The kātoaga is a customary festival in Wallis and Futuna, a French overseas collectivity in Oceania with a Polynesian culture. During this ceremony, goods are exchanged, such as pigs, baskets of vegetables (yams and taro), banigs, tapa or envelopes filled with banknotes. It takes place on the occasion of religious festivals, political events (enthronement of a sovereign, national holiday...) or private events (wedding, communion, funeral). Of ancient origin and present in many Polynesian societies, the katoaga obeys a strict ritual and protocol that has changed little since the Christianization of Wallis and Futuna in the 19th century. It begins with a Catholic mass, is followed by a meal, a kava ceremony and dances performed by the villagers, before the food brought by the inhabitants is redistributed to the dignitaries and the population, each gift being allocated according to the rank of the person for whom it is intended. Speeches, poems and stories from the oral tradition are recited by the participating dignitaries. These major customary celebrations mobilize several villages or districts, and require several weeks or even months of preparation.
The katoaga is a customary obligation that concerns the entire population. It follows a logic of gift and counter-gift comparable to that of the potlatch, where the goods offered confer prestige on the giver and oblige the recipient to give in return, without any use or monetary value. The recipient's social status is determined by the quality and quantity of the goods offered. The food and objects donated during a katoaga are produced by those who bring them, according to a gendered logic (pigs and yams for men, banigs for women), but more and more salaried Wallisians and Futunians are buying them from producers, leading to an inflation of donations and indebtedness to be able to offer goods commensurate with their rank. Nevertheless, this contributes to a redistribution of monetary wealth among the population.
The katoaga showcases the social order of Wallisian and Futunansociety, displaying each person's place in the hierarchy, but also constitutes a political arena, with the authority of customary chiefs measured in their ability to bring together large numbers of people to offer wealth, which is then redistributed. This ceremony also consecrates the role of customary kings as guarantors of the smooth running of society, acting as intermediaries between the world of the living, that of the ancestors and God.
Etymology The word kātoaga, often spelled katoaga, is formed from two Wallisian terms: kātoa "to gather together" and 'aga "the place where the action takes place". It can refer to an entire customary ceremony or, strictly speaking, to the distribution of food. The term is also used in Futunan; linguist Claire Moyse-Faurie defines it as "traditional ceremony of food distribution in the village square".
History
Throughout the history of Wallis and Futuna, the katoaga ceremony has endured, even after the Christianization of the territory in the 19th century. Anthropologist Dominique Pechberty points out that "this is not folklore for tourists, nor is it the reclaiming of a cultural heritage to regain a lost identity".
The origin of katoaga is not specified, but it is part of the history of Polynesian festivals. The first known katoaga in Western sources were described by Dutch navigators Willem Schouten and Jacob Le Maire when they visited Futuna in 1616. Similar ceremonies were observed in Tonga (where they were called katoanga) and the Marquesas Islands in the 18th century. They are also found in Rotuma under the name kato'aga and are still practiced in 20th-century Tonga. In Polynesian societies of this period, "the tribal chief centralizes the food supply and then redistributes it according to the existing hierarchy ". In Wallis, the organization of the katoaga was influenced by Tonga. Before Christianization, these festivals "were held [...] in honor of the anniversary of the death of a religious dignitary, or to celebrate the first yam harvest, or in honor of a chief's son, etc.".
In Futuna, the katoaga is often organized during the enthronement ceremony of a customary king. Before Christianization, this enthronement often took place just before a war between the kingdoms of Alo and Sigave; the katoaga then constituted "the people's thanks to the sovereign for the battle he was about to wage". In Futunian, the katoaga was known as gasue taumafa o le launiu, the "meal of consecration of the launiu", the coconut palm that symbolizes the title of customary king. With Christianization, the term taumafa became associated with Christ's Last Supper: for anthropologist Adriano Favole, the same symbolism of the meal preceding a sacrifice is found here.
For archaeologist Anne di Piazza, the katoaga played a role in the organization of agriculture in Futuna: the emergence of irrigated tarodières enabled abundant tuber production. As a result, "high yields [...] probably reinforced the competitive aspect" of the katoaga.
The ceremony
Occasions for celebration Katoaga may be organized for a variety of occasions: a religious festival, such as the feast of the patron saint of a parish (St. Michael in Ha'afuasia, St. John the Baptist in Vailala, St. Peter Chanel in Halalo, the Sacred Heart in Tepa); a secular festival, such as the national holiday on 14 July the territorial holiday on 29 July or the enthro nement of a political figure; or a private occasion, such as a wedding, First Communion or death. These ceremonies are numerous and punctuate the life of the population. The katoaga is part of a series of celebrations that bring families together and during which goods are exchanged.
In Futuna, a katoaga is organized for the enthronement of a customary king. Katoagas are held less frequently than the kava ceremony (which takes place at every assembly of nobles, or aliki). Indeed, "the katoaga is a long and elaborate redistributive rite that involves the gathering of large quantities of wealth (...) and is linked to the state of the harvest and the existence of a sufficient number of pigs".
Organization A katoaga requires a great deal of organization, and is generally prepared several weeks or even months in advance. It often mobilizes several villages, districts, or even the entire population of a customary kingdom. The food offered requires planning throughout the year: rearing pigs, planting vegetables (yams, alocasia macrorrhizos). Songs and dances are rehearsed by the different villages; some may be created for the occasion.
The organization of a katoaga is set by the customary ministers, the district chief (in Wallis) and the village chiefs at a council (fono). At these councils, the amount and type of food requested is discussed. Decisions are then passed on to representatives of the various neighborhoods in each village, as well as to representatives of the young men (takitaki tagata) and women (takitaki fafine).
There are several types of katoaga in Futuna, depending on the amount of food required: tagata-fatogia, where each adult male who performs collective work for the village chief must bring a basket of food and a pig, and fai'umu, where the number of traditional ovens in each household (kaiga) is used as a reference. There are usually more men than ovens: the tagata-fatogia is thus a large-scale katoaga. The status of fatogia, which Adriano Favole translates as "citizenship", confers rights and duties within a village, including the right to participate in the katoaga.
On the eve of a katoaga, the villagers are intensely busy: pigs are shot, eviscerated and cooked in buried ovens by the men, while the women make necklaces of tiaré and hibiscus flowers. Baskets of food and pigs are transported by car to the ceremony site.
Proceedings
In Wallis, the katoaga begins with an early-morning mass, followed by an "apéritif" (a meal offered for dignitaries), a kava ceremony, then dances and finally the distribution of food. In Futuna, the two essential components of a katoaga are the distribution of kava among the chiefs and the distribution of food.
Before leaving mass, the customary district and village chiefs place the offerings ('umu) in the central square (mala'e) right next to the church, and determine to whom they will be distributed, according to their size (the larger the pig, the higher the rank of the recipient). In Futuna, this important responsibility is devolved to an aliki (nobleman, chief), the Tu'i Sa'akafu, whose sole role is among the chieftains.
The dignitaries (in protocol order: Lavelua, customary ministers, bishop, senior administrator, deputy, senator, elected territorial representatives, religious men and women, education representatives, administrative department heads, village chiefs) are generally seated on a terrace sheltered from the wind and sun. Opposite them, the representatives of the noble families who offer the kava are seated on a mat. The dances also take place here. The goods on offer are placed behind the dancers, and spectators from the various villages are seated to one side. The donated foodstuffs are displayed in the central square (mala'e), so that the gifts can be seen to their best advantage.
After mass, the kava ceremony takes place, which is of major importance in the custom, especially if it's a royal kava. The ceremony follows a strict protocol, with well-defined roles for each actor. In Wallis, the crushed kava root is presented to the Lavelua, then the kava is stirred and finally filtered. The liquid is collected in a container called a tano'a. It is then distributed in coconut cups to the various notables present. The order of distribution of the kava cups is determined by the rank of each dignitary, alternating between nobles ('aliki) and commoners (tu'a). The master of ceremonies is responsible for announcing in turn the persons to whom the kava is to be distributed; once called, they clap their hands three times and receive a cup. The Lavelua always has the first cup, and the Prefect the last. This ceremonial is punctuated by a codified speech exchanged between the different actors at each stage of the ceremony. No talking, smoking or moving is allowed, and all observers are seated: "this is a sacred moment that commands respect". Guards are in charge of enforcing these instructions.
In Futuna, the kava ceremony is a little different. Women are excluded from the ceremony, but can still observe it, whereas on Wallis, "women of a certain rank have the right to take part in the ceremony too".
In Futuna, katoaga are an opportunity to recite poems and songs from the oral tradition, and they form the heart of the ceremony. Some, like the miō, are spoken just before the distribution of kava to a customary king. These stories (fakamatala) and tales (fagana) recount the deeds and actions of warriors recounting the history of Futuna, "it is within these very texts that title-bearing chiefs (aliki) find the primary source of their authority and prestige". Another speech, the fakamisimisi, is proclaimed by a chief from outside the village: he celebrates the work carried out by the Futunans and "[thanks] the chiefs and the people for the abundance and beauty of the products on display".