Tag Archives: Grieving as a Family

The Tulafale’s Role: Samoan Oratorial Traditions for Death and Funeral

Appointed family orators facilitate the process of death and funeral in Samoan culture

The Samoans, one of the largest Polynesian populations in the world, cherish the importance of storytelling and tradition by appointing a select family member as an orator chief, known as a “tulafale.” The tulafale holds the major responsibility of spreading … Continue reading

Posted in Cultural Perspectives | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments




Mourning and Transformation — Sifting for Gold

A mourning father tries to make sense of his experience through an academic analysis of grief.

The following is an analysis by Jimmy Edmonds of a recent thesis “Mourning and Transformation — Sifting for Gold” by Fiona Rodman (MA University of Middlesex), a psychotherapist, and a dear family friend. Jimmy interprets some of Fiona’s ideas as they … Continue reading

Posted in Something Special | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Garden State (2004) by Zach Braff

Loss of mother leads to self-discovery in this quirky indie film

Garden State begins with protagonist Andrew Largeman (Zach Braff) being informed via phone message that his paraplegic mother has died after a tragic bathtub accident. The death serves as a sort of trigger to the rest of the action: when … Continue reading

Posted in Lending Insight | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment