Mapuifagalele, Western Samoa's home for the aged--a cultural enigma.

Mapuifagalele is Polynesia's first home for the aged, and why it exists at all is something of a mystery. Although Samoan families emphatically insist that they can and do provide for their own aged (and in fact suffer loss of face if they do not), this institution is full to overflowing and there is a waiting list. The article discusses the origin and function of this residence for the aged and explores the changing life style, economic patterns and world view that make its existence possible and even necessary.