Samoa officially the Independent State of Samoa (Samoan: Malo Sa'oloto Tuto'atasi o Sāmoa), formerly known as Western Samoa,
is a sovereign state in Polynesia, encompassing the western part of the
Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from
New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and
Savai'i, one of the biggest islands in Polynesia. The capital city,
Apia, and Faleolo International Airport are situated on the island of
Upolu.
Samoa
was admitted to the United Nations on 15 December 1976.The entire
island group, which includes American Samoa, was called "Navigator
Islands" by European explorers before the 20th century because of the
Samoans' seafaring skills.
Official languages are English and Samoan (Gagana Fa'asāmoa), which is also spoken in American Samoa.
1-History
Main article: History of Samoa
The
oldest date so far from remains in Samoa has been calculated by New
Zealand scientists to a likely true age of circa 3,000 years ago from a
Lapita site at Mulifanua during the 1970s.
The
origins of the Samoans are closely studied in modern research about
Polynesia in various scientific disciplines such as genetics,
linguistics and anthropology.
Scientific research is ongoing although a number of different theories
exist; including one proposing that the Samoans originated from
Austronesian predecessors during the terminal eastward Lapita expansion
period from Southeast Asia and Melanesia between 2,500 and 1,500 BCE.
The Samoan origins are currently being reassessed due to new scientific
evidence and carbon dating findings from 2003 and onwards.
Intimate sociocultural and genetic ties were maintained between the
eastern Lapita colonies and the archaeological record supports oral
tradition and native genealogies that indicate inter-island voyaging and
intermarriage between prehistoric Samoans, Fijians, and Tongans.
Studio photo depicting preparation of the Samoa 'ava ceremony c. 1911.
Interior of Samoan house, Apia, Urville 1842.
Contact
with Europeans began in the early 18th century. Jacob Roggeveen
(1659–1729), a Dutchman, was the first known European to sight the
Samoan islands in 1722. This visit was followed by French explorer
Louis-Antoine de Bougainville (1729–1811), who named them the Navigator Islands in 1768. Contact was limited before the 1830s which is when English missionaries and traders began arriving.
Mission
work in Samoa had begun in late 1830 by John Williams, of the London
Missionary Society arriving in Sapapali'i from The Cook Islands and
Tahiti.
According to Barbara A. West, "The Samoans were also known to engage in
‘headhunting', a ritual of war in which a warrior took the head of his
slain opponent to give to his leader, thus proving his bravery."
However, Robert Louis Stevenson, who lived in Samoa from 1889 until his
death in 1894, wrote in A Footnote to History: Eight Years of Trouble in Samoa, "… the Samoans are gentle people."
Exiled orator Lauaki Namulauulu Mamoe
Mata'afa Iosefo (1832–1912) paramount chief and rival for the kingship of Samoa
The Germans in particular began to show great commercial interest in
the Samoan Islands, especially on the island of Upolu where German firms
monopolised copra and cocoa bean
processing. The United States laid its own claim and formed alliances
with local native chieftains, most conspicuously on the islands of Tutuila and Manu'a.
Britain
also sent troops to protect British business enterprise, harbour
rights, and consulate office. This was followed by an eight-year civil
war,
during which each of the three powers supplied arms, training and in
some cases combat troops to the warring Samoan parties. The Samoan
crisis
came to a critical juncture in March 1889 when all three colonial
contenders sent warships into Apia harbour, and a larger-scale war
seemed imminent. A massive storm on 15 March 1889 damaged or destroyed
the warships, ending the military conflict.
The
Second Samoan Civil War reached a head in 1898 when Germany, the United
Kingdom, and the United States were locked in dispute over who should
control the Samoa Islands. The Siege of Apia occurred in March 1899.
Samoan forces loyal to Prince Tanu were besieged by a larger force of
Samoan rebels loyal to Mata'afa Iosefo.
Supporting Prince Tanu were landing parties from four British and
American warships. After several days of fighting, the Samoan rebels
were finally defeated.
American and British warships shelled Apia on 15 March 1899, including the USS Philadelphia.
Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States quickly resolved to
end the hostilities and divided the island chain at the Tripartite
Convention of 1899, signed at Washington on 2 December 1899 with
ratifications exchanged on 16 February 1900.
The
eastern island-group became a territory of the United States (the
Tutuila Islands in 1900 and officially Manu'a in 1904) and was known as
American Samoa. The western islands, by far the greater landmass,
became German Samoa. The United Kingdom had vacated all claims in Samoa
and in return received (1) termination of German rights in Tonga, (2)
all of the Solomon Islands south of Bougainville, and (3) territorial
alignments in West Africa.
2-German Samoa (1900–1914)
People in attendance at Tupua Tamesese's funeral.
Main article: German Samoa
The
German Empire governed the western Samoan islands from 1900 to
1914. “Over all, the period of German rule was the most progressive,
economically, that the country has experienced.” Wilhelm Solf was
appointed the colony’s first governor. His actions and conduct became “…
paternal, fair and absolute.” In 1908 when the non-violent Mau a Pule
resistance movement arose, Solf did not hesitate to banish the Mau
leader Lauaki Namulauulu Mamoe to Saipan in the German Northern Mariana
Islands.
The
German colonial administration governed on the principle “there was
only one government in the islands.”Thus, there was no Samoan Tupu (king), nor an alii sili (similar to a governor), but two Fautua (advisors) were appointed by the colonial government. Tumua and Pule
(traditional governments of Upolu and Savaii) were for a time silent;
all decisions on matters affecting lands and titles were under the
control of the colonial Governor.
In
the first month of World War I, on 29 August 1914, troops of the New
Zealand Expeditionary Force landed unopposed on 'Upolu and seized
control from the German authorities, following a request by Great
Britain for New Zealand to perform their "great and urgent imperial
service."
3-New Zealand rule (1914–1962)
Main article: Western Samoa Trust Territory
From
the end of World War I until 1962, New Zealand controlled Samoa as a
Class C Mandate under trusteeship through the League of Nations,then
through the United Nations. There followed a series of New Zealand
administrators who were responsible for two major incidents. In the
first incident, approximately one fifth of the Samoan population died in
the influenza epidemic of 1918–1919.Between 1919 and 1962, Samoa was
administered by the Department of External Affairs, a government
department which had been specially created to oversee New Zealand's
Island Territories and Samoa. In 1943, this Department was
renamed the Department of Island Territories after a separate Department
of External Affairs was created to conduct New Zealand's foreign
affairs.
In 1919, the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Epidemic concluded
that there had been no epidemic of pneumonic influenza in Western Samoa
before the arrival of the SS Talune
from Auckland on 7 November 1918. The NZ administration allowed the
ship to berth in breach of quarantine; within seven days of this ship's
arrival influenza became epidemic in Upolu and then spread rapidly
throughout the rest of the territory..
The second major incident arose out of an initially peaceful protest by the Mau
(which literally translates as "strongly held opinion"), a non-violent
popular movement which had its beginnings in the early 1900s on Savai'i,
led by Lauaki Namulauulu Mamoe, an orator chief deposed by Solf. In 1909, Lauaki was exiled to Saipan and died en route back to Samoa in 1915.
By 1918, Samoa had a population of some 38,000 Samoans and 1,500 Europeans.
However
Samoans greatly resented New Zealand's colonial rule, and
blamed inflation and the catastrophic 1918 flu epidemic on its misrule.
By the late 1920s the resistance movement against colonial rule had
gathered widespread support. One of the Mau leaders was Olaf Frederick
Nelson, a half Samoan and half Swedish merchant.Nelson was eventually
exiled
during the late 1920s and early 1930s, but he continued to assist the
organisation financially and politically. In accordance with the Mau's
non-violent philosophy, the newly elected leader, High Chief Tupua
Tamasese Lealofi, led his fellow uniformed Mau in a peaceful
demonstration in downtown Apia on 28 December 1929.
The
New Zealand police attempted to arrest one of the leaders in the
demonstration. When he resisted, a struggle developed between the police
and the Mau. The officers began to fire randomly into the crowd and a
Lewis machine gun, mounted in preparation for this demonstration, was
used to disperse the demonstrators.
Chief Tamasese was shot from behind and killed while trying to bring
calm and order to the Mau demonstrators, screaming "Peace, Samoa". Ten
others died that day and approximately 50 were injured by gunshot wounds
and police batons.
That day would come to be known in Samoa as Black Saturday. The Mau
grew, remaining steadfastly non-violent, and expanded to include a
highly influential women's branch.
4-Independence (1962)
After
repeated efforts by the Samoan independence movement, the New Zealand
Western Samoa Act 1961 of 24 November 1961 granted Samoa independence
effective 1 January 1962, upon which the Trusteeship Agreement
terminated.
Samoa also signed a friendship treaty with New Zealand. Samoa, the
first small-island country in the Pacific to become independent, joined
the Commonwealth of Nations
on 28 August 1970. While independence was achieved at the beginning of
January, Samoa annually celebrates 1 June as its independence day.
Travel writer Paul Theroux noted marked differences between the societies in Western Samoa and American Samoa in 1992.[38] In July 1997 the government amended the constitution to change the country's name from Western Samoa to Samoa.American Samoa protested against the move, asserting that the change diminished its own identity.
In 2002 New Zealand's prime minister Helen Clark formally apologised for New Zealand's role in the events of 1918 and 1929.
5-21st century
On 7 September 2009 the government changed the driving orientation for motorists:
Samoans now drive on the left hand side of the road. This brought Samoa
into line with many other countries in the region. Samoa thus became
the first country in recent years – and the first in the 21st century –
to switch to driving on the left.
At
the end of December 2011, Samoa jumped forward by one day,
omitting 30 December from the local calendar, when the nation moved to
the west of the International Date Line. This change aimed to help the
nation boost its economy in doing business with Australia and New
Zealand.
Before this change, Samoa was 21 hours behind Sydney, but the change
means it is now three hours ahead. The previous time zone, agreed on 4
July 1892, operated in line with American traders based in California.
6-Politics
Main articles: Politics of Samoa and Fa'amatai
Government buildings in Apia.
The
1960 constitution, which formally came into force with
independence from New Zealand in 1962, builds on the British pattern of
parliamentary democracy, modified to take account of Samoan customs.The
national modern Government of Samoa is referred to as the Malo.
Fiame
Mata'afa Faumuina Mulinu’u II, one of the four highest-ranking
paramount chiefs in the country, became Samoa's first Prime Minister.
Two other paramount chiefs at the time of independence were appointed
joint heads of state for life. Tupua Tamasese Mea'ole died in 1963,
leaving Malietoa Tanumafili II sole head of state until his death on 11
May 2007, upon which Samoa changed from a constitutional monarchy to a
parliamentary republic de facto. The next Head of State, Tuiatua
Tupua Tamasese Efi, was elected by the legislature on 17 June 2007 for a
fixed five-year term, and was re-elected unopposed in July 2012.
The unicameral legislature (the Fono) consists of 49 members serving 5-year terms. Forty-seven are matai
title-holders elected from territorial districts by Samoans; the other
two are chosen by non-Samoans with no chiefly affiliation on separate
electoral rolls.Universal suffrage was adopted in 1990, but only chiefs (matai) may
stand for election to the Samoan seats. There are more than 25,000
matais in the country, about 5% of whom are women.
The prime minister, chosen by a majority in the Fono, is appointed by
the head of state to form a government. The prime minister's choices for
the 12 cabinet positions are appointed by the head of state, subject to
the continuing confidence of the Fono.
Prominent
women in Samoan politics include the late Laulu Fetauimalemau Mata'afa
(1928–2007) from Lotofaga constituency, the wife of Samoa's first prime
minister. Their daughter Fiame Naomi Mata'afa
is a paramount chief and a long-serving senior member of cabinet. Other
women in politics include Samoan scholar and eminent professor Aiono
Fanaafi Le Tagaloa, orator-chief Matatumua Maimoana and Safuneitu'uga
Pa'aga Neri (as of 2016 the Minister of Communication and Technology).
The
judicial system incorporates English common law and local customs. The
Supreme Court of Samoa is the court of highest jurisdiction. Its chief
justice is appointed by the head of state upon the recommendation of the
prime minister.
7-Administrative divisions
Main article: Districts of Samoa
Samoa comprises eleven itūmālō (political districts). These are the traditional eleven districts that were established[by whom?]
well before Europeans arrived. Each district has its own constitutional
foundation (faavae) based on the traditional order of title precedence
found in each district's faalupega (traditional salutations).
The capital village of each district administers and coordinates the
affairs of the district and confers each district's paramount title,
amongst other responsibilities. For example, the District of A'ana has
its capital at Leulumoega. The paramount title of A'ana is the TuiA'ana.
The orator group which confers this title – the Faleiva (House of Nine)
– is based at Leulumoega. This is also the same for the other
districts. In the district of Tuamasaga, the paramount title of the
district – the Malietoa title – is conferred by the FaleTuamasaga based
in Afega.
Political districts of Samoa
| Upolu (including minor islands) |
Savai'i
|
2 including the Aleipata Islands and Nu'usafe'e Island
3 smaller parts also on Upolu (Salamumu (incl. Salamumu-Uta) and Leauvaa villages)
8-Geography
Main article: Geography of Samoa
A map of Samoa.
Topography of Samoa.
Samoa
is located south of the equator, about halfway between Hawaii and New
Zealand in the Polynesian region of the Pacific Ocean. The total land
area is 2,842 km² (1,097 sq mi),consisting of the two large islands of
Upolu and Savai'i which account for 99% of the total land area, and
eight small islets.
These
are the three islets in the Apolima Strait (Manono Island, Apolima and
Nu'ulopa), the four Aleipata Islands off the eastern end of Upolu
(Nu'utele, Nu'ulua, Namua, and Fanuatapu), and Nu'usafe'e (less than
0.01 km² – 2½ acres – in area and about 1.4 km (0.9 mi) off the south
coast of Upolu at the village of Vaovai).The main island of Upolu is home to nearly three-quarters of Samoa's population, and its capital city is Apia.
The
Samoan islands have been produced by vulcanism, the source of which is
the Samoa hotspot which is probably the result of a mantle plume.While
all of the islands have volcanic origins, only Savai'i, the
western most island in Samoa, is volcanically active with the most
recent eruptions in Mt Matavanu (1905–1911), Mata o le Afi (1902) and
Mauga Afi (1725). The highest point in Samoa is Mt Silisili, at 1858 m
(6,096 ft). The Saleaula
lava fields situated on the central north coast of Savai'i are the
result of the Mt Matavanu eruptions which left 50 km² (20 sq mi) of
solidified lava.
9-Climate
The
climate is equatorial/monsoonal, with an average annual
temperature of 26.5 °C (79.7 °F), and a rainy season from November to
April. Savai'i is the largest of the Samoan islands and the sixth
largest Polynesian island after New Zealand's North, South and Stewart
Islands and the Hawaiian islands of Hawaiʻi and Maui. The population of
Savai'i is 42,000 people.
| [hide]Climate data for Apia | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 30.4 (86.7) |
30.6 (87.1) |
30.6 (87.1) |
30.7 (87.3) |
30.4 (86.7) |
30.0 (86) |
29.5 (85.1) |
29.6 (85.3) |
29.9 (85.8) |
30.1 (86.2) |
30.3 (86.5) |
30.5 (86.9) |
30.22 (86.39) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 23.9 (75) |
24.2 (75.6) |
24.0 (75.2) |
23.8 (74.8) |
23.4 (74.1) |
23.2 (73.8) |
22.6 (72.7) |
22.8 (73) |
23.1 (73.6) |
23.4 (74.1) |
23.6 (74.5) |
23.8 (74.8) |
23.48 (74.27) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 489.0 (19.252) |
368.0 (14.488) |
352.1 (13.862) |
211.2 (8.315) |
192.6 (7.583) |
120.8 (4.756) |
120.7 (4.752) |
113.2 (4.457) |
153.9 (6.059) |
224.3 (8.831) |
261.7 (10.303) |
357.5 (14.075) |
2,965 (116.733) |
| Source: World Meteorological Organization (UN) | |||||||||||||
10-Ecology
See also: List of birds of Samoa and List of protected areas of Samoa
Samoa is located within the Samoan tropical moist forests
ecoregion. Since human habitation began, about 80% of the lowland rain
forests has been lost. Within the ecoregion about 28% of plants and 84%
of land birds are endemic.
11-Economy
Main article: Economy of Samoa
Taro, a
root crop, traditionally was Samoa's largest export, generating more
than half of all export revenue in 1993. A fungal blight decimated the
plants, and in each year since 1994 taro exports have accounted for less
than 1% of export revenue.
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in purchasing power parity
(PPP) in 2006 was estimated at $1.218 billion USD. The industrial
sector is the largest component of GDP at 58.4%, followed by the
services sector at 30.2% (2004 est.). Agriculture represents only 11.4%
of GDP (2004 est.). Samoan labour force is estimated at 90,000.
The
country currency is the Samoan tālā, issued and regulated by the
Central Bank of Samoa.The economy of Samoa has traditionally been
dependent on agriculture and fishing at the local level. In modern
times, development aid, private family remittances from overseas,
and agricultural exports have become key factors in the nation's
economy. Agriculture employs two-thirds of the labour force, and
furnishes 90% of exports, featuring coconut cream, coconut oil, noni
(juice of the nonu fruit, as it is known in Samoan), and copra.
Outside of a large automotive wire harness factory (Yazaki Corporation),
the manufacturing sector mainly processes agricultural products.
Tourism is an expanding sector which now accounts for 25% of GDP.
Tourist arrivals have been increasing over the years with more than
100,000 tourists visiting the islands in 2005, up from 70,000 in 1996.
The
Samoan government has called for deregulation of the financial sector,
encouragement of investment, and continued fiscal discipline.[citation needed] Observers point to the flexibility of the labour market as a basic strength for future economic advances.[citation needed]
The sector has been helped enormously by major capital investment in
hotel infrastructure, political instability in neighbouring Pacific
countries, and the 2005 launch of Virgin Samoa a joint-venture between the government and Virgin Australia (then Virgin Blue).
In
the period before German colonisation, Samoa produced mostly
copra. German merchants and settlers were active in introducing large
scale plantation operations and developing new industries, notably cocoa
bean and rubber, relying on imported labourers from China and
Melanesia.
When the value of natural rubber fell drastically, about the end of the
Great War (World War I), the New Zealand government encouraged the
production of bananas, for which there is a large market in New Zealand.[citation needed]
Because of variations in altitude, a large range of tropical and
subtropical crops can be cultivated, but land is not generally available
to outside interests. Of the total land area of 2,934 km² (725,000
acres), about 24.4% is in permanent crops and another 21.2% is arable.
About 4.4% is Western Samoan Trust Estates Corporation (WSTEC).[citation needed]
The staple products of Samoa are copra (dried coconut meat), cocoa bean
(for chocolate), and bananas. The annual production of both bananas and
copra has been in the range of 13,000 to 15,000 metric tons (about
14,500 to 16,500 short tons). If the rhinoceros beetle
in Samoa were eradicated, Samoa could produce in excess of 40,000
metric tons (44,000 short tons) of copra. Samoan cocoa beans are of very
high quality and used in fine New Zealand chocolates. Most are Criollo-Forastero
hybrids. 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.[citation needed]
Other
agricultural industries have been less successful. Sugarcane
production, originally established by Germans in the early 20th
century, could be successful. Old train tracks for transporting cane can
be seen at some plantations east of Apia. Pineapples grow well in
Samoa, but beyond local consumption have not been a major export.
12-Demographics
A Samoan family.
Main article: Demographics of Samoa
Samoa has a population of 194,320. About three-quarters of the population live on the main island of Upolu.13-Ethnic groups
92.6% of the population are Samoans, 7% Euronesians (people of mixed European and Polynesian ancestry) and 0.4% are Europeans, per the CIA World Factbook. Only the Māori of New Zealand outnumber Samoans among Polynesian groups.
14-Languages
Samoan and English are official languages. Samoan Sign Language is used by at least some of the deaf population.
15-Religion
Further information: Religion in Samoa
Samoans'
religious adherence includes the following: Christian Congregational
Church of Samoa 31.8%, Roman Catholic 19.4%, Methodist 15.2%, Assembly
of God 13.7%, Mormon 7.6%, Seventh-day Adventist 3.9%, Worship Centre
1.7%, other Christian 5.5%, other 0.7%, none 0.1%, unspecified 0.1%
(2011 estimate).[1]
The Head of State until 2007, His Highness Malietoa Tanumafili II, was a
Bahá'í convert. Samoa hosts one of seven Bahá'í Houses of Worship in
the world; completed in 1984 and dedicated by the Head of State, it is
located in Tiapapata, 8 km (5 mi) from Apia.
16-Culture
Main article: Culture of Samoa
See also: Music of Samoa
A view of Falefa Valley from Le Mafa Pass, east Upolu.
The
fa'a Samoa,
or traditional Samoan way, remains a strong force in Samoan life and
politics. Despite centuries of European influence, Samoa maintains its
historical customs, social and political systems, and language. Cultural
customs such as the Samoa 'ava ceremony are significant and solemn
rituals at important occasions including the bestowal of matai chiefly titles. Items of great cultural value include the finely woven 'ie toga.
Samoan
mythology includes many gods with creation stories and figures of
legend such as Tagaloa and the goddess of war Nafanua, the daughter of
Saveasi'uleo, ruler of the spirit realm Pulotu. Other legends include
the well known story of Sina and the Eel which explains the origins of
the first coconut tree.
Some Samoans are spiritual and religious, and have subtly adapted the
dominant religion of Christianity to 'fit in' with fa'a Samoa and vice
versa. As such, ancient beliefs continue to co-exist side-by-side with
Christianity, particularly in regard to the traditional customs and
rituals of fa'a Samoa. The Samoan culture is centred around the
principle of vāfealoa'i, the relationships between people. These
relationships are based on respect, or fa'aaloalo.
When Christianity was introduced in Samoa, most Samoan people
converted. Currently 98% of the population identify themselves as
Christian.
Some Samoans live a communal way of life, participating in activities collectively. Examples of this are the traditional Samoan fale (houses) which are open with no walls, using blinds made of coconut palm fronds during the night or bad weather.
The Samoan word for dance is siva
with unique gentle movements of the body in time to music and which
tells a story, although the Samoan male dances can be more physical and
snappy.The sasa is also a traditional dance where rows of dancers perform rapid synchronised movements in time to the rhythm of wooden drums (pate) or rolled mats. Another dance performed by males is called the fa'ataupati
or the slap dance, creating rhythmic sounds by slapping different parts
of the body. This is believed to have been derived from slapping
insects on the body.
The form and construction of traditional architecture of Samoa was a specialised skill by Tufuga fai fale that was also linked to other cultural artforms.
-
Roman Catholic Immaculate Conception of Mary cathedral. -
A Samoan fire dancer. -
A fale on Manono Island -
LDS Apia Samoa Temple
A Samoan woman with a traditional malu.
As
with other Polynesian cultures (Hawaiian, Tahitian and Māori)
with significant and unique tattoos, Samoans have two gender specific
and culturally significant tattoos. For males, it is called the Pe'a and
consists of intricate and geometrical patterns tattooed that cover
areas from the knees up towards the ribs. A male who possesses such a
tatau is called a soga'imiti. A Samoan girl or teine is given a malu, which covers the area from just below her knees to her upper thighs.
19-Contemporary culture
Albert Wendt is a significant Samoan writer whose novels and stories tell the Samoan experience. In 1989, his novel Flying Fox in a Freedom Tree was made into a feature film in New Zealand, directed by Martyn Sanderson.[62] Another novel Sons for the Return Home had also been made into a feature film in 1979, directed by Paul Maunder.[63]
The late John Kneubuhl, born in American Samoa, was an accomplished
playwright and screenwriter and writer. Sia Figiel won the 1997
Commonwealth Writers' Prize for fiction in the south-east Asia/South
Pacific region with her novel "Where We Once Belonged". Momoe Von Reiche
is an internationally recognised poet and artist. Tusiata Avia is a
performance poet. Her first book of poetry Wild Dogs Under My Skirt
was published by Victoria University Press in 2004. Dan Taulapapa
McMullin is an artist and writer. Other Samoan poets and writers include
Sapa'u Ruperake Petaia, Eti Sa'aga and Savea Sano Malifa, the editor of
the Samoa Observer.
In music, popular local bands include The Five Stars, Penina o Tiafau and Punialava'a. The Yandall Sisters' cover of the song Sweet Inspiration
reached number one on the New Zealand charts in 1974. King Kapisi was
the first hip hop artist to receive the prestigious New Zealand APRA
Silver Scroll Award in 1999 for his song Reverse Resistance. The music video for Reverse Resistance
was filmed in Savai'i at his villages. Other successful Samoan hip hop
artists include rapper Scribe, Dei Hamo, Savage and Tha Feelstyle whose
music video Suamalie was filmed in Samoa.
Lemi
Ponifasio is a director and choreographer who is prominent
internationally with his dance Company MAU.Neil Ieremia's company Black
Grace has also received international acclaim with tours to Europe and
New York. Hip hop
has had a significant impact on Samoan culture. According to Katerina
Martina Teaiwa, PhD from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, "Hip hop
culture in particular is popular amongst Samoan youth."
Like very many other countries, hip hop music is popular. In addition,
the integration of hip hop elements into Samoan tradition also
"testifies to the transferability of the dance forms themselves," and to
the "circuits through which people and all their embodied knowledge
travel."Dance both in its traditional form and its more modern forms has
remained a central cultural currency to Samoans, especially youths.
The arts organisation Tautai
is a collective of visual artists including Fatu Feu'u, Johnny
Penisula, Shigeyuki Kihara, Iosefa Leo, Michel Tuffery, John Ioane and
Lily Laita.
Director Sima Urale is an award-winning filmmaker. Urale's short film O Tamaiti won the prestigious Best Short Film at the Venice Film Festival in 1996. Her first feature film Apron Strings opened the 2008 NZ International Film Festival. The feature film Siones Wedding, co-written by Oscar Kightley, was financially successful following premieres in Auckland and Apia. The 2011 film The Orator
was the first ever fully Samoan film, shot in Samoa in the Samoan
language with a Samoan cast telling a uniquely Samoan story. Written and
directed by Tusi Tamasese, it received much critical acclaim and attention at film festivals throughout the world.
In comedy, Laughing Samoans, the Naked Samoans and Kila Kokonut Krew have enjoyed sold-out tours.
Actor and director Nathaniel Lees has featured in many theatre productions and films including his role as Captain Mifune in The Matrix
trilogy. Published playwrights include Oscar Kightley, Victor Rodger,
Makerita Urale and Niuean Samoan playwright Dianna Fuemana.
20-Sport
Samoa (blue) vs. South Africa in June 2007.
The
main sports played in Samoa are rugby union, Samoan cricket and
netball. Rugby union is the national football code of Samoa. In Samoan
villages, volleyball is also popular.
Rugby
union is the national sport in Samoa and the national team,
nicknamed the Manu Samoa, is consistently competitive against teams
from vastly more populous nations. Samoa has competed at every Rugby
World Cup since 1991, and made the quarter finals in 1991, 1995 and the
second round of the 1999 world cup. At the 2003 world cup, Manu Samoa
came close to beating eventual world champions, England. Samoa also
played in the Pacific Nations Cup and the Pacific Tri-Nations The sport
is governed by the Samoa Rugby Football Union, who are members of the
Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance, and thus, also contribute to the
international Pacific Islanders rugby union team.
At club level there is the National Provincial Championship and Pacific Rugby Cup.
They also took home the cup at Wellington and the Hong Kong Rugby
Sevens in 2007—for which the Prime Minister of Samoa, also Chairman of
the national rugby union, Tuila’epa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi, declared a
national holiday. They also were the IRB World Sevens Series
Champions in 2010 capping a year of achievement for the Samoans,
following wins in the USA, Australia, Hong Kong and Scotland Sevens
tournaments.
Prominent
Samoan players include Pat Lam and Brian Lima. In addition many Samoans
have played for or are playing for New Zealand.
Rugby league is mostly played by Samoans living in New Zealand and Australia,[citation needed]
with Samoa reaching the quarter finals of the 2013 Rugby League World
Cup made of players playing in the NRL, Super League
and domestic players. Many Samoans and New Zealanders or Australians of
Samoan descent play in the Super League and National Leagues in
Britain. Francis Meli, Ta'ane Lavulavu of Workington Town, Maurie
Fa'asavalu of St Helens and David Fatialofa of Whitehaven and Setima Sa
who signed with London Irish rugby club. Other noteworthy players from
NZ and Australia have represented the Samoan National team. The 2011
domestic Samoan rugby league competition contained 10 teams with plans
to expand to 12 in 2012.
Samoans
have been very visible in boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, and sumo; some
Samoan sumo wrestlers, most famously Musashimaru and Konishiki have
reached the highest rank of Ozeki and yokozuna.
American
football is occasionally played in Samoa, reflecting its wide
popularity in American Samoa, where the sport is played under high
school sanction. About 30 ethnic Samoans, many from American Samoa,
currently play in the National Football League. A 2002 article from ESPN
estimated that a Samoan male (either an American Samoan, or a Samoan
living in the mainland United States) is 40 times more likely to play in
the NFL than a non-Samoan American.
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