"Palangi" redirects here. For places in Iran, see Palangi, Iran. For the book by Erich Scheurmann, see The Papalagi.
Pālagi (pronounced IPA: [/'pɑːlʌŋiː/] – singular ) or papālagi (plural) is a term in Samoan culture of uncertain etymology, sometimes used to describe foreigners. Tent and Geraghty (2001) comment that the origin of the Western Polynesian Papālagi~Pālagi and the Fijian Vāvālagi~Pāpālagi remains a matter of speculation.[1]
Papālagi~Pālagi is a word in the Samoan language describing non-Samoans, usually white foreigners of European or American descent. In Samoa the term is used to describe foreigners. The word is both a noun e.g. a Palagi (European person) or an adjective e.g. Palagi house (non-traditional Samoan house). The word is a cognate in other Polynesian languages and has gained widespread use throughout much of western Polynesia, including in Tokelau, Tuvalu, 'Uvea and Futuna.
Written Pālagi or Papālagi in Samoan, and Papālangi or Pālangi in Tongan,[2] the term Pālagi is also used in Niuean.
The etymology of the term Palagi is disputed. An explanation that emerged in the 19th century is that word is derived from the Polynesian rootwords "pa" (meaning: gates) and "lagi" (meaning: sky or heaven), hence the standard translation "gates of heaven"[3] It has been suggested that the compound word comes from the Polynesian's reaction to seeing for the first time, European missionaries enter the country. Their skin being a different color made them think they were men sent from the gates of heaven.[4] Tcherkézoff (1999) argues that such an interpretation is a European projection to explain Polynesian cosmology.[2]
Jan Tent, a Macquarie Universitylinguist, and Dr. Paul Geraghty, director of the Institute of Fijian Language and Culture in Suva, suggest that the word may have its origins in the travels of the Polynesians themselves. They believe that the Polynesian islanders may have encountered Malay travellers prior to contact with Europeans, and adopted the Malay word barang (meaning: imported cloth). These researchers also suggest another possible etymology – the Malay word for European, as used in the 17th and 18th centuries, was faranggi. However, they discount this possibility as the word palangi seems to have originally referred to cloth; only later was the word transferred to the people.[1]
Recorded use
Captain Cook noted the expression "ko e vaka no papalangi" (the boats of Papalangi) in Tonga, with Cook's transcription being "Towacka no papalangie" and his translation as "cloth ships".[5]
The specific origin of this term remains uncertain. The term has gained widespread use throughout much of western Polynesia including Tokelau, Tuvalu, 'Uvea and Futuna, etc., with the expansion of use of the term being though to have occurred in the 18th century when Tongans, and to lesser extent Samoans, regularly interacted with white sailors, beachcombers, convicts, missionaries, and whalers who clearly delineated ethnoracial boundaries between themselves (papalagi/papalangi) and the Polynesians they encountered.[1][2]
Louis Becke after having worked and travelled in the Pacific from 1869 to 1885 uses papalagi to mean a white person in stories[7] set in what is now Tuvalu, The Rangers of the Tia Kua,[8]Kennedy the Boatsteerer in which appears "The last native girl who occupied the proud position of Te avaga te papalagi (the white man's wife) was a native of the island of Maraki";[9] Samoa, A Basket of Bread-Fruit,[8]At a Kava-Drinking in which appears "alii papalagi (white gentleman)" and "this wandering papalagi tafea (beachcomber)",[10]The Best Asset in a Fool’s Estate in which appears "the papalagi mativa (poor white)”;[11] and the Tokelau, Challis the Doubter.[12]
Modern usage
Largely because of the growing Pacific Islander culture in New Zealand, this word has been adopted by other Pacific cultures. Its usage in New Zealand's Pacific Islander media such as television and radio is common, and it is often used by the mainstream media to describe non-Samoans of European descent.[13][14]
The term is now also used in New Zealand in a similar way to the Māori term Pākehā, but it is not restricted in referring to white people within Pacific-island surroundings. As with Pākehā, Samoans and Tongans initially applied palagi/palangi and papalagi/papalangi to whites of British derivation. Today, the Samoan term "gagana fa'a Palagi", the Tongan term "lea fakapālangi" and the Tuvaluan term "faka-Pālagi" still refer to the English language specifically, even though it is understood that many ethnic Europeans who are considered "palagi" do not speak English but rather German, French, Spanish, etc. While the term is generally applied to people of European ancestry as a means of differentiation or categorization, some feel the term is derogatory, especially when aimed pointedly toward half-caste Samoans or ethnic Samoans who were born and raised in western, metropolitan societies; "fia palagi" and "fie palangi" are commonly applied to ethnic Samoans and Tongans, respectively, who are viewed as favoring the "white man's" lifestyle or culture in lieu of traditional Polynesian modes of speech, dress, housing, interpersonal relations, etc.[15][16]
Tcherkezoff (1999) comments, "Europeans are still called Papālagi in today's languages. In Samoan, it is an absolutely common everyday word, not in any way a metaphoric ceremonial expression used for special circumstances or used in derogatory/laudatory ways."[2]
^ abcTent, Jan and Paul Geraghty, Paul, 2001, "Exploding sky or exploded myth? The origin of Papalagi", Journal of the Polynesian Society, 110, No. 2: 171–214.
^ abcdTcherkezoff, Serge, 1999. "Who said the 17th–18th centuries paplagi/'Europeans' were 'sky-bursters'? A Eurocentric projection onto Polynesia", Journal of the Polynesian Society, 108, 4: 417–425.
^Stair, John B., n.d. [c. 1897]. Old Samoa or Flotsam and Jetsam from the Pacific Ocean, Oxford: The Religious Tract Society.
^Turner, George, 1884. Samoa: A Hundred Years Ago and Long Before, London: Macmillan.
^Beaglehole, J.C., 1961. The Journals of Captain James Cook on His Voyages of Discovery, vol.3. The Voyage of the Resolution and the Discovery 1776–1780. Cambridge p. 178.
^Williams, John, 1841. A Narrative of Missionary Enterprises in the South Sea Islands, London: John Snow p. 282.
^Louis Becke, By Reef and Palm (1894) and The Ebbing of the Tide (1896) London: T. Fisher Unwin Ltd
^Simei-Barton, Paul (16 May 2008). "Review: Niu Sila at Glen Eden Playhouse". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
^Cleaver, Dylan (18 May 2008). "Cricket: At home, a long way from Samoa". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
^Khan, Lubna (9 October 1999). "Tongans work to maintain identity..." Deseret News. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
^Watkin, Tim (22 February 2002). "Between two cultures". NZ Herald. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
External links
Lingua Franca: Tent and Geraghty's research into Papalangi
Further reading
Bergendorf, Steen; Hasager, Ulla; Henriques, Peter (1988), Mythopraxis and History: On the Interpretation of the Makahiki, Journal of the Polynesian Society, pp. 391–408
Campbell, Ian C. (1994), European-Polynesian Encounters: A Critique of the Pearson Thesis, Journal of the Polynesian Society, pp. 222–231
Kennedy, Gavin (1978), The Death of Captain Cook, London: Duckworth
Obeyesekere, Gananath (1992), The Apotheosis of Captain Cook: European Mythmaking in the Pacific, Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press
Quanchi, Max (1993), Being Discovered: Perceptions and Control of Strangers, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 45–56
Quanchi, Max; Adams, Ron, Culture Contact in the Pacific: Essays on Contact, Encounter and Response, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Tcherkezoff, Serge (1999), Who Said the 17th–18th Centuries Paplagi/"Europeans" Were "Sky-Bursters"? A Eurocentric Projection onto Polynesia, Journal of the Polynesian Society, pp. 417–425
Tent, Jan; Geraghty, Paul (2001), Exploding Sky or Exploded Myth? The Origin of Papalagi, Journal of the Polynesian Society, pp. 171–214
Tuiteleleapaga, Napoleone A. (1980), Samoa: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, New York: Todd & Honeywell
April 28, 2023
palagi, palangi, redirects, here, places, iran, palangi, iran, book, erich, scheurmann, papalagi, pālagi, pronounced, pɑːlʌŋiː, singular, papālagi, plural, term, samoan, culture, uncertain, etymology, sometimes, used, describe, foreigners, tent, geraghty, 2001. Palangi redirects here For places in Iran see Palangi Iran For the book by Erich Scheurmann see The Papalagi Palagi pronounced IPA pɑːlʌŋiː singular or papalagi plural is a term in Samoan culture of uncertain etymology sometimes used to describe foreigners Tent and Geraghty 2001 comment that the origin of the Western Polynesian Papalagi Palagi and the Fijian Vavalagi Papalagi remains a matter of speculation 1 Papalagi Palagi is a word in the Samoan language describing non Samoans usually white foreigners of European or American descent In Samoa the term is used to describe foreigners The word is both a noun e g a Palagi European person or an adjective e g Palagi house non traditional Samoan house The word is a cognate in other Polynesian languages and has gained widespread use throughout much of western Polynesia including in Tokelau Tuvalu Uvea and Futuna Written Palagi or Papalagi in Samoan and Papalangi or Palangi in Tongan 2 the term Palagi is also used in Niuean Contents 1 Use meaning and origin of term 2 Recorded use 3 Modern usage 4 See also 5 References 6 External links 7 Further readingUse meaning and origin of term EditThe etymology of the term Palagi is disputed An explanation that emerged in the 19th century is that word is derived from the Polynesian rootwords pa meaning gates and lagi meaning sky or heaven hence the standard translation gates of heaven 3 It has been suggested that the compound word comes from the Polynesian s reaction to seeing for the first time European missionaries enter the country Their skin being a different color made them think they were men sent from the gates of heaven 4 Tcherkezoff 1999 argues that such an interpretation is a European projection to explain Polynesian cosmology 2 Jan Tent a Macquarie University linguist and Dr Paul Geraghty director of the Institute of Fijian Language and Culture in Suva suggest that the word may have its origins in the travels of the Polynesians themselves They believe that the Polynesian islanders may have encountered Malay travellers prior to contact with Europeans and adopted the Malay word barang meaning imported cloth These researchers also suggest another possible etymology the Malay word for European as used in the 17th and 18th centuries was faranggi However they discount this possibility as the word palangi seems to have originally referred to cloth only later was the word transferred to the people 1 Recorded use EditCaptain Cook noted the expression ko e vaka no papalangi the boats of Papalangi in Tonga with Cook s transcription being Towacka no papalangie and his translation as cloth ships 5 The specific origin of this term remains uncertain The term has gained widespread use throughout much of western Polynesia including Tokelau Tuvalu Uvea and Futuna etc with the expansion of use of the term being though to have occurred in the 18th century when Tongans and to lesser extent Samoans regularly interacted with white sailors beachcombers convicts missionaries and whalers who clearly delineated ethnoracial boundaries between themselves papalagi papalangi and the Polynesians they encountered 1 2 The missionary John Williams of the London Missionary Society records a speech in Samoa in 1830 referring to the great powers of the papalangis 6 Louis Becke after having worked and travelled in the Pacific from 1869 to 1885 uses papalagi to mean a white person in stories 7 set in what is now Tuvalu The Rangers of the Tia Kua 8 Kennedy the Boatsteerer in which appears The last native girl who occupied the proud position of Te avaga te papalagi the white man s wife was a native of the island of Maraki 9 Samoa A Basket of Bread Fruit 8 At a Kava Drinking in which appears alii papalagi white gentleman and this wandering papalagi tafea beachcomber 10 The Best Asset in a Fool s Estate in which appears the papalagi mativa poor white 11 and the Tokelau Challis the Doubter 12 Modern usage EditLargely because of the growing Pacific Islander culture in New Zealand this word has been adopted by other Pacific cultures Its usage in New Zealand s Pacific Islander media such as television and radio is common and it is often used by the mainstream media to describe non Samoans of European descent 13 14 The term is now also used in New Zealand in a similar way to the Maori term Pakeha but it is not restricted in referring to white people within Pacific island surroundings As with Pakeha Samoans and Tongans initially applied palagi palangi and papalagi papalangi to whites of British derivation Today the Samoan term gagana fa a Palagi the Tongan term lea fakapalangi and the Tuvaluan term faka Palagi still refer to the English language specifically even though it is understood that many ethnic Europeans who are considered palagi do not speak English but rather German French Spanish etc While the term is generally applied to people of European ancestry as a means of differentiation or categorization some feel the term is derogatory especially when aimed pointedly toward half caste Samoans or ethnic Samoans who were born and raised in western metropolitan societies fia palagi and fie palangi are commonly applied to ethnic Samoans and Tongans respectively who are viewed as favoring the white man s lifestyle or culture in lieu of traditional Polynesian modes of speech dress housing interpersonal relations etc 15 16 Tcherkezoff 1999 comments Europeans are still called Papalagi in today s languages In Samoan it is an absolutely common everyday word not in any way a metaphoric ceremonial expression used for special circumstances or used in derogatory laudatory ways 2 See also EditEuropeans in Oceania Haole the equivalent Hawaiian term Pakeha the equivalent term in the Maori languageReferences Edit a b c Tent Jan and Paul Geraghty Paul 2001 Exploding sky or exploded myth The origin of Papalagi Journal of the Polynesian Society 110 No 2 171 214 a b c d Tcherkezoff Serge 1999 Who said the 17th 18th centuries paplagi Europeans were sky bursters A Eurocentric projection onto Polynesia Journal of the Polynesian Society 108 4 417 425 Stair John B n d c 1897 Old Samoa or Flotsam and Jetsam from the Pacific Ocean Oxford The Religious Tract Society Turner George 1884 Samoa A Hundred Years Ago and Long Before London Macmillan Beaglehole J C 1961 The Journals of Captain James Cook on His Voyages of Discovery vol 3 The Voyage of the Resolution and the Discovery 1776 1780 Cambridge p 178 Williams John 1841 A Narrative of Missionary Enterprises in the South Sea Islands London John Snow p 282 Louis Becke By Reef and Palm 1894 and The Ebbing of the Tide 1896 London T Fisher Unwin Ltd a b Readbookonline net entry 22486 web ROL486 Readbookonline net entry 22423 web ROL423 Readbookonline net entry 22425 web ROL425 Readbookonline net entry 22419 web ROL419 Readbookonline net entry 22489 web ROL489 Simei Barton Paul 16 May 2008 Review Niu Sila at Glen Eden Playhouse The New Zealand Herald Retrieved 12 September 2011 Cleaver Dylan 18 May 2008 Cricket At home a long way from Samoa The New Zealand Herald Retrieved 12 September 2011 Khan Lubna 9 October 1999 Tongans work to maintain identity Deseret News Retrieved 16 April 2019 Watkin Tim 22 February 2002 Between two cultures NZ Herald Retrieved 16 April 2019 External links EditLingua Franca Tent and Geraghty s research into PapalangiFurther reading EditBergendorf Steen Hasager Ulla Henriques Peter 1988 Mythopraxis and History On the Interpretation of the Makahiki Journal of the Polynesian Society pp 391 408 Campbell Ian C 1994 European Polynesian Encounters A Critique of the Pearson Thesis Journal of the Polynesian Society pp 222 231 Kennedy Gavin 1978 The Death of Captain Cook London Duckworth Obeyesekere Gananath 1992 The Apotheosis of Captain Cook European Mythmaking in the Pacific Princeton N J Princeton University Press Quanchi Max 1993 Being Discovered Perceptions and Control of Strangers Cambridge Cambridge University Press pp 45 56 Quanchi Max Adams Ron Culture Contact in the Pacific Essays on Contact Encounter and Response Cambridge Cambridge University Press Tcherkezoff Serge 1999 Who Said the 17th 18th Centuries Paplagi Europeans Were Sky Bursters A Eurocentric Projection onto Polynesia Journal of the Polynesian Society pp 417 425 Tent Jan Geraghty Paul 2001 Exploding Sky or Exploded Myth The Origin of Papalagi Journal of the Polynesian Society pp 171 214 Tuiteleleapaga Napoleone A 1980 Samoa Yesterday Today and Tomorrow New York Todd amp Honeywell Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Palagi amp oldid 1148710772, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
