Samoa

Malo Sa'oloto Tuto'atasi o Samoa

File:Westasmarms22.PNG Flag of Samoa Coat of Arms of Samoa
National motto: Fa'avaei le Atua Samoa (Samoa Is Founded on God)
Principal languages	Samoan, English
Capital	Apia
Head of state	?? Chief Malietoa Tanumafili II
Prime minister	Tuila'epa Sailele Malielegaoi
Area  - Total  - % water	Ranked 165th 2,944 km² 0.3%
Population  - Total (2004 est.)  - Density	Ranked 174th 177,714 60/km²
Independence	1962
Currency	Tala
Time zone	Universal Time -11
National anthem	The Banner of Freedom
Internet TLD	.ws
Country calling code	685

Samoa, is part of an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean formerly known as the Navigators' Islands — a reference to Samoan seafaring skills. There are two Samoas — the Independent State of Samoa, known simply as Samoa, which is the topic of this article, and American Samoa, which is about 80km to the south east. Samoan people tend to be friendly and welcoming, and live in a family centred and deeply Christian culture.

Geography

Samoa is located east of the international dateline and south of the equator, about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand. The total land area of Samoa is 2934 square kilometres, consisting of the two large islands of Upolu and Savai'i, which account for 96 percent of the total land area, and eight small islets: Manono, Apolima, Nuutele, Nuulua, Namua, Fanuatapu, Nuusafee, and Nuulopa. While all of islands have volcanic origins, only Savai'i has had recent eruptions and could be considered volcanically active. The last major eruption occurred in the 1700s and smaller eruptions in the early 20th century. The highest point in Samoa is Mauga Silisili at 1858 metres. The main island of Upolu is home to nearly three-quarters of Samoa's population and its capital city is Apia. The climate is tropical with the average annual temperature of 26.5°C, and a rainy season from November to April.

History

The first Polynesians to arrive in the Samoan islands came island-hopping, over several generations, from Southeast Asia more than 4000 years ago. From there they migrated east toward the Society Islands, north towards Hawaii, and southwest towards New Zealand.

Samoa enjoys a rich history, preserved in folklore and myth, of ocean voyages, conquests of other islands, and war with the Kingdom of Tonga and Fiji. A temple found in the island of Manono has a system of stone cairns, which is believed to be a record of over 150 wars. Until about 1860, Samoa was ruled by tribal chiefs known as matai.

The first European to sight the islands was a Dutchman, Jacob Roggeveen, in 1722. The first European visitors remarked on the presence of a large fleet of canoes around Samoa. The French explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville called Samoa’s islands "the Navigators' Islands". In 1830 the Reverend John Williams brought the Christian gospel to Savai‘i. Samoans were perceived as savage and warlike. They clashed with the French, German, British, and American soldiers, who later valued Samoa as a refueling station for coal-fired shipping.

Map of Samoa

Halfway through the 19th century, the United Kingdom, Germany and the United States all claimed parts of the Kingdom of Samoa, and established trade posts. A brief struggle after King Malietoa Laupepa died in 1898, led to the United States, Great Britain, and Germany, agreeing to divide the islands in the Samoa Tripartite Convention. The western part, containing Upolu and Savaii and other adjoining islands, became known as German Samoa. The US accepted Tutuila and Manu'a. The monarchy was disestablished.

From 1908, with the establishment of the Mau ("opinion") movement, Western Samoans began to assert their claim to independence.

Shortly after the outbreak of World War I, in August 1914, a New Zealand expeditionary force occupied German Samoa. Under the 1919 Treaty of Versailles, Germany dropped its claims to the islands and New Zealand administered Western Samoa first as a League of Nations Mandate and then as a United Nations trusteeship until the country received its independence on January 1, 1962, as Western Samoa, the first Polynesian nation to re-establish independence in the 20th century.

In July 1997, the constitution was amended to change the country's name from "Western Samoa" to "Samoa." The neighboring U.S. territory of American Samoa protested the move, feeling that the change diminished its own Samoan identity. American Samoans still use the terms "Western Samoa" and "Western Samoans."

In June 2002, New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark formally apologised to Samoa for three actions taken by the New Zealand administration between 1918 and 1929. They were: Allowing the ship Talune, carrying passengers infected with influenza, to dock in Apia, resulting in the deaths of 8000 Samoans, 20 percent of the population; shooting non-violent protestors in December 1929; and banishing Samoan leaders and stripping them of their chiefly titles.

Politics

The 1960 Constitution, which came into force with independence, is based on the British pattern of parliamentary democracy, blended with Samoan customs. Two paramount chiefs were given lifetime appointments to hold the office of head of state jointly, while a third became its first prime minister. Malietoa Tanumafili II has held the post of head of state alone since the death of his colleague in 1963. His successor will be selected by the legislature for a five-year term.

The legislature, or Fono, contains 49 members serving five-year terms. Forty-seven are elected from territorial districts by ethnic Samoans; the other two are chosen by non-Samoans on separate electoral rolls. Suffrage is universal but only chiefs (matai) may stand for election to the Samoan seats. There are more than 25,000 matais in the country, about five percent of whom are women. The prime minister is chosen by a majority in the Fono and is appointed by the chief of state to form a government. The prime minister's choices for the 12 cabinet positions are appointed by the chief of state, subject to the continuing confidence of the Fono.

Since 1982 the majority party in the Fono has been the Human Rights Protection Party. Its leader Tofilau Eti Alesana served as prime minister between 1982 and 1998, when he resigned due to poor health. He was replaced by his deputy, Tuila'epa Sailele Malielegaoi. The most recent election was held on March 31, 2006. The Human Rights Protection Party won 29 seats, Samoa Democratic United Party won 12, while independents won eight. The next election must be held no later than March 2011.

The judicial system is also a blend of English common law and local customs. The Supreme Court has highest jurisdiction. The chief of state appoints the chief justice, upon the recommendation of the prime minister.

Economy

The Samoan economy has depended on development aid, family remittances from overseas, agriculture, and fishing. The country is vulnerable to devastating storms. The decline of tuna fish stocks is a problem. Agriculture employs two-thirds of the labor force of about 90,000 people, and furnishes 90 percent of exports. Due to variations in altitude, a large range of tropical and subtropical crops can be cultivated, but land is not generally available to outside interests so cultivation is limited. Of the total land area of 2,934 km², about 24 percent of it is in permanent cultivation and another 21 percent is arable. About 4 percent belongs to the Western Samoan Trust Estates Corporation (WSTEC). Export commodities include fish, coconut oil and cream, copra (dried coconut meat), taro, cocoa (for chocolate), automotive parts, garments and beer, totalling US$94-million in 2004. Export partners in 2004 were Australia 65.7 percent, the United States 5.6 percent, and Indonesia 5.2 percent. Import commodities include machinery and equipment, industrial supplies and foodstuffs, totalling $US285-million in 2004. Import partners in 2004 were New Zealand 25 percent, Fiji 21.4 percent, Taiwan 9.1 percent, Australia 8.9 percent, Singapore 8.5 percent, Japan percent, and the United States 4.7 percent.

Tourism is expanding, accounting for 25 percent of GDP. About 88,000 tourists visited the islands in 2001. One factory employs 3000 people to make automobile electrical harnesses for an assembly plant in Australia. The Samoan Government has called for deregulation of the financial sector, encouragement of investment, and continued fiscal discipline, while at the same time protecting the environment.

Coffee grows well but production has been uneven. WSTEC is the biggest coffee producer. Rubber has been produced in Samoa for many years, but its export value has little impact on the economy. Sugar cane production was established by the Germans in the early 20th century but did not continue. Pineapples grow well in Samoa, but have not been a big export item.

In the late 1960s, U.S. company Potlatch Forests upgraded the harbor and airport at Asau on the northern coast of Savai'i and established Samoa Forest Products for harvesting tropical hardwoods. Potlatch invested about $US2.5-million in a state-of-the-art sawmill and another $US6-million over several years to develop power, water, and roads. But Potlatch departed, leaving Asau a ghost town.

Demographics

Samoa has a population of more than 175,000. Ethnic Samoans make up 92.6 percent of the population, Euronesians, who are persons of European and Polynesian blood, make up 7 percent, and Europeans 0.4 percent. Samoa has a large sex imbalance — 65.5 percent in the 15 to 64 years age group are male — apparently caused by the large-scale emigration of women.

The Samoan language is the traditional language of Samoa and American Samoa and is an official language in both territories. It is a member of the Austronesian family. The language is comprised of only fourteen letters — five vowels, A, E, I, O, U, and nine consonants, F, G, L, M, N, P, S, T, V.

Samoa is a deeply religious country with an ancient Samoan belief in aitu (spirits). Christianity is the main religion. Thirty five percent are Congregationalist, 20 percent are Roman Catholic, 15 percent are Methodist, 13 percent Latter-Day Saints, 7 percent are Assembly of God, 4 percent are Seventh-day Adventist, while other Christian sects make up 6 percent. Members of the Bahá'ís make up about 2 percent of the population. In addition to Malietoa Tanumafili II being a Bahá'í, Samoa hosts one of only seven Bahá'í Houses of Worship in the world.

Culture

The Fa'a Samoa, or traditional Samoan way, remains a strong force in Samoan life and politics. Fa‘a Samoa consists of: aiga (the family), tautala Samoa (the Samoan language), gafa (genealogies), matai (the chiefly system), lotu (the church), and fa‘alavelave (ceremonial and other family obligations). Associated are the values of alofa (love), tautua (service), fa‘aaloalo (respect), feagaiga (a covenant between sibilings and others) and usita‘i (discipline). The aiga or extended family, lives and works together. Elders in the family are greatly respected and hold the highest status.

They have a communal way of life with little privacy. The traditional fales (houses) have no walls. Blinds made of coconut leaves are used during the night or bad weather. Up to 20 people may sleep on the ground in the same fale. During the day the fale is used for chatting and relaxing.

Sundays are a day of rest, and many families congregate to share a traditional Sunday umu (a meal cooked in a rock oven). In a traditional household, the older members of the family will sit and eat first, and as the meal continues the younger members and then children are invited to eat. The umu contains an abundance and variety of dishes ranging from fresh seaweed and crayfish to baked taro and rice. Coconut appears in many Samoan dishes, for example palusami, a parcel of corned beef, breadfruit, onions, taro leaves wrapped in breadfruit leaves and coconut cream and baked in the umu. This is eaten in its entirety including the leaves.

Samoan handicrafts include the siapo (equivalent to the Fijian tapa) which is made from beaten mulberry bark, with patterns or pictures of fish, turtles, hibiscus flowers painted on with a natural brown dye. The siapo may be used for clothing, for wrapping objects and even simply for decorative reasons. Kava bowls are sturdy, round wooden bowls made of varying sizes, and have many short legs around it.

Kava, a ground natural extract from the pepper plant root with medicinal and slightly anaesthetic properties, is made up with water in the bowl and drunk socially using coconut shells.

The traditional Samoan dance is the Siva. This is similar to the Hawaiian dance, with gentle movements of the hands and feet in time to music and which tells a story.

The traditional ladies clothing is the puletasi which is a matching skirt and tunic with Samoan designs. The lava lava is a sarong which may be worn by men or women. They are of different patterns and colours, but tend to be plain for men who may wear it as part of an official uniform. Some men have intricate and geometrical patterns tattooed onto their lower body and upper legs. The tattooing process is performed without any anaesthesia and is said to be painful.

Canoes have been a feature of Samoan culture. The double war canoe, or alia, built with a deck joining two large canoes together, could hold three hundred or more men. The last alia to float in Samoan waters is preserved as a tourist attraction. Canoes are used extensively. Some are large enough to carry whole families, some are streamlined to catch tuna. Some are light enough for one person to carry it.

The New Zealand diaspora

The link between Samoa and New Zealand meant that by 2001, 115,017 people of Samoan ethnicity were living in New Zealand — most were born in New Zealand. Large-scale migration began in the 1950s and continued for 30 years as New Zealand’s industry and the service sector expanded. Although entry was restricted, regulations were not enforced until the New Zealand economy declined after 1973. Dawn raids on the homes of alleged overstayers began in 1974. Politicians blamed Pacific Islanders for overloading social services. In 1982 the Citizenship (Western Samoa) Act granted citizenship to Samoan-born New Zealanders. Since 2002, 1100 Samoans may be granted residence each year.

Samoans have made a big contribution to New Zealand life. New Zealand’s first Pacific university professor (Albert Wendt), first Pacific Rhodes scholar (Damon Salesa), and first Pacific court judges (Aeau Semikueiva Epati and Ida Malosi) are all Samoan. In politics all Pacific MPs have been Samoan – Anae Arthur Anae, Taito Philip Field, Luamanuvao Winnie Laban and Mark Gosche.

Samoans have contributed to New Zealand music, including opera singers Daphne Collins and Iosefa Enari, and hip-hop artists Igelese Ete, Lole, Jamoa Jam, Ma-V-Elle, King Kapisi and Scribe. Some have excelled in an array of sports. Samoan All Black rugby players include Va‘aiga Tuigamala, Michael Jones, and Tana Umaga. Silver Ferns netballers include Bernice Mene. Boxers include Jimmy Peau and David Tua, who contested the heavyweight championship of the world. In athletics, the discus thrower Beatrice Faumuina was twice a Commonwealth Games gold medallist, and became world champion in 1997.

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Eustis, Nelson. 1979. Aggie Grey of Samoa. Hobby Investments, Adelaide, South Australia. 2nd printing, 1980. ISBN 0-9595609-0-4.

External links

• Map: district subdivision
• ChooHoo! - Online Samoan community featuring forums, chat, blogs, etc.
• Finding Samoa
• Jane's Samoa Home Page
• Samoan Based Contemporary Art
• Map server of Samoa
• Map of Samoa
• Official government Website
• Over 90 categorised profiles of relevant websites on Zeal
• Samoa Chat (news, forums, Samoan language)
• Samoa Tourism Authority
• Samoan Holiday
• Samoa, A Hundred Years Ago And Long Before by George Turner, an eText available from Project Gutenberg
• Informations and Links to Samoa

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