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Samoan Material Culture

Torches

Torches

Torches (lama) are made of the dry coconut leaflets (au lama) left out to dry in the sun. The leaflets are pulled off the midrib and tied together in small bundles. Torching goes on at night inside the reef. A number of the leaflet bundles are carried and as one burns down another is lit. The taume flower sheaths of the coconut palm when dry are also tied into a bundle termed fausa and used as a torch. Dried candlenut kernels, also called lama, are page 429threaded together and termed tuingalama. Both women and men use the torch.

Coconut leaves are used as an individual adjunct in the torch, to form the walls of temporary weirs and as sweep nets and dams in community fishing.

According to a saying the torch was used in catching the sipa outside the reef but no details were obtained.