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History & Culture

The history of Samoa can be told in different ways. There is traditional history which has been handed down from generation to generation; and textbook history, which has been interpreted by modern day historians. Which should we use? Each is open to debate, as no-one is certain about the origins of Polynesians and the stories of chiefly power struggles will be interpreted by different families in different ways.

What follows is one interpretation of Samoan history, to which can be added the stories and legends that have been handed down from the forefathers...

According to archaeological, linguistic and climatic evidence Polynesians descended from Southeast Asia. Other theories suggest Polynesians may have come from South America or that they may have been descendants of the Lapita people, who originated from northern Papua New Guinea and spread though New Caledonia, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa around 1500BC.
Traditionally, the Samoan people originated from the earth, descendants of Tagaloa Lagi, the Supreme God of the 9th Heaven.

The oldest known site of human occupation in Samoa is a village partly submerged in the lagoon at Mulifanua on Upolu dating back to about 1000BC. This site is associated with the Lapita people who left pieces of Lapita pottery. There are also thought to be hundreds of ancient fortifications around the country that were built to defend the villages against attack by rival districts. One of the largest of these can be found in Luatuanu'u on the road to Solosolo.

Other ancient archaeological sites, called star mounds, are found around the islands (e.g. Faleu, Pule Melei, Tufutafoe). These are large stone mounds that may have been used by chiefs for snaring pigeons. The Pulemelei is the largest of these and may have been used as a temple of some kind.

Where does the name palagi come from?
In the early days, Samoans believed the earth ended where the sky met the sea and they were shocked by the arrival of the strange white people in their ships. They called them the papalagi, believing they had either burst through the sky or had lifted up the sky and passed underneath.

Legend has it that the goddess of war, Nafanua, predicted that a new religion would come from the sky and be accepted by Samoans. It is thought that this is one of the reasons why the missionaries received such a warm welcome when John Williams of the London Missionary Society came ashore at Sapapali'i, Savaii. He was welcomed by Malietoa Vainu'upo.

From the 1860s to the turn of the century, there was significant unrest and outbreaks of fighting between opposing royal families, Malietoa, Tamasese and Mataafa. The source of unrest stems from the death of Malietoa Moli in 1860. At the time his son, Malietoa Laupepa, was considered too young to take over as King and as a result his uncle, Malietoa Talavou, took control. Later, when Laupepa was proclaimed King, Talavou refused to step down and fighting between the three paramount titles continued on and off for the next two decades.

Colonial powers were also drawn into the struggles but, after the cyclone of 1889 that wrecked three German and three American ships, the Berlin Treaty was signed and Malietoa Laupepa was brought back to power.

German Postcard

Although German Governor Dr Wilhelm Solf was well-liked, the German Administration became unpopular due to its attempts to divide the land and remove traditional owners. As a result, the Oloa Mau resistance movement was founded in Savaii by Namulau'ulu Lauaki Mamoe. By 1909 the situation had become tense and Mamoe and his close followers were exiled to Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands.

At the outset of WWI New Zealand took control of Samoa from Germany. The onset of NZ's tenure as Britain's administrators of Samoa started off by bringing the Black Plague to the island. Nearly a quarter of the population was wiped out by the disease which could so easily have been avoided if the authorities had not allowed its members ashore.

The New Zealand administration grew to be even more unpopular and the Mau independence movement grew again, culminating in a demonstration in 1929 when police opened fire on demonstrators and killed the Mau resistance leader Tupua Tamasese Lealofi IV. His brother Tupua Tamasese Meaole eventually became the joint Head of State when Samoa gained independence on 1 January 1962.

• In 1947 Samoa became a United Nations Trust Territory under the administration of New Zealand, with a Council of State comprising the New Zealand High Commissioner and two Samoan chiefs also called the Fautuas
• In 1948 (June 1) the NZ and Samoan flags were hoisted together for the first time. (This is the reason for Independence celebrations being commemorated on the 1st of June and not the 1st of January)
• In 1957 the entire government was reorganised in preparation for independence and a Legislative assembly or Fono was set up
• In 1959 Faumuina Mataafa II was appointed prime minister, and a year later the formal Constitution adopted
• In 1961 a United Nations referendum was organized, resulting in overwhelming support for independence

Tuiatua Tupua Tamasese Efi was elected and on 17 June 2007 he was sworn in to the post of Head of State.

SAMOAN CULTURE

Siva Afi - The Fire Dance!

Like Samoan history, Samoan culture is interpreted in different ways by different people. The traditional Fa'aSamoa (Samoa Way) is still practiced in remote villages. It has been adapted to meet modern lifestyles and this modern form of the Fa'aSamoa is one of the country's main attraction for tourists and visitors.

 For more information on the rich Samoan culture, please visit the Samoa Tourism Authority.