Photo courtesy of Bob Baxter, Skin and Ink Magazine

Based on archaeological, botanical and linguistic evidence, it is believed the first settlers in Samoa arrived around 3,500 years ago. These settlers probably came from Indo-Malaysia and continued to spread to other Polynesian islands including Hawaii, Tahiti and New Zealand.

The first European to come in contact with Samoans was a Dutch Navigator name Jacob Roggeveen in 1722. However, little was known of Samoa until the London Missionary society arrived in 1830 on a ship called Messenger of Peace under John Williams. Christian faith flourished and within a few years Western influence had a strong impact on Samoa and brought fundamental change to the old culture. Toward the end of the 19th century, Britain, Germany and the United States were competing over Samoan territory. In the 1899 treaty, Samoa was divided between Germany and the United States.

Germany was now in control of Western Samoa and moved quickly to establish commercial development on the islands. Although the Germans initially promised to apply their leadership according to Samoan customs, their rule became that of a dictatorship in negotiations. A resistance movement, called the Mau movement, was organized by the Samoans to try to peacefully settle issues with the Germans. The Germans took immediate defense and exiled the chief of the movement, Namulau’ulu Lauaki. When World War I broke out, England convinced New Zealand to occupy German Samoa, and since the Germans were too preoccupied with the War in Europe, New Zealand was successful. New Zealand occupied Samoa peacefully under the leadership of Colonel Logan until the 1920’s. Tensions grew between the Samoans and New Zealand and on December 29, 1929 violence broke out. The New Zealand military fired into an unarmed crowd, killing 11 people. Among them was Tupua Tamasese Lealofi III, a leader of the Mau, and a man of great wisdom and high status among the Samoan community. However, relations did improve. In 1957 the government of Western Samoa was reorganized in preparation for its independence. In 1959, Fiame Mata’afa was appointed as Prime Minister and a formal constitution was adopted. In 1961 a proposal of independence was put before the United Nations and in 1962 Western Samoa became an independent state.

American Samoa became a US Naval Station and Samoans became US Nationalists. The US agreed to acknowledge the traditional rights of Samoans and the colonization had only minimal affect on the traditional Samoan culture until the 1960’s. Under the presidency of John F. Kennedy, large funds were made available for development in Samoa. Roads, a hospital and schools were built. Hotels and western houses arose, replacing the traditional fale homes. Industrial society took over the old traditional Samoan life in a matter of years.