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Contact between Samoans Tongans and Fijians continued and was recorded in hundreds of legends and genealogies that were passed down through oral literature. Samoas oldest known site of human occupation is Mulifanua on the island of Upolu which dates back to about 1000 BC about 3000 years ago.

Samoan Culture And Traditions The Spirit Of Fa A Samoa Familysearch

The three main pillars of Faa Samoa are the matai chiefs aiga extended family and the Christian church.

Samoan history and culture. It consists of both immediate and extended family. The beautiful Pacific nation of Samoa hasnt always been a laid-back paradise. Faa Samoa celebrates traditional values culture and environment.

However the way of Samoa was fortunately not lost as traditional culture still dominates this Westernized Pacific island nation. My involvement in Samoan archaeology started in 2002 when we initiated an archaeological project at the Letolo plantation in Savaii. Stonework pyramids and mounds in star formation found throughout the islands have inspired various theories from archaeologists about this stage of Samoan history.

History of Samoa The Samoan islands had been inhabited for almost 3000 years before their first contact with Europeans early in the 18th century. The basic unit of the American Samoa culture is the ʻaiga family. Early contact between Europeans and Samoans occurred in 1722 when the Dutch navigator Jacob Roggeveens ships called at Taū followed by French explorers in 1768 and in 1787.

This paper provides an overview from an historical perspective to identify the structural factors that have created an obesogenic environment in contemporary Samoa. During the same time we were invited to give a paper at the Samoa I conference Identifying Future Research Directions in Samoan Studies at The National University of Samoa. The world knows little about the early years of Samoan settlement and history.

Since the 18th century Samoa has been hit with European expansionism followed by colonialism. A political movement O le Mau a Pule promoted independence in the first half of the twentieth century calling for Samoa for Samoans Samoa mo Samoa and engaging in confrontations with colonial powers over the right to self-government. As people increased over the variety of islands in the Pacific Ocean there is a blend of culture making their way to Samoa and beyond.

Cultural life Although some Samoan values and customs have changed markedly since European contact particularly in Apia Samoans have strived to preserve the faa Samoa Samoan way of life. Thus many traditions and outward features of rural life have remained virtually unchanged. Guided by the stars the Polynesian ancestors made their way across the Pacific in ocean-faring canoes thousands of years ago.

Charles Wilkes commander of the United States Exploring Expedition observed the culture in 1839 and established a permanent relationship with the Samoans. For some the struggles of the Mau in particular the martyrdom of a national chief in a confrontation with New Zealand soldiers are. The first settlement was the eastern Tutuila village of Tula.

The initial research was centred on the origin and development. History It is believed American Samoas first residents migrated to the islands from Fiji Tonga Vanuatu and Indonesia some time around 600 BC. The prevalence of obesity among Samoan adults had dramatically increased over the past four decades and is now affecting about 59 of men and 81 of women in this small.

In the first half of the semester students will examine the main features of Samoas past history from the first Polynesian settlers to early contacts with foreigners inclusive of missionaries colonial powers and the subsequent struggle to reclaim independence. Faa Samoa - the Samoan way is a way of life that stretches back more than 3000 years and is reflected in every aspect of Samoas communal society. European explorers first reached the Samoan islands in the.

The Samoan language is still in use in daily exchange. The people of Samoa were usually similar in culture and their way of life to those in Tonga and Fiji. Samoa is an enchanting nation that is brimming with culture history and tradition.

Daily life and social customs. American Samoas strong faamatai chief system is said to originate from two early female chiefs Nafanua and Salamasina. Both Samoas early history and its more recent history are strongly connected to the histories of Tonga and Fiji nearby islands with which Samoa has long had genealogical links as well as shared cultural traditions.

Governed by Faa Samoa which can be translated to The Samoan Way the culture is heavily focused on family respect of elders and being of service to others. Besides Samoan language classes and cultural courses all instructions in public schools are in English. Local pottery manufacturing ceased by about ad 200 by which time Samoa had become central to much of the settlement of eastern Polynesia.

However English is widely used and also the legal official language. The Samoan Islands were first settled some 3500 years ago as part of the Austronesian expansion. It wasnt until the 1830s that regular visits saw British missionaries and traders arrive and duly convert many islanders to Christianity.