americasamoa-liliana sandoval

8/9/2019 americaSamoa-liliana sandoval

1/9

Samoa

By: Liliana Sandoval


2/9

Samoan Culture History: Its thought that the first

settlers of the Samoan islands

came there around 3,500 yearsago, migrating from otherPolynesian islands. There theylived in seclusion until around1600 when missionaries came tothe islands. The missionariesbrought the islanders Christianityas well as helping them to inventtheir own alphabet. They livedwithout much more intrusion untillate in the 1800s, when Germanyand the U.S. began competing forcontrol of the Samoan islands. Atreaty was signed and the islandswere split between the two

countries. Germany lost control ofthe western islands to NewZealand and then in 1962 WesternSamoa became an independentcountry, while Eastern Samoa stillresides under U.S. control.Western Samoa has retained theirtraditional lifestyle, while Eastern

or American Samoa has becomemuch more industrial.

Location: The Samoan Islands

are located in the South Pacificabout 1,800 miles east of NewZealand and 2,400 milessouthwest of Hawaii. Theislands are split into twogroups, east and west. Theeastern islands are a United

States territory, while thewestern islands are anindependent country.


3/9

Am. Samoa dancing

Samoan dance is possibly the onearea of Samoan culture which hasbeen least affected by contact with

western civilization. WhereasSamoan music has adoptedguitars and other musicalinstruments, dance, which reliessolely upon the performers body(with some exceptions - firedance, knife dance, etc) still

requires the performer to retaingrace and move their arms andhands in the approved fashion.However, Samoans who aremembers of the Seventh DayAdventist church do not practiceSamoan dancing because it isproscribed by their religion.


4/9

Am. Samoa food

Food is a very important part of Samoan life. Whereverand whenever Samoans travel they take food with them.If you spend any time travelling in and around the Pacificyou will undoubtably come across the sight of Samoansat airports carrying special boxes with the words 'Umu'printed on the side. They are the equivalent of a take-away, but more of these later. If they are travelling

farther afield to visit friends and relations in America orEurope then you can be pretty certain that somewhere intheir luggage is a tin or two of Hellaby's corned beef.


5/9

Pago pago beach

Pago Pago is a rather seedy place with its small

presence being dominated by two large tunacanning factories. Pollution of the stunning

harbour has recently been addressed and a

conscious National clear up campaign has

helped its image. The town retains its clapboardbuildings and red light district so romantically

written about by Somerset Maughan in his book

Rain.


6/9

Samoan tattooTraditional Samoan tattooing of the pe'a, body tattoo, isan ordeal that is not lightly undergone. It takes many

weeks to complete, is very painful and used to be anecessary prerequisite to receiving a mataititle; thishowever is no longer the case. Tattooing was also a verycostly procedure, the tattooer receiving in the region of700 fine mats as payment. It was not uncommon for halfa dozen boys to be tattooed at the same time, requiring

the services of four or more tattooers. It was not just themen who received tattoos, but the women too, althoughtheir designs are of a much lighter nature, resembling afiligree rather than having the large areas of solid dyewhich are frequently seen in men's tattoos. Nor was thetattooing of women as ritualised as that of them men


7/9

Samoan houses

The story of the Samoan House of

Worship begins in April of 1974when the world governing body of

the Bah' Faith called for the

construction of a House of Worshipin what was then Western Samoa.

It was the first to be built in its area

of the world the Mother Temple

of the Pacific Islands.


8/9

Samoan language he language is a member of theAustronesian

family, and more specifically the Samoic branchof the Polynesian subphylum. The Samoanlanguage has a 'polite' and formal variant usedin Samoan oratory and ceremony as well as incommunication with elders, guests, people ofrank and strangers.


9/9

Table of contents

1. Samoan Culture

2. Samoan Dancing

3. Samoan Food4. Pago pago Beach

5. Samoan tattoo

6. Samoan Houses7. Samoan Language

americasamoa-liliana sandoval

Documents