Samoan Culture

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https://www.britannica.com/place/Samoa-island-nation-Pacific-Ocean

For as long as I can remember I have always had a fascination with Oceania countries. One country in particular always stood out to me and that country was Samoa. I have chosen to dive deep into Samoan culture and learn as much as I possibly can about their beliefs, traditions, and just daily life. I am hoping that this research will help me gain a bigger understanding of Samoan people and also a greater understanding of the world. By slowly researching another culture even if it is just one culture maybe I can start to better understand other cultures. I have lived in one area my whole life and although I have done some traveling, I consider myself not very culturally diverse. There is a lot that I do not know about even the cultures in my own hometown. By doing this research and putting in the effort to understand another culture I will be able to communicate better with people from other countries and other cultures. This will expand my worldview and help break me out of my little farm town bubble. 
Samoa is located in the South Pacific Ocean halfway between the islands of Hawaii and New Zealand. It consists of two main islands and four smaller islands. The population of Samoa is mostly native
Samoans (96%).

One of the biggest features of Samoan culture is “tatau” or tattoo in English. The tufuga is the tattoo artist that creates very personal and meaningful tatau’s for the individual. The tufuga will listen to stories about the individual, their family, and their ancestry to create a work of art just for them. This process can often take months to complete and is usually done using geometrical shapes and symbols to represent the individual’s life. For men, this tatau is called pe’a and can cover the area from the waist to the knees. For women, the tatau is called malu and can cover from the upper thighs to the knees. Other popular placements of these tataus are the arm, shoulder, chest, and back. The belief is that because the tatau is related to ancestry by wearing it they are representing and upholding family honor and heritage.

https://www.larskrutak.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/4b.jpg
The statement “In studying other cultures, we do so very often from the perspective of our own culture” means that we tend to judge other cultures by our own beliefs. It can be hard to not compare and point out flaws with another culture because it is unknown to us. I will be doing this research from a purely factual and curious state of mind. I am genuinely curious about the culture and want to know more about it to understand it the way it is. I will have an open mind and only relay information in a fact-based way rather than an opinion-based way.


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