The Unsteady Paddle — Samoan Proverb Tee

"O le foe fa'ae'e i le tau."
"The paddle lying on the deck of the fishing boat."

This alagaupu (Samoan proverb) comes from the va'aalo, the small canoe used for bonito fishing, whose bow and stern are only partly decked in (tau). A paddle set down on that narrow half-deck rests precariously—it can easily slip and fall. Samoans use this saying as an upu fa'amaulalo (words of humility): a person who is unwilling to fully vouch for the correctness of a report or the firmness of an opinion, acknowledging that, like the paddle, things could easily shift or change.