VIDEO:Mother of three described as “woman of the church” as mourners present hala

Mele Manu, a mother of three and a teacher at a Free Wesleyan Church who died after she unplugged an electric extension cord on Tuesday, was described yesterday as a “woman of the church”.

The description was made during the presentation of the hala (gifts) during Mele’s wake.

In a tearful and emotional speech the herald of the woman’s in-laws greeted the  deceased’s herald, Lelenoa, with the fakatapu, in which she expressed respect and asked permission to speak.

Using figurative speech, she told Lelenoa that a sudden strong wave had taken away the lover of her child, referring to the husband.

She then revealed the gifts they had  brought was a kumifonua or gift to be taken with the deceased to her resting place.

She said the gift was a fala’aofi (mat accompanied by another mat or ngatu). She said the fala’aofi was placed on another fala’aofi.

She then asked the receiving herald if their gift could be used as  Mele’s cover as she had been chosen by their brother as his lover.

While the herald was still speaking the in-laws and mourners were visibly and audibly composing their emotion and weeping.

The herald told Lelenoa they would wait until they knew what he wanted them to do with their gifts.

“We are free and we are here to listen to you as we intended to come here and to bid farewell to the woman of the church,” the herald told Lelenoa.

“Our souls are thankful for that,” she said.

Lelenoa received the gift with thankfulness and thanked the in-laws for coming to join him and the rest of the family in trying to withstand the tragedy that unexpectedly hit them.

The main points

• Mele Manu, a mother of three and a teacher at a Free Wesleyan Church who died on Tuesday, was described yesterday as a “woman of the church”.
• The description was made during the presentation of the feitu’ui (gifts) straight after the burial services.
• In a tearful speech, the herald of the woman’s in-laws greeted the deceased’s herald, Lelenoa, with the fakatapu, in which she expressed respect and asked permission to speak.
• Using figurative speech, she told Lelenoa that a sudden strong wave had taken away the lover of her child, referring to the husband.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to say the in-laws presented their hala not feitu’ui as we said earlier on.