Reused Like the Taro Holes of Asau — Samoan Proverb Tee

Ua fa'alua'i talo Asau.
"Like the taro holes in Asau."

This alagaupu (Samoan proverb) comes from the village of Asau in Savai'i, where the ground is thick with volcanic stone. Clearing new ground and digging fresh holes for a taro plantation there is hard, back-breaking work — so once a harvest is in, the villagers simply dig out and reuse the very same holes rather than starting over on untouched land. The saying is applied to anything that follows old, well-worn customs and usages, and traditionally also to a widower who marries a relative of his late wife — returning, in a sense, to familiar ground rather than starting anew.