TALOFA SAMOA, THE BEAUTY OF SAMOA

Talofa is the national greeting of Samoa, an independent nation in Polynesia, and is given in many language guides as the island's version of hello.

The Samoan Islands are located in the South Pacific about 1,800 miles east of New Zealand and 2,400 miles southwest of Hawaii. The islands are split into two groups, east and west. The eastern islands are a United States territory, while the western islands are an independent country. One of the best-known features of the Samoan culture is ritual tattoo. It consists of elaborate designs done from the waist down to the knees. The tattoo is done using primitive tools and is a long and painful process taking up to three months to complete. Both men and women can receive the tattoo, but the men’s tattoo is more detailed and more commonly done.

It’s thought that the first settlers of the Samoan islands came there around 3,500 years ago, migrating from other Polynesian islands. There they lived in seclusion until around 1600 when missionaries came to the islands. The missionaries brought the islanders Christianity as well as helping them to invent their own alphabet. They lived without much more intrusion until late in the 1800’s, when Germany and the U.S. began competing for control of the Samoan islands. A treaty was signed and the islands were split between the two countries. Germany lost control of the western islands to New Zealand and then in 1962 Western Samoa became an independent country, while Eastern Samoa still resides under U.S. control. Western Samoa has retained their traditional lifestyle, while Eastern or American Samoa has become much more industrial.

Most Samoans live in small seaside villages. They reside in thatched roof huts with their extended family. A chief and several village elders head the village, but each family takes care of itself. The coconut is a main staple as well as bananas and the taro root. Fish and pork are also part of their diet. The people speak the Samoan language during everyday life, while English is reserved for business or formal affairs. Almost 100% of the Samoan people are Christian and it plays a big part in their life. They attend church on Sundays, and many have a prayer curfew at night for 10 or 20 minutes.

SOURCE: Samoan Community Development Center, www.samoancenter.org