ABSTRACT
I was puzzled by a number of traditional rituals and ceremonies that did not make sense to me when I was growing up on Rotuma, a remote island in the South Pacific. Part of the reason for my ignorance was that no one explained to me the reasons certain rituals had to be performed on special occasions, or why these rituals had to follow a prescribed order. Often, I did not feel it was appropriate to ask or probe into the reasons or meanings of these acts or actions. As a good Rotuman, my duty was to observe and listen. Sometimes I would hear complaints or criticisms levelled against individuals who did not follow the correct protocol because of ignorance or an inability to rise to the demands of the occasion. There would be tensions among community members until these ‘sins of commission’ or ‘sins of omission’ were forgiven by those who had been insulted: through apology via the performance of the appropriate rituals for forgiveness. Only then would harmony be restored.
