Samoan Culture

         After the first Europeans came across Samoa the country became a hotspot for war. Countries like Germany, Great Britain, and the U.S. wanted to gain control of Samoa because of its location. The islands served as a great mid-way point for refueling ships and naval bases. In the late 1800s Germany, Britain, and the U.S. signed the General Act of Berlin in 1889 . This act essentially determined the island as a neutral territory for the three countries. This was only achieved because a typhoon destroyed all three countries' ships and a war was not possible. In 1899 Great Britain gave up interest in Samoa and the islands were divided up between Germany and the U.S. This divide created Western Samoa, controlled by Germany, and American Samoa.      In 1914 New Zealand troops occupied Western Samoa. At the end of World War I, The League of Nations gave a mandate over Western Samoa to New Zealand. This was met with a lot of pushback and gave ...

Tagaloa   https://samoanculture.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/mata_o_tagaloa.jpg      Samoans are very religious and spiritual. The indigenous religion is based around Tagaloa which is the ancestor of all living things. These living things include humans, animals, plants, the sea, the land, and the cosmos. They believe that earth was created by the separation of Lagi the heavens and Papa the rock . Then Tuli , Tagaloa’s messenger was sent to germinate the earth and all living things were born. This idea resonates with the scientific theory of the “Big Bang”   but also has some Christian ideals with the presence of a God or creator of all things.           The indigenous religion also has other gods. The atua gods were non-human and were believed to come from Pulotu , the other world, or Lagi . The human gods were called aitu and they were believed to be ancestral spirits. Samoans do not believe that death is the end of existence...

       The traditional family structure is Samoa is mainly patriarchal. The men work and provide for the family and the women take care of the home and children. Family is very important to Samoans. They place family above all else, the family’s needs come before the individual needs. Children are raised to respect elders and to obey the rules that are set for them. Samoan families believe that each member represents the family and must be honorable and act honorable. Each member of the family is expected to participate in family roles. Elders are seen as the wise ones and are given a lot of respect. These elders determine the rules of the family and also decide who the land that they are given goes to. The most respectful and well behaved children will inherit the land.      They often form large family units consisting of several generations and they live very close to each other. Extended family is referred to as aiga potopoto and more immediate ...