Rituals. Cupola, Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Apia, 'Upolu, Samoa
Down through the centuries there have been vivid debates among the theologians of the 'universal', Catholic Church on how to deal with the beliefs of non-European non-Christians, especially those encountered on voyages of discovery from the fifteenth century onward. Catholic Christianity was obviously regarded as the sole Truth, but might the 'forms' of other faiths perhaps be used as missionary tools? How far could one go without compromising the Christian faith?
One of the fascinating examples of this debate is the way some Dutch Catholics dealt with and theorised about Hinduism at Ganjuran, Java, Indonesia (see several photos in this stream: www.flickr.com/photos/87453322@N00/16185799867/in/photoli...).
Another instance - perhaps even more syncretic - is this cupola of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception here in Apia, 'Upolu, Samoa.
Central in the Sky is the Virgin's Assumption into heaven. But that depiction is one of the few that I know which has 'native' cherubs.
More interesting is the ceremony in the fale. There a woman - in obvious reference to the Virgin - is presiding over a native Samoa 'ava ceremony. Before her is a tanoa, a bowl containing an extract from the root of Piper methysticum, Kava or 'ava. The intoxicating drink will be passed around marking an important event; in this case the Vrigin's Assumption. The participants of the ceremony are Samoans and you can clearly for example see their tattoos. Beside the pillars of the fale stand Jesus and his disciples.
Catholicism was brought to these islands in the middle of the nineteenth century. It would be interesting to know what Pierre Marie Bataillon (1810-1877), Marist Bishop who established this cathedral (1851/7), thought about this appropriation of native culture. Once I return to Europe I might look into that.
The present church is a renewed building because the former one was basically destroyed by an earthquake in 2009.
Rituals. Cupola, Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Apia, 'Upolu, Samoa
Down through the centuries there have been vivid debates among the theologians of the 'universal', Catholic Church on how to deal with the beliefs of non-European non-Christians, especially those encountered on voyages of discovery from the fifteenth century onward. Catholic Christianity was obviously regarded as the sole Truth, but might the 'forms' of other faiths perhaps be used as missionary tools? How far could one go without compromising the Christian faith?
One of the fascinating examples of this debate is the way some Dutch Catholics dealt with and theorised about Hinduism at Ganjuran, Java, Indonesia (see several photos in this stream: www.flickr.com/photos/87453322@N00/16185799867/in/photoli...).
Another instance - perhaps even more syncretic - is this cupola of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception here in Apia, 'Upolu, Samoa.
Central in the Sky is the Virgin's Assumption into heaven. But that depiction is one of the few that I know which has 'native' cherubs.
More interesting is the ceremony in the fale. There a woman - in obvious reference to the Virgin - is presiding over a native Samoa 'ava ceremony. Before her is a tanoa, a bowl containing an extract from the root of Piper methysticum, Kava or 'ava. The intoxicating drink will be passed around marking an important event; in this case the Vrigin's Assumption. The participants of the ceremony are Samoans and you can clearly for example see their tattoos. Beside the pillars of the fale stand Jesus and his disciples.
Catholicism was brought to these islands in the middle of the nineteenth century. It would be interesting to know what Pierre Marie Bataillon (1810-1877), Marist Bishop who established this cathedral (1851/7), thought about this appropriation of native culture. Once I return to Europe I might look into that.
The present church is a renewed building because the former one was basically destroyed by an earthquake in 2009.