Samoa: Island Nation of Mystery

History

The Samoan Islands， little known to the outside world， are volcano-induced islands situated in the South Pacific Ocean and on the eastern side of the International Date Line. Many tourists came to the islands to witness the last sunset of the 20th century on this world. The Samoans have lived there for about 3，000 years. Before colonists from Britain， America and Germany arrived at the islands around the 1850s， the Samoans had led a separate life away from other civilizations. They lived on nature and their lifestyle was primitive and simple. They are straightforward， optimistic， tall and plump; they love music and dance. Their pastoral life was interrupted by the colonists. In 1889， Germany took over West Samoa where English and German colonists ran plantations whereas America ruled East Samoa. In 1997， the island nation usually known as West Samoa or German Samoa changed its official name to the Independent State of Samoa.

Geography

West Samoa is 2，946 square kilometers in area and has a population of about 190，000. It consists of two large islands of Upolu and Savaii and eight small islets. The island republic’s capital is Apia situated on the north coastline of Upolu. East Samoa is officially known as American Samoa， an unincorporated territory of the United States. The 197-km2 island territory has a population of about 60，000. It lacks natural resources， but it has the best deep-water port Pago Pago in the South Pacific Ocean. Pago Pago is also the capital of American Samoa. Residents in these Samoan islands are of the same people that speak the same Samoan language and share the same lifestyle. Family relatives spread far and wide across these islands.

Chinese Influence

Newcomers in the Samoan Islands may easily come under the impression that some Samoans look like Chinese. In fact， many Samoans have Chinese ancestry in their families. Over a long time from the late 19th century to the earlier 20th century， western countries imported Chinese labor forces to their colonies after slavery was abolished. A large number of laborers arrived in West Samoa from today’s Guangdong Province， China. These Chinese were enterprising workers and family men. Despite the language barrier and the ban that forbade marriages between Chinese men and Samoan women， love happened. Local people soon found that the children with Chinese blood were brighter and healthier. Samoan women also preferred Chinese male partners. Due to the colonial law， many Chinese laborers were sent back to China after their labor contracts expired， leaving their Samoan wives and children behind. It was not until 1961 that the de facto marriages between Chinese men and Samoan women in the past were legalized by the authorities.

Today， there are about 100 overseas Chinese living in Samoa， but of the 190，000 Samoans， about 40，000 have Chinese ancestors， a unique demographic phenomenon in the island countries in the South Pacific Ocean. The Chinese fused with the local people and won their respect and affirmation. They are now in indispensable ingredient of the Samoan society. A friend told me that almost all distinguished families and businesses in West Samoa have some Chinese lineage. Many business organizations in these islands carry some names that suggest that they have Chinese entrepreneurs， but most Chinese descendents there don’t speak Chinese. Nor is there any China Town or similar landmark in the Samoa Islands. However， Samoan girls still prefer Chinese young men.

Religion

Samoa is a nation of religions. On Sundays， the 190，000 residents dress themselves in white and go to more than 1，000 churches. The majority are Christians and Catholics. Some villages pray collectively every day. The most magnificent buildings in the country are churches. After the tsunami on September 30th， 2009 that killed about 140 Samoans， the people there held a week-long prayer. The local people say that Samoa is only a small island country in the vast Pacific Ocean where God is the only trustworthy protector.

Their religious faith turns the country into a peaceful Utopia. The country has no army and New Zealand takes care of the island republic’s national defense affairs. The island republic boasts a police force of 300 mainly engaged in traffic and general security.

Sports

Though Samoa is a small country， people are ardently engaged in all kinds of sporting events. Worth mentioning are rugby and cricket. The Samoans love rugby. Its national team once ranked among the world’s top eight rugby powers. Many Samoans play in rugby at various levels in both New Zealand and Australia. Volleyball is another popular sporting event in Samoa. Volleyball playgrounds can be seen everywhere. Though the national team does not rank high in international competitions， local residents play volleyball.

The 2007 Pacific Games were held in Apia， Samoa. Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi competed for his country at the Games in the sport of target archery. He won a silver medal for his motherland.

Lifestyle

Most men wear t-shirts and pants. Many men wear lava-lava， an article of daily clothing traditionally worn in various parts of Southern Pacific Ocean. Lava-lava is both school uniforms and police uniforms. Women usually don one-piece long dresses in garish color and with floral patterns. We diplomats attend official receptions in Samoa without wearing suits and ties. Instead， we wear casual cloths and sandals.

Food is never a problem in Samoan islands. Generous nature supplies ample quantities of breadfruit， banana， and coconut. Today， rice and flour are staple food. Western restaurants and Chinese restaurants are popular in Samoa. Desserts such as ice creams and cakes are popular.

Samoans used to live in traditional houses with a roof and no walls. Straw mats are used as walls， which can be rolled up when it does not rain. Today， there are some modern buildings such as the gymnasium， the swimming center， the government building and the court house in downtown Apia. These landmarks were mostly built by China.

People in Samoa love to have children. They do not practice family planning. Averagely， a Samoan couple has six or seven children. Some couples have 15 children. As the population grows， many Samoans move to New Zealand and Australia and find jobs there. Samoan families take care of the old and the young. Therefore there are no rest homes for old people or orphanages for orphans.

Samoans are dancers and singers. They play the primitive flute and the conch and the modern trumpet and guitar. Women dance in long skirts in bright colors. Their hands with slender fingers are wonders: these hands look delicate， graceful and full of changes.

Siva afi， a traditional Samoan fire knife dance， is probably the most impressive Samoan dance. It presumably started more than 1，000 years ago. In a fire-knife dance， a male dancer twirls one or two knives and performs acrobatic stunts. The Samoan dancers stage their shows in various countries and regions. For example， three Samoan dancers perform the fire-knife dance in Hong Kong’s Disney World all the year round.□