99-475: Faʻamatai is the indigenous political ('chiefly') system of Samoa , central to the organization of Samoan society. It is the traditional indigenous form of governance in both Samoas , comprising American Samoa and the Independent State of Samoa . The term comprises the prefix faʻa ( Samoan for "in the way of") and the word matai (family name or title). Of central importance in the system are
198-478: A matai to their children or direct descendants but are bestowed upon those whom the extended family agree will best serve their needs while also ensuring that different branches of the family are represented. A recent example of this Samoan custom and law is the stripping of the important Malietoa title from the son of the previous title holder, the late Head of State, Malietoa Tanumafili II (1913–2007). Following Malietoa Tanumafili II's death in 2007, one branch of
297-594: A tuaigoa shared title name only, in which case they are not referred to at all in family matters and may be deprived of their names at the will of their superior at any time. The faʻamatai system is entrenched in Samoan politics. From the country's independence in 1962, only matai could vote and stand as candidates in elections to parliament. In 1990, the voting system was changed by the Electoral Amendment Act which introduced universal suffrage and
396-524: A Western-style modern government (referred to as the malo ) where the matai' s authority is confined and balanced against the national governance. There are two different ranks within the Samoan chief system. There is the 'high' or 'sacred' chief known as the Aliʻi and ʻorator' chief known as Tulafale. The system is found in every district throughout Samoa. In some places, there is also the Tulafale-alii,
495-510: A chief of high rank who, owing to their status and antiquity, carry the dual functions of orator-chief. These are also referred to as 'matua' (elder), most notable of which are the Fuataga and Tafua of Aleipata, Moeono and 'Iuli of Falefa, Tofuaʻiofoʻia and Talo of Falealili, Teʻo and Maugatai of Safata. In former times the term matai applied only to tulafale , but over time the term has become applied to aliʻi generally. The wife of an aliʻi
594-615: A grave, in the midst of the white men's sugar fields". 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, based on commercial shipping interests in Pearl Harbor in Hawaii and Pago Pago Bay in eastern Samoa, and forced alliances, most conspicuously on
693-612: A larger force of Samoan rebels loyal to Mataʻafa 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
792-593: 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 Samoan Islands. The Siege of Apia occurred in March 1899. Samoan forces loyal to Prince Tanu were besieged by
891-445: A name ( suafa ) by and through which they exercise their rights in the family over which they preside. Matai names are for the most part very old ones and are handed down from generation to generation. Matai titles can be bestowed on one person or numerous family members who are distinguished from each other by their Christian name . It is common for each ʻa iga to have a number of matai titles, but one particular title will be
990-466: A number of ceremonial items associated with them. The fue (whisk), a specific necklace ʻulafala made from carpels of the pandanus fruit, and toʻotoʻo (long wooden staffs). The power balance this system carries is often depicted in cultural and social settings. Aliʻi are known to not to say much during these meetings as the Tulafale are the traditional mouthpiece tasked with interpreting the will of
1089-531: A particular region or the entire island group, has sometimes been translated incorrectly to the English language as "king" in the European sense. The relatively brief usage of the term "king" died out with the end of colonialism. In the early 20th century, matai leadership played a pivotal role in the pro-independence Mau movement which eventually led to Western Samoa's independence in 1962. Each matai has
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#17327838409081188-453: A population of some 38,000 Samoans and 1,500 Europeans. However, native 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
1287-401: A practice further strengthened by the 1990 Village Fono Law. Most Samoans live in villages consisting of groups of families with close ties and history. The influence of the matai is felt not only in the village but also in the district and even beyond. The active factor in the life of the village is the village council or fono o matai and its members are the matai . The fono of matai is
1386-461: A respected journalist and owner of the Samoa Observer newspaper. There are no official holders of the other two pāpā titles. In the 49-seat Legislative Assembly of Samoa , all 47 Samoan members are also matai , performing dual roles as chiefs and modern politicians, with the exception of the two seats reserved for non-Samoans. The 2006 census of Samoa identified 15,783 matai out of
1485-532: A total population of 180,741 (8.7%); 12,589 (79.8%) were male and 3,194 (20.2%) were female. Two great families comprise what may be termed the aristocracy of Samoa: Sa Malietoa , and Sa Tupua . For a great length of time, the title of Tupu (Sovereign) was confined to members of the latter since the reign of Queen Salamasina . On the death of the Safe-o-fafine, the last king in the Sa Tupua line,
1584-530: Is Apia . The Lapita people discovered and settled the Samoan Islands around 3,500 years ago. They developed a Samoan language and Samoan cultural identity . Samoa is a unitary parliamentary democracy with 11 administrative divisions . It is a sovereign state and a member of the Commonwealth of Nations . Western Samoa was admitted to the United Nations on 15 December 1976. Because of
1683-414: Is a matai and a long-serving senior member of cabinet, who was elected Prime Minister in 2021. Other women in politics include Samoan scholar and eminent professor Aiono Fanaafi Le Tagaloa , orator-chief Matatumua Maimoana and Safuneituʻuga Paʻaga Neri (former Minister of Communication and Technology). The judicial system incorporates English common law and local customs. The Supreme Court of Samoa
1782-408: Is also agreed upon by consensus. The Samoans explain this by saying that a man has a fasi igoa – a piece of the title. Usoaliʻi refers to brother chiefs, those men in the family union holding matai names. They may all enjoy the same rights or be under the control of one matai who is termed sao , in which case the other chiefs are referred to as tuaigoa . Samoa Samoa , officially
1881-451: Is appended to the beginning of their name so that their Christian name follows their new matai title. As one person may hold a number of different matai names from different branches of their genealogy, the new names are also added before their Christian name, with no set order in terms of general usage. An example is Mataʻafa Faumuina Fiame Mulinuʻu I whose first three names reveal individual high chief titles and thereby his genealogy and
1980-424: 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 legislative assembly. Prominent women in Samoan politics include the late Laʻulu Fetauimalemau Mataʻafa (1928–2007) from Lotofaga constituency, the wife of Samoa's first prime minister. Their daughter Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa
2079-513: Is completed, the new matai is henceforth called by their new name. In New Zealand, more people born in Samoa than any other foreign country officially change their names with the Department of Internal Affairs and it is believed that many of these are adding matai titles. Matai titles are sometimes conferred upon non-Samoans as an honour by Samoan families and their villages. An example
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#17327838409082178-485: Is decisive. The remainder who are merely at the fono to listen, agree with the decisions given. It is permissible for the minor matai to discuss the matter with and endeavour to try to influence the matai sili before the fono commences. Before the fono commences preliminary councils are held ( taupulega ) by the different groups and at these councils the single family heads exchange opinions and endeavour to convince each other and to create harmony in order that when
2277-455: Is known as O le Ao o le Malo in Samoan, and since its establishment only paramount chiefs have held the office. The current head of state is Tuimalealiʻifano Vaʻaletoʻa Sualauvi II , who was elected by the legislature in 2017 and again in 2022. The Legislative Assembly or Fono is the unicameral legislature, consisting of 51 members serving five year terms. Forty-nine are matai title-holders elected from territorial districts by Samoans;
2376-505: Is referred to as faletua . The wife of a tulafale (orator status matai ) is referred to as tausi . Central to Samoan culture is the recording of history and genealogy which was achieved through oral history before the introduction of a written language. Orator chiefs ( tulafale ) and speakers ( failauga – 'speech-maker') are terms used for Samoans holding the position of speakers or mouthpieces of chiefs and they are found in all villages. They are also described as 'wayfinders who negotiate
2475-525: Is the court of highest jurisdiction. The Chief Justice of Samoa is appointed by the head of state upon the recommendation of the prime minister. Samoa comprises eleven itūmālō (political districts). These are the traditional eleven districts which predate European arrival. Each district has its own constitutional foundation ( faʻavae ) 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
2574-412: Is the title of Seiuli conferred in 1993 by Samoa's Head of State, Malietoa Tanumafili II upon Barry Curtis , at the time Mayor of Manukau , a New Zealand city with a large Samoan population. Other non-Samoan New Zealanders bestowed with matai titles include prime ministers Robert Muldoon , David Lange and Jim Bolger , politician Winston Peters and Auckland businessman Dick Hubbard who holds
2673-419: Is under customary ownership, with the rest under the national government ( malo ) as public lands with another 4% freehold . At the apex of this system are the four major title holders – Tupua Tamasese , Malietoa , Mataʻafa and Tuimalealiʻifano - known as the tamaʻāiga ("sons of the families") that afford them leadership over the royal families of Samoa. All heads of state of Samoa have been drawn from
2772-953: The Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa ( Samoan : Sāmoa i Sisifo ), is an island country in Polynesia , consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu ); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima ); and several smaller, uninhabited islands, including the Aleipata Islands ( Nuʻutele , Nuʻulua , Fanuatapu and Namua ). Samoa is located 64 km (40 mi) west of American Samoa , 889 km (552 mi) northeast of Tonga , 1,152 km (716 mi) northeast of Fiji , 483 km (300 mi) east of Wallis and Futuna , 1,151 km (715 mi) southeast of Tuvalu , 519 km (322 mi) south of Tokelau , 4,190 km (2,600 mi) southwest of Hawaii , and 610 km (380 mi) northwest of Niue . The capital and largest city
2871-621: The League of Nations , then through the United Nations. 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. During
2970-499: The Prime Minister of Samoa to the country's Head of State, who is referred to as O le Ao o le Malo (the chieftain of the government). As matai head their families and represent their villages, communities and districts, important high-ranking title-holders came to play significant roles in colonial politics with the advent of western powers and rivalry in the 19th century. The colonial era saw Britain , Germany and
3069-517: The United States supporting different matai (such as Mataʻafa Iosefo and the youthful Malietoa Tanumafili I ) in order to gain political influence in Samoa. This led to the colonial powers bestowing the European title of king upon their own candidate during the tumultuous years of the late 19th century, leading to warring among competing high-ranking matai in different districts. The Samoan term tupu , referring to paramount status over
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3168-604: The Vaʻa-o-Fonoti district at the east end of Upolu island and Falealupo at the west end of Savaiʻi have agreed to conservation covenants for their native forests. Much of the land under the government today was alienated or sold during colonialism and later came under the Samoa government when the colonial era ended. This includes large tracts of plantation land from the 19th century as well as later periods of colonial administration including German Samoa (1900–1914) followed by
3267-625: The election , ending the rule of long-term Prime Minister Tuilaʻepa Saʻilele Malielegaoi of the Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP), although the constitutional crisis complicated and delayed this. On 24 May 2021, she was sworn in as the new prime minister, though it was not until July that the Supreme Court ruled that her swearing-in was legal, thus ending the constitutional crisis and bringing an end to Tuilaʻepa's 22-year premiership. The FAST party's success in
3366-460: The matai presents on behalf of the ʻa iga to ensure the family's obligations are met in their village or wider community. Men and women have equal rights to matai titles in Samoa, although the role of women in Samoan society means female matai comprise a relatively small percentage. Before the advent of European contact and influence, the authority ( pule ) of the matai extended to life and limb but this power has been altered and absorbed by
3465-423: The matai , the holders of family chief titles, and their role in looking after their family. Faʻamatai is the key socio-political system of governance and way of life ( faʻa Samoa ) in Samoan culture. Inherent in the faʻamatai system is the welfare and well-being of the extended family ( ʻaiga ) and the protection of family property, consisting most importantly of customary land . About 81% (567,000 acres),
3564-437: The tamaʻāiga . In addition, these four paramount chiefs are often accorded pāpā titles - titles that indicate sovereignty or leadership over a designated territory or kinship network. These titles are Tui Ātua , Tui Aʻana , Gatoaitele and Vaetamasoalii. The Tui Ātua is currently held by Tui Ātua Tupua Tamasese Efi , former prime minister and head of state of Samoa. The Gatoaitele title is currently held by Savea Sano Malifa ,
3663-505: The 2021 election and subsequent court rulings also ended nearly four decades of HRPP rule. 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 . The head of state of Samoa
3762-477: The Aliʻi. In doing so, tulafale have over the centuries become a powerful group, able to utilise their speaking platform to wield considerable influence over the aiga, the village and in their dealings with other aiga and districts. This led to the rise of the Tumua ma Pule institution, the influential group of orators from both Savaii and Upolu. The orators of Leulumoega and Lufilufi have wielded considerable power over
3861-556: The Americans or the British. 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 pro-independence 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, Western Samoa had
3960-506: The Mau as a legitimate political organisation, and Olaf Nelson was allowed to return from exile. In September 1936, Samoans exercised for the first time the right to elect the members of the advisory Fono of Faipule , with representatives of the Mau movement winning 31 of the 39 seats. After repeated efforts by the Samoan independence movement, the New Zealand Western Samoa Act of 24 November 1961 terminated
4059-522: The New Zealand administration. This has resulted in ongoing court cases for land claims between matai and the government, such as that of the village of Satapuala over land by Faleolo International Airport , disputes which directly impact upon the country's national infrastructure. In effect, every Samoan, men and women, is an heir to a matai title pertaining to their kinship and ancestry. However, matai titles are not automatically passed from
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4158-502: The New Zealand authorities banned the organisation. As many as 1500 Mau men took to the bush, pursued by an armed force of 150 marines and seamen from the light cruiser HMS Dunedin , and 50 military police. They were supported by a seaplane flown by Flight Lieutenant Sidney Wallingford of the New Zealand Permanent Air Force . Villages were raided, often at night and with fixed bayonets. In March, through
4257-616: The Samoans' seafaring skills, pre-20th-century European explorers referred to the entire island group , including American Samoa, as the "Navigator Islands". The country was a colony of the German Empire from 1899 to 1915, then came under a joint British and New Zealand colonial administration until 1 January 1962, when it became independent. The islands of Samoa were formed during the Miocene period around 7 million years ago. For
4356-699: The Solomon Islands south of Bougainville, and (3) territorial alignments in West Africa. The German Empire governed the western part of the Samoan archipelago from 1900 to 1914. Wilhelm Solf was appointed the colony's first governor. In 1908, when the non-violent Mau a Pule resistance movement arose, Solf did not hesitate to banish the Mau leader Lauaki Namulau'ulu Mamoe to Saipan in the German Northern Mariana Islands . The German colonial administration governed on
4455-607: The Trusteeship Agreement and granted the country independence as the Independent State of Western Samoa , effective 1 January 1962. Western Samoa, the first small-island country in the Pacific to become independent, signed a Treaty of Friendship with New Zealand later in 1962. Western Samoa 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. At
4554-701: The UN treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons . In June 2017, Parliament amended Article 1 of the Samoan Constitution to make Christianity the state religion. In September 2019, a measles outbreak resulted in the deaths of 83 people. Following the outbreak, the government imposed a curfew in December later during the same year. In May 2021, Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa became Samoa's first female prime minister. Mataʻafa's FAST party narrowly won
4653-463: The activities of the great powers battling for influence in Samoa ;– the United States, Germany and Britain – and the political machinations of the various Samoan factions within their indigenous political system. Even as they descended into ever greater interclan warfare, what most alarmed Stevenson was the Samoans' economic innocence. In 1894, just months before his death, he addressed
4752-434: The actual fono eventuates everything will move smoothly. Some matai are permitted to speak at these fono without having any right to make a decision. The 2006 census of Samoa also revealed that 96% of the country's matai were actively involved in village activities as part of their matai responsibilities. The 4% 'not active' was explained as possibly due to the matai holding more than one title or living away from
4851-469: The archaeological record supports oral tradition and native genealogies that indicate interisland voyaging and intermarriage among precolonial Samoans, Fijians , and Tongans . Notable figures in Samoan history included the Tui Manu'a line, Queen Salamasina , King Fonoti and the four tama a ʻāiga : Malietoa , Tupua Tamasese , Mataʻafa , and Tuimalealiʻifano . Nafanua was a famous woman warrior who
4950-551: 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. Samoa suffered the most of all Pacific islands, with 90% of the population infected; 30% of adult men, 22% of adult women and 10% of children died. The cause of
5049-604: The bestowal of the Tupua Tamasese title on its current holder. Having not secured the consent of the title's governing family, Sā Fenunuivao of Falefa and Salani, it would not be until their acquiescence in 1986 that eventually led to an agreement for Tui Ātua Tupua Tamasese Efi to be bestowed with the title. Other cultural factors can also play a part in the complex decision making process including seniority in age (an important factor in Samoan society), leadership qualities, oratory and an individual's ability to contribute to
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#17327838409085148-470: The capital Apia . On the island of Savaiʻi , where there are fewer people and fewer signs of western material culture, 93% of the 43,142 population live on customary land. Looking after the collective family land is one of the most important responsibilities of Samoan families and their matai . A matai may make their wishes known and bequeath certain property to others such as a married daughter, but they cannot transfer land rights beyond their own. Under
5247-415: The centuries as it is only through their consent that the royal aliʻi title of Tui Aʻana and Tui Ātua titles could be bestowed. Men and women both have equal rights to the matai title. The Chiefs are responsible for their village/family, whenever needed, they must be there to support them. (Faʻalavelave) . Samoan gafa (pedigree, ancestors, descent) is central to family kinship and will usually commence from
5346-447: The concept of serving and taking on the responsibility for the welfare of the family is integral to the faʻamatai system. Various members of the family are called upon in turn to support their matai in carrying out their role and responsibilities according to Samoan tradition, cultural obligations and duty. This often involves the family contributing money and important cultural items such as ʻie toga (fine mats) as well as food which
5445-399: The country's land under customary ownership, the position of the matai is significant in modern-day politics in Samoa in terms of the nation's economic development, conservation, sustainability, tourism, national infrastructure and access to natural resources such as water, forestry, road access, agriculture and farming. An example in recent years is the matai from the village of Sili on
5544-434: The culture's communal and extended family relationships. The term ʻa iga includes not only the immediate family (father, mother and children), but also the whole union of families of a clan and even those who although not related are subject to the family control. At the local level, much of the country's civil and criminal matters are dealt with by some 360 village chief councils, Fono o Matai , according to traditional law,
5643-584: The demonstration. When he resisted, a struggle developed between the police and the Mau. The officers began to fire randomly into the crowd and used a Lewis machine gun , mounted in preparation for the demonstration, to disperse the demonstrators. Mau leader and paramount chief Tupua Tamasese Lealofi III was shot from behind and killed while trying to bring calm and order to the Mau demonstrators. 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. On 13 January 1930,
5742-578: The different villages and families to which he belonged; the Faumuina title from Lepea , the Fiame title from Lotofaga and the Mataʻafa title, one of the paramount names in the country. As more than one family member can be bestowed the same matai title, each person's Christian name serves to distinguish them from each other. Dividing a family title so that it is shared among more than one family member
5841-407: The distribution of mats will take place. Many of these mats, particularly the fine mats ( ʻie tōga ), are valued very highly both from a monetary point of view and also from a historical and sentimental viewpoint. The more important mats bear respected names. The most noteworthy occasions on which mats are presented are marriages, births and deaths and the bestowal of a chiefly title. The matai of
5940-699: The early economic development of Samoa. The Salem brig Roscoe (Captain Benjamin Vanderford), in October 1821, was the first American trading vessel known to have called, and the Maro (Captain Richard Macy) of Nantucket , in 1824, was the first recorded United States whaler at Samoa. The whalers came for fresh drinking water, firewood, provisions and, later, for recruiting local men to serve as crewmen on their ships. The last recorded whaler visitor
6039-578: The epidemic was confirmed in 1919 by a 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 Talune from Auckland on 7 November 1918. The pandemic undermined Samoan confidence in New Zealand's administrative capacity and competence. Some Samoans asked that the rule of the islands be transferred to
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#17327838409086138-582: The executive and judicial authority of every village in Samoa. If a matter is of importance the assembly is held on the malae , the open space in front of the village. The speakers address the assembly and stand to do so. The listeners are comfortably seated on mats. Those not taking part in these assemblies are described as tagatanuʻu (people of the village) and include untitled men, women and children. Democratic ideas do not prevail at these fono s and decisions are independent of majority or minority rule. The decision of one or more matai sili (senior matai )
6237-622: The family bestowed the title upon his son Papaliʻi Faʻamausili Moli in the village of Malie . The other branches of the family filed petitions at the Land and Titles Court of Samoa claiming the bestowal invalid in breach of Samoan law. In June 2008, the court agreed and ruled the bestowal of the Malietoa title upon the son illegal, highlighting the unique nature of matai selection based on consensus, merit, custom and due process rather than automatic hereditary selection. A similar situation arose during
6336-428: The family is the administrator and representative of the family property which includes customary land . Most of the population in Samoa , 65% overall, live with their families in villages on customary land. However, the 2006 Samoa census showed that 34 out of 48 political districts had more than 80% of households living on customary land with the lowest figures (25%) in the more densely concentrated urbanised area around
6435-417: The family's overall circumstances and well-being. Matai titles ( suafa , literally "formal name") are bestowed upon family members during a cultural ceremony called a saofaʻi which occurs only after discussion and consensus within the family. The saofaʻi is a solemn ceremony which marks the formal acceptance of a new matai by their family and village into the circle of chiefs and orators. It involves
6534-552: The first known non-Polynesian to sight the Samoan islands in 1722. This visit was followed by French explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville , who named them the Navigator Islands in 1768. Contact was limited before the 1830s, which is when British missionaries of the London Missionary Society, whalers, and traders began arriving. Visits by American trading and whaling vessels were important in
6633-553: 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 this "great and urgent imperial service." From the end of World War I until 1962, New Zealand controlled Western Samoa as a Class C Mandate under trusteeship through
6732-401: The four highest titles of Samoa – the elder titles of Malietoa and Tupua Tamasese of antiquity and the newer Mataʻafa and Tuimalealiʻifano titles, which rose to prominence in 19th-century wars that preceded the colonial period. These four titles form the apex of the Samoan matai system as it stands today. Contact with Europeans began in the early 18th century. Jacob Roggeveen , a Dutchman, was
6831-409: The gathering of chiefs and orators in a fale tele meeting house, the exchanging of oratory speeches, the reciting of genealogies and a kava ceremony followed by a feast provided by the new matai' s family. Architecture of Samoa dictates seating positions inside the meeting house during the title bestowal including the position of those making the kava being situated at the rear. Once the ceremony
6930-475: The government changed the rule of the road from right to left , in common with most other Commonwealth countries - most notably countries in the region such as Australia and New Zealand, home to large numbers of Samoans. This made Samoa the first country in the 21st century to switch to driving on the left. At the end of December 2011, Samoa changed its time zone offset from UTC−11 to UTC+13, effectively jumping forward by one day, omitting Friday, 30 December from
7029-519: The hope of escaping from his tyranny, the people of Aʻana conferred their title of Tui Aʻana upon him, but only to further smart under his oppressive rule. Whereas the Tonumaipeʻa clan had earlier taken all the royal titles and left the districts to run their own affairs, the reverse happened in Manono's case. The Manono/Tonumaipeʻa party ignored the royal titles but took the malo (executive power). This
7128-699: 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
7227-560: The island chiefs: There is but one way to defend Samoa. Hear it before it is too late. It is to make roads, and gardens, and care for your trees, and sell their produce wisely, and, in one word, to occupy and use your country ... if you do not occupy and use your country, others will. It will not continue to be yours or your children's, if you occupy it for nothing. You and your children will in that case be cast out into outer darkness. He had "seen these judgments of God" in Hawaii , where abandoned native churches stood like tombstones "over
7326-459: The island of Savaiʻi turning down a government proposal to build a hydroelectric plant on village land because of environmental concerns. In contrast, the matai in Sasina have agreed with government support to an unprecedented 120-year lease of prime oceanfront land to an American company to build a tourism resort estimated to cost US$ 450–500 million. In conservation, the villages of Uafato in
7425-481: The islands of Tutuila and Manu'a , which became American Samoa . 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
7524-679: The local calendar. This also had the effect of changing the shape of the International Date Line , moving it to the east of the territory. 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, implemented on 4 July 1892, operated in line with American traders based in California . In October 2021, Samoa ceased daylight saving time . In 2017, Samoa signed
7623-408: The management of one or more matai the lands are divided amongst the various families for their own use and are viewed by these family members as their unassailable rights. A Samoan proverb highlighting the importance of land in Samoa reads, E le soifua umi le tagata faʻatau fanua (The man who sells family land will not live to an old age – devils will bring about his early death). With most of
7722-531: The mediation of local Europeans and missionaries, Mau leaders met New Zealand's Minister of Defence and agreed to disperse. Supporters of the Mau continued to be arrested, so women came to the fore rallying supporters and staging demonstrations. The political stalemate was broken following the victory of the Labour Party in New Zealand's 1935 general election. A 'goodwill mission' to Apia in June 1936 recognised
7821-401: The most important and serve as the main matai title. The title of a family matai which is peculiar and particular to that family is the subject of tradition and is faithfully recorded by the family and passed on from generation to generation. It sometimes happens that new names are for some reason taken and the old ones discarded or passed on to lesser or junior chiefs. In Samoan culture,
7920-545: The name it had been called by in the United Nations since it joined. American Samoa protested against the name change, asserting that it diminished its own identity. In 2002, New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark formally apologised for New Zealand's role in the Spanish influenza outbreak in 1918 that killed over a quarter of Samoa's population and for the Black Saturday killings in 1929. On 7 September 2009,
8019-454: The other two are chosen by non-Samoans with no chiefly affiliation on separate electoral rolls. At least ten per cent of the MPs must be women. 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 five per cent of whom are women. The prime minister , chosen by a majority in the assembly,
8118-461: The past 2 million years, the Samoan archipelago has experienced records of volcanic hotspots . Samoa was discovered and settled by the Lapita people (Austronesian people who spoke Oceanic languages ), who travelled from Island Melanesia . The earliest human remains found in Samoa are dated to between roughly 2,900 and 3,500 years ago. The remains were discovered at a Lapita site at Mulifanua , and
8217-492: The period of New Zealand control, their administrators 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 . In 1918, during the final stages of World War I , the Spanish flu had taken its toll, spreading rapidly from country to country. On Samoa, there had been no epidemic of pneumonic influenza in Western Samoa before
8316-421: The person who first brought the name into prominence and caused it to be respected. It does not necessarily mean that the family commenced from the institution of a name or that the individual holding the title was the founder of the family. Former matai of the family have by comparison become unimportant and their names have fallen into disuse or become uninfluential. There are many Samoan public events at which
8415-419: The principle that "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 Savai'i) were for a time silent; all decisions on matters affecting lands and titles were under the control of the colonial Governor. In
8514-438: The relationships between different parties'. Important matai titles are also tied to certain orator matai titles. Orators serve the means of conveying the wishes of chiefs to the people or speaking on behalf of the family, village or district on important occasions. The orator is the recorder of family histories and pedigree ( faʻalupega ), genealogies ( gafa ) and events and is indispensable at public ceremonies. Tulafale have
8613-481: The right to vote for adults aged 21-years and over. However, the right to stand for elections remains with matai , who are themselves selected by consensus of their families, including non-matai family members. Therefore, every Samoan Member of Parliament is also a matai , performing dual roles as a 'chief' as well as duties in the Samoan parliament . This applies to most Samoans in positions of public responsibility from
8712-519: The royal residence no longer was situated in the province, the new king continuing to reside on Manono. As his tyranny increased, in like proportion increased the hatred of the people of Aʻana, and at length they rose against him and he was killed in 1829. This was just before the missionary John Williams visited Samoa for the first time. A bloody war ensued and Aʻana's power was broken and the district laid waste. Samoa's chiefly system revolves around family and extended clans of kinship ( ʻaiga ), based on
8811-623: The scientists' findings were published in 1974. The Samoans' origins have been studied in modern times through scientific research on Polynesian genetics , linguistics , and anthropology . Although this research is ongoing, a number of theories have been proposed. One theory is that the original Samoans were Austronesians who arrived during a final period of eastward expansion of the Lapita peoples out of Southeast Asia and Melanesia between 2,500 and 1,500 BCE. Intimate sociocultural and genetic ties were maintained between Samoa, Fiji, and Tonga, and
8910-488: The time of independence, Fiamē Mataʻafa Faumuina Mulinuʻu II , one of the four highest-ranking paramount chiefs in the country, became Samoa's first prime minister . Another paramount chief, Tuiaana Tuimalealiʻifano Suatipatipa II , was admitted to the Council of Deputies ; the remaining two – Tupua Tamasese Meaʻole and Malietoa Tanumafili II – became joint heads of state for life. On 15 December 1976, Western Samoa
9009-512: The title Galumalemana . In 1988, American ethnobotanist Paul Alan Cox received the legendary title Nafanua from the village of Falealupo , where Cox had lived for many years and later helped to set up a covenant to protect the native rainforest. In 1978, the Governor-General of Fiji , Ratu Sir George Cakobau was bestowed the title Peseta by Matautu on Savaiʻi island during his visit to Tui Fiti 's sacred ground. Ban Ki-moon
9108-405: The title remained in abeyance for a long time, as the line of succession was broken after Atua's defeat in war and the seat of power moved briefly from Lufilufi to Manono. The new malo was led by the Manono high chief Leiʻataua Lelologa, His son Tamafaiga, succeeded him and assumed the attributes of a god as well as those of a king. He was actually worshipped as a god and developed into a tyrant. In
9207-485: The village where their title belonged. The authority of the matai has some limits. They are called upon to discuss all important matters with everyone of significance belonging to the family union. If the matter is of minor importance and only of interest to the immediate village family, more distant relations may be omitted from discussion. Matai subject to a senior matai ( matai sili ) are independent in family matters concerning their own single family unless they have
9306-455: Was a political move, as claiming the Tafaʻifa was irrelevant to the substance of power and would only validate his defeated foes' traditional authority to distribute patronage. And so for the first time for many generations, the dignity passed from the family of Fonoti and thus from the line of the ancient Queen Salamasina. Aʻana not only lost the prestige it had so long held in this connection but
9405-402: Was admitted to the United Nations as the 147th member state . It asked to be referred to in the United Nations as the Independent State of Samoa . Travel writer Paul Theroux noted marked differences between the societies in Western Samoa and American Samoa in 1992. On 4 July 1997 the government amended the constitution to change the name of the country from Western Samoa to Samoa ,
9504-596: Was deified in ancient Samoan religion and whose patronage was highly sought after by successive Samoan rulers. Today, all of Samoa is united under its two principal royal families: the Sā Malietoa of the ancient Malietoa lineage that defeated the Tongans in the 13th century; and the Sā Tupua, Queen Salamasina's descendants and heirs who ruled Samoa in the centuries that followed her reign. Within these two principal lineages are
9603-412: 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
9702-516: Was given the title Prince Tupua Ban Ki-moon of Siupapa Saleapaga on 2 September 2014 during the United Nations' Small Island Development Conference while serving as the Secretary General of the United Nations. A matai title is always first in naming convention as the most important name for a titled individual. When a person is appointed a matai , they retain their Christian name in addition to their new matai title. The matai title
9801-776: Was the Governor Morton in 1870. Christian missionary work in Samoa began in 1830 when John Williams of the London Missionary Society arrived 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." In A Footnote to History: Eight Years of Trouble in Samoa (1892), Robert Louis Stevenson details
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