A wreath was placed in memory of each of Samoa’s 132 tsunami victims as their names were read out one by one. The exception was the nine overseas victims whose identities were not publicized. The memorial service brought about 3-thousand mourners, relatives and friends to the Apia Park Stadium – even the New Zealand police rescue workers with their canines that helped locate some of the bodies buried under the rubble and sand.

The service was led by the Fellowship of Christian Churches under Chairman Reverend Oka Fauolo, with the leaders of the Catholics, Methodists and Congregationalists seeking comfort for the thousands who have lost loved ones in a disaster the Samoans called ‘mala faa-le-natura’ – a curse of nature.

The disaster has brought the island nation to its knees as its leaders and people ponder if it was a curse as it pushes forward in a highly competitive globalized economy where its dependency on tourism looks forever fragile with the unparalleled disastrous power of nature.

The college students carried and laid a wreath for each of the victims, most of whom have already been buried over the past week as the badly decomposed bodies could no longer be held in the morgues.

But the sight of eleven coffins – seven adults and four small ones, brought tears to many eyes as the open-sided trucks covered in Samoan fine mats, passed slowly by and the police carried each casket with ceremonial precision to the dais as a last honour.

The Police Brass Band held the tunes with human voices breaking with emotion in every hymn sung here.
Many of the overseas relatives have been here only a couple of days, many carrying wreaths, flowers and huge banners in memory of their lost loved ones. One pays tribute to the patriarch of the Taufua family of Lalomanu that lost 14 family members in the disaster. Under a life sized photo the message reads: “13 Loved Ones, 4 Generations. Thanks to our families here and abroad for your prayers and support.” The Small Business Centre (SBEC) pays tribute to eight people from two families who were their clients who lost their lives and much more.

A familiar face, a farmer of Saleapaga, Lafitaga Suafai Sasulu whose face is on a Mobile phone card is held up high by his relatives here.

Almost two hours later, the bodies are transported to the new cemetery at Tafa’igata across from the prison and rubbish dump. This is a first mass grave and a mass burial in modern times as one time in history, a mass grave held more bodies than today, when the Spanish influenza killed 22 percent of the Samoan population in 1918.

Along the route, people on the roadsides throw flowers in the motorcades way as a mark of respect and sympathy. It is getting dark. Television New Zealand (TVOne) has set up their satellite dish behind the mass grave to file a live report of this ceremony that is seen as a cap to the disaster.

Each of the eleven caskets were painstakingly carried by the Police one by one and placed inside each of the graves. One, which should have made it twelve, opted out at the last minute, to be buried near the family home at Aleipata. Lined up in neat fashion and covered in white ceramic tiles, the graves have space and walkway around them making it easy for families and friends to pay their last respects and lay wreaths and flowers on the coffins.

Each of the victims had a name placard and date of birth. The oldest – a 76 years old grandfather and the youngest – a four year old girl.

As with religious (Congregational) tradition, the mourners got up almost in unison and edged for space to throw a piece of the earth into the grave, as Reverend Oka proclaimed ‘from dust to dust’. It is already dark and a cool breeze blows across this fertile farmland.

Tomorrow, the close relatives will wake up to the pain of their loss but will find some strength and comfort from this burial ceremony to try and move forward. As said in this ceremony today, ‘the sun will rise again’.

The Government will erect a memorial here that will bear the names of all the tsunami victims including those from overseas.  It will be a reminder for all to be prepared at all times against natural disasters.

Written by Lance Polu, on 09-10-2009 10:39

Source: Talamua

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