Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian Funeral Traditions

If you’ve been invited to a funeral for a Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian family, or you’re planning one, you may find that no single guide fits. That is the first thing to understand: “Pacific Islander” is not one culture. It’s an umbrella term for many peoples across thousands of miles of ocean, each with its own history, language, and customs.

This guide is cautious on purpose. It describes what published community and academic sources say about customs that are shared openly with guests, and it leaves out what isn’t ours to describe. It has not been reviewed by members of these communities, and practices vary by island, family, church, and generation. The most reliable guide to any funeral is the family itself.

Who is this guide about?

The U.S. Census Bureau counted about 1.6 million people who identified as Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (alone or in combination with another race) in 2020. Among the largest groups were roughly 620,000 Native Hawaiians, 212,000 Samoans, 156,000 Chamorros, 65,000 Tongans, and 50,000 Fijians, and Marshallese people also numbered over 50,000. They live in different places: Honolulu County has the nation’s largest Native Hawaiian and Samoan populations, San Diego County the largest Chamorro population, Salt Lake County the largest Tongan population, and Arkansas has the largest share of the country’s Marshallese population. California has the largest shares of the Samoan, Chamorro, Tongan, and Fijian populations.

Native Hawaiians are the Indigenous people of Hawaiʻi. Samoans, Tongans, Chamorros (the Indigenous people of Guam), Fijians, and Marshallese come from other island nations and territories. As a Native Hawaiian scholar has put it, Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders are not Asian Americans, and not all Pacific Islanders are Hawaiian.

What themes show up across communities?

Health and cultural sources describe some patterns that appear in many Pacific Islander families. They are tendencies, not rules.

• Family comes first. In Hawaiian, the family, including extended family and community, is called ʻohana. Health educators note that all family members may want to take part in end-of-life decisions, and that families frequently prefer to keep an elderly relative at home
• People gather around the dying and the dead. EthnoMed reports that Hawaiian families, including extended family and community members, will gather even in a hospital to tell stories, pray, and play music to honor a dying elder
• Churches play a central role for many families. A study of Honolulu church members and clergy found that churches can have a major role in helping families prepare for death
• Giving and sharing are part of mourning. Several communities have formal customs of reciprocal gifts at funerals, described below
• Funerals and remembrance can be long. Prayer and gatherings may continue for days, and remembrance may continue for a year or more
• Talking about death openly may be uncomfortable. Stanford’s EthnoMed notes that elderly Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander patients may be reluctant to discuss a living will or power of attorney out of a fear that speaking about it aloud will hasten death. Without those conversations, family conflict can arise, particularly if some relatives have lived away for years. See advance directives
• Where a person dies can matter. EthnoMed reports a belief in some cultures, including Samoan, that dying away from home can lead to disturbances of the spirits. If you’re helping a family, ask about wishes for where and with whom their loved one is cared for

What might I see at a Samoan funeral?

Samoan life is organized by fa’a Samoa, “the Samoan way,” and by the aiga, the extended family, led by chiefs called matai. There are two broad kinds: ali’i (high chiefs) and tulafale (orator chiefs, who speak formally on behalf of the family). A doctoral thesis on Samoan death and bereavement rituals describes the central role of matai in funerals.

Funerals and other major events draw in the extended family through fa’alavelave. Sources describe relatives contributing money, food, and fine mats (’ie toga), and the host family giving gifts in return, along with formal speeches and a ceremonial exchange of fine mats. The practice is described as an expression of love and solidarity. A cultural overview also notes that its cost is a matter of open debate among Samoans, and that some younger Samoans, especially overseas, now ask for no fa’alavelave contributions at all. Families differ, so don’t assume; ask a relative what’s expected.

A cemetery operator’s overview (a commercial source) says Samoan funerals blend Christian practice with traditional customs, and the thesis describes gifts and meals for church ministers as part of the funeral exchange. Details vary by family and church.

What might I see at a Tongan funeral?

Accounts of Tongan funerals describe black clothing worn as a sign of mourning and a woven mat called a ta’ovala worn around the waist as a sign of respect. A Tongan photographer quoted by The Spinoff explains that the kind of ta’ovala worn can indicate a person’s relationship to the deceased, and that immediate family may wear black for months or longer after the funeral, which varies by family. One student’s account in a university folklore archive describes funerals lasting around a week, with church congregations coming to sing and pray and families bringing gifts of fine mats and other items. A visitor’s guide says that if you don’t have a ta’ovala, conservative black clothing is fine, but ask the family.

Many Tongans belong to Christian churches, and funerals include church services, hymns, and prayers, according to a cemetery operator’s cultural overview (a commercial source).

What might I see at a Chamorro funeral?

Guampedia, a community encyclopedia of Guam, describes the contemporary CHamoru funeral as having three parts: the bela (wake or vigil), the funeral Mass, and the burial. Most CHamorus today are Christian, mostly Catholic, and the customs blend faith with older traditions of honoring the dead.

• The bela and the rosary. Guampedia describes a lisåyu (rosary) that begins soon after death, with nine days of lisåyon måtai (rosary for the dead), followed by nine days of lisåyon familia for the immediate family, and an anniversary rosary a year later. Many families now hold a shorter gathering at church on the day of the funeral instead of an overnight bela
• Reciprocity. Chenchu’le’ is the CHamoru system of reciprocal giving and sharing of food, resources, and support, and it remains important at times of death. At a bela, visitors give ika, a form of chenchu’le’ for the dead, which Guampedia says is usually given in a greater amount than for a wedding, because families plan for weddings but not for funerals
• Food and company. A Guam resident’s account describes nine nights of prayer with food brought each evening, and says that if you can’t attend the funeral, attending one of the nine nights is a way of showing support
• Burial and cremation. Catholics & Cultures reports that embalming and burial are the traditional approach in Guam, with more families choosing cremation in recent years

What about Native Hawaiian traditions?

This is where we are most careful. Native Hawaiian practices around death are deeply tied to Hawaiian spirituality, genealogy, and place, and they are the Hawaiian people’s to describe. Like the rest of Everendium’s coverage of Indigenous traditions, this page does not describe ceremonial or spiritual practices. Instead it points to what’s publicly documented and to the people who can speak for these traditions.

Values. A University of Hawaiʻi study by Hā Kūpuna, the National Resource Center for Native Hawaiian Elders, found that kūpuna (elders) value end-of-life care that honors cultural traditions, family connections, and trust in providers, and that they often see death as a transition that honors relationships with family, ancestors, and the land. Many wish to be at home but worry about burdening their families. A Honolulu study found that Native Hawaiian beliefs about death are influenced by both Hawaiian traditions and Christianity, and a literature review notes that research on this topic is still limited.

The body and the spirit. Stanford’s EthnoMed explains that, culturally, a person’s spiritual essence (mana) is believed to reside in every part of the body and is to be protected, so some elder Native Hawaiians may be reluctant to donate organs or to be cremated. These are views of some people, not all, and families differ.

Law that protects Native Hawaiian burials. Hawaiʻi has a specific legal framework:

• Under Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes chapter 6E, there are five Island Burial Councils, one each for Hawaiʻi, Maui/Lānaʻi, Molokaʻi, Oʻahu, and Kauaʻi/Niʻihau, whose regional representatives are chosen from the Hawaiian community for their understanding of the culture, history, burial beliefs, customs, and practices of Native Hawaiians in their region
• The councils determine whether previously identified Native Hawaiian burial sites are preserved in place or relocated, and consult with recognized lineal and cultural descendants
• The State Historic Preservation Division within the Department of Land and Natural Resources administers the law, and records about sensitive burial sites can be kept confidential
• State law requires that Native Hawaiian traditional burials be treated with “dignity and freedom from unnecessary disturbance”
• Federal law, NAGPRA, also recognizes Native Hawaiian organizations in repatriation of ancestral remains and cultural items. See NAGPRA and burial rights

If you’re dealing with a death in Hawaiʻi, see what to do when someone dies in Hawaii and who can authorize cremation in Hawaii. For cultural and spiritual guidance, contact Native Hawaiian organizations and cultural practitioners directly, such as the Office of Hawaiian Affairs or Hā Kūpuna, and the family’s own kūpuna, who are the best source for their ʻohana’s practices.

How can I be a good guest?

Based on what the sources describe, and with the caution that every family is different:

• Ask a family member what’s expected. Ask about timing, dress, gifts, and whether to take part in prayers. Don’t assume your community’s customs apply, and don’t assume one Pacific Islander community’s customs apply to another
• Expect a long, communal event. Funerals may last hours or days, with many people coming and going and sharing food. Plan your time, and stay to eat if invited, since hospitality is part of how people show care
• Dress respectfully. In the communities described, funerals are often church-centered, and dress is typically modest. Black is customary in some communities, and some families wear traditional garments. Ask before wearing or buying something traditional; items such as mats and special clothing can carry meaning
• Think about giving. In communities with reciprocal giving, such as Samoan fa’alavelave and Chamorro chenchu’le’, gifts of money, food, or goods are common. Ask a relative what’s appropriate in this family rather than guessing an amount. A gift that doesn’t fit can cause awkwardness
• Follow the family’s lead on prayer, speaking, and photographs. Join in respectfully if invited. Ask before photographing or recording; see how to livestream a funeral if relatives want to take part from afar
• Come back. In several communities, remembrance continues for days, months, and a year or more. A visit, food, or a note later means a great deal

For other guest guidance, see funeral etiquette. For related Christian customs, see Catholic funeral traditions, Christian funeral traditions, and Latter-day Saint funeral traditions. Another community with rosary-based, multi-day customs is described in Filipino funeral and wake traditions.

What should families planning a funeral in the U.S. think about?

• Plan for crowds and time. Large, long gatherings mean you may need a larger venue, extended hours, and parking. Ask the funeral home or church early
• Talk about costs. Community giving can help with expenses, and sources also note the cost of these customs: Samoans openly debate the cost of fa’alavelave, and Guampedia observes that families don’t plan for a funeral the way they plan for a wedding. See can you negotiate funeral costs
• Think about relatives far away. Many families have relatives in the islands or across the U.S. Plan travel time, and see what if someone dies out of state or abroad if the person died away from home or the family wants burial elsewhere
• Discuss burial, cremation, and wishes early. Preferences vary within families, and some elders have reservations about cremation. See advance directives
• Culturally grounded planning tools exist. One University of Hawaiʻi project, “I kua na’u” (“let me carry out your last wishes”), develops advance care planning for Native Hawaiian elders in a culturally respectful way, according to its description
• Make wishes known. If you want a traditional gathering, a particular leader, or particular gifts or garments, write it down and tell your family. See how to start your own final day plan

What doesn’t this guide cover?

• Ceremonial and spiritual practices, which we haven’t described, especially Native Hawaiian ones
• Other peoples. Fijian, Marshallese, Chuukese, Palauan, Tahitian, Māori, and many other communities have their own customs. We found no reliable published source we could use for several of them and chose not to guess
• Differences within communities. Island of origin, church, family, and generation all shape what a family does. Many families blend island customs with U.S. practice
• Review by the communities. This guide needs review and correction by Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander community members, and Everendium intends to develop this area with community partners. See Indigenous traditions and end-of-life care for our approach

Practices vary widely by community, family, and church. This is general information, not religious or legal advice and not a substitute for the family’s own guidance. It has not yet been reviewed by members of the communities it describes.