- and Early History at the Berlin State Museums, Ruby cared for the ancestors through direct contact, prayers, and gifts offered to them in storage, creating positive experiences for the ancestors during their time in Europe.
The museum holds eight skulls of ancestors from Sāmoa. Although they were removed from Sāmoa, they originally come from Sāmoa, the Solomon Islands (Malaita), and possibly other parts of Melanesia.
Towards the end of our visit, Fox asked to take on the task of laying the ancestors back into their museum houses or packing units, which he did with the support of Bernhard and Barbara. He carefully placed their skulls into the packing units, while Lucy laid a white lace over them as a form of ufimata (veil over the eyes), afīfī (wrapping), or fa’aafu (to burn up or warm up), and finally returned their ula. We sang a Sāmoan lament, Mo’omo’oga Sa Molia I Talosaga, to farewell the ancestors until such a time when we hope to see them again.
Towards the end of our visit, Fox asked to take on the task of laying the ancestors back into their museum houses or packing units, which he did with the support of Bernhard and Barbara. He carefully placed their skulls into the packing units, while Lucy laid a white lace over them as a form of ufimata (veil over the eyes), afīfī (wrapping), or fa’aafu (to burn up or warm up), and finally returned their ula. We sang a Sāmoan lament, Mo’omo’oga Sa Molia I Talosaga, to farewell the ancestors until such a time when we hope to see them again.
Towards the end of our visit, Fox asked to take on the task of laying the ancestors back into their museum houses or packing units, which he did with the support of Bernhard and Barbara. He carefully placed their skulls into the packing units, while Lucy laid a white lace over them as a form of ufimata (veil over the eyes), afīfī (wrapping), or fa’aafu (to burn up or warm up), and finally returned their ula. We sang a Sāmoan lament, Mo’omo’oga Sa Molia I Talosaga, to farewell the ancestors until such a time when we hope to see them again.
The visit began with a feiloa’iga (formal greeting) led by Fox, a community leader and a Sāmoan chief and orator. He began with a lauga (formal oration) to feiloa’i (greet) the ancestors. Lucy and I then joined him in singing the hymn “Families Can Be Together Forever,” after which he conducted a lotu (prayer) for blessings over the ancestors’ spirits, the institution, and our time together. This formality concluded with each of us presenting a ula (lei, garland) to each ancestor’s skull.
Towards the end of our visit, Fox asked to take on the task of laying the ancestors back into their museum houses or packing units, which he did with the support of Bernhard and Barbara.
He carefully placed their skulls into the packing units, while Lucy laid a white lace over them as a form of ufimata (veil over the eyes), afīfī (wrapping), or fa’aafu (to burn up or warm up), and finally returned their ula. We sang a Sāmoan lament, Mo’omo’oga Sa Molia I Talosaga, to farewell the ancestors until such a time when we hope to see them again.
