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Marcellin College
My Cultural Heritage
Samoan necklaces and earrings
Hi! My name is Angela, and I will explain to you all about Samoan necklaces and Samoan earrings.
Well, the sorts of necklace and earrings shown in the photograph below are made out of coconut shells from the island palm trees.
Necklaces are decorated with all sorts of patterns to make them look attractive. They often have matching earrings so they have the same patterns.
My uncle made the ones in the photograph, and it's not so difficult to make them when you are a professional.
Necklances and earrings like these are used for special occasions, like church or when making a foundation. On such occasions, a girl dances in the middle and a bowl is placed in front of her for people to put money in. (The money is used for foundations, or for sick people, etc.) When the girls wear these necklaces and earrings, they make them look pretty.
There are all sorts of necklaces, with different colours, shapes, and patterns. Brown is the main colour for necklaces and earrings.
The necklace in the photograph is called an ‘ula’, and the earrings are called ‘tautaliga’. These are beautiful. They can be hung on a wall for display or kept in a safe place.
These ones are precious to our family because my uncle made them and they give us good memories from the past.
The uka and tautaliga belonging to Angela.
(Photograph copyright Lyn Potter, 2003)
