Va is celebrated by the Samoans as a
relationship that consistently defines and redefines itself in the space
between two people, places and things. It is considered by the Samoan culture
as a unique entity that contains unspoken expectations and obligations. Va
is the inherent and changeable patterns of obligations and expectations between
people and their environment.
A friend who has had direct experience with the people of
Samoa brought Va to my attention. She explained that our North
American sense of relationship has a great deal to do with how we feel about
another person’s impact on you, while in the Samoan culture, the Va
space is viewed as the stage upon which all patterns carry meaning. Each person
is responsible for the condition of Va and so whatever meanings are held within
Va are the responsibility of the person who put them there.
I love the way the word sounds and the tender vibration it
produces on my lower lip. I’m learning to use it in my everyday conversations
with people. I hope that Va can help me with my relationship with my
son, reinforce my love for my husband, express gratitude toward my friends, and
bring my passion for God to front of mind.
 |
Vā is the space between, the between-ness, not empty space,
not space that
separates but space that relates, that holds separate
entities and things together
in the Unity-that-is-All, the space that is context, giving
meaning to things. The
meanings change as the relationships/contexts change.
Albert Wendt |
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