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Samoa

Discover the rich culture, and traditions like White Sunday, fables (fāgogo), songs, dance (Siva Samoa), games (kilikiti), history and handicrafts of this island nation in the Pacific and also why it is a popular tourist destination. SCIS no. 1820362

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The Samoan flag

The Samoan flag

Western Samoa National flag (on land only)

Where can I find information about Samoa?

Samoa Language Week

Talofa Lava! The latest information on Samoa Language Week which is held every year in May and/or June.

Playing Samoan cricket

A 1934 newspaper article about Samoan cricket.

The occupation of German Samoa by NZEF

The occupation of German Samoa by NZEF

The orders received by Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Logan to seize German Samoa.

Samoa soup

A cartoon that refers to the conflict with Samoa over deportation in 1928.

Samoa

Samoans: culture and identity

Article about Samoan culture and identity.

An account of Samoan history up to 1918.

The four houses

The four houses

Shows native houses, probably of a sacred nature Quantity: 1 watercolour(s). Physical Description: Gouache, 305 x 230 mm

Samoan tattoo (tatau) history and tools

Samoan tattoo (tatau) history and tools

Samoan tattoo (tatau) artists Sulu’ape Steve Looney and Tuigamala Andy Tauafiafi talk about the history of Samoan tattooing –where the art came from, what it means, and traditional vs modern method...

Article about Samoans celebrating White Sunday.

‘Ia Samoa Uma’ leaflet

‘Ia Samoa Uma’ leaflet

A rare and valuable artefact of the colonial period in Samoa.

Cyclone Evan causes disaster in Samoa

Samoa has issued a disaster declaration after assessing initial damage caused by Tropical Cyclone Evan. The storm with its sustained winds of 90 kilometres an hour, and gusts to 130...

Samoan Language Week

Samoan Language Week

Today is the start of Samoan Language Week. Samoan people make up nearly half of New Zealand's Pasifika population and Samoan is the third most commonly spoken language in New Zealand. Laura Bootha...

Samoa you weigh

Samoa you weigh

Cartoon referring to a new policy at Samoa Air.

Samoan carvings

Samoan carvings

View of traditional Samoan wood-carvings, on display at the 2016 Pasifika Festival.

Samoa

Painting by Kathleen Airini Vane.

Samoa’s trade

Newspaper article providing facts about Samoa’s exports in 1914.

Left or right tours you choose'

Left or right tours you choose'

Cartoon referring to the switch to driving on the left hand side of the road in Samoa.

"Always predictable... Always unpredictable!"

"Always predictable... Always unpredictable!"

Refers to tsunamis in Samoa and Tonga that caused widespread loss of life and damage.

House of the octopus

House of the octopus

Shows a shrine where Samoans used to worship the octopus Quantity: 1 watercolour(s). Physical Description: Gouache, 305 x 230 mm

Pate (Samoan cricket bat)

Pate (Samoan cricket bat)

Rubbed with lime This pate (cricket bat) made of wood, has a circular handle bound with sennit (plaited coconut husk fibre). There are designs on the batting surface rubbed with what appears to be ...

Samoan cricket Ref: EP/1959/0050-F

Samoan cricket Ref: EP/1959/0050-F

A game of Samoan cricket played in New Zealand in 1959.

Ipu lama (coconut cup mortar and pestle)

Ipu lama (coconut cup mortar and pestle)

The tool kit of the tufuga ta tatau (Samoan tattooist) is made up of several small hand-held tools and a selection of accessories. They are finely crafted and made to be precise. The form and funct...

Salamasina

This oil painting is an example of Fatu Feu'u's interest in Samoan history and customs. The title of the painting refers to a significant woman in ancient Samoa. Salamasina was connected to high-ra...

Sataua, Savai'i, Western Samoa

Sataua, Savai'i, Western Samoa

260mm x 390mm (print); Ektacolour print

Samoan White Sunday celebrations, Auckland

Samoan White Sunday celebrations, Auckland

The white clothes of these children glow softly in a sunlit church on Lotu Tamaiti, Samoan White Sunday. This is a special day in the churches of Samoan, Tongan, and Tokelauan communities, though e...

King Kapisi at New Zealand Fashion Week

King Kapisi at New Zealand Fashion Week

Samoan hip-hop star King Kapisi (Bill Urale) models Overstayer clothing at the Air New Zealand Fashion Week at the Viaduct Basin in Auckland in October 2004. The Overstayer brand of screen-printed ...

The Yandall Sisters

The Yandall Sisters

The Yandall Sisters – left to right, Pauline, Adele and Mary – are shown here performing at Style Pasifika in 2010. The Samoan siblings grew up in Grey Lynn, Auckland, singing in their church choir...

Albert Wendt

Albert Wendt has published a huge range of fiction and poetry.

Children of the migration

Children of the migration

The stories of the Pacific Island immigrants who came to New Zealand from the 1950s-1980s.

Samoan rapper Dei Hamo with his hit ‘We Gon Ride'.

Samoa

SAMOAN INQUIRY. (Northern Advocate, 10 July 1919)

Interior of a Samoan fale

Interior of a Samoan fale

The traditional fale is oval or round with a thatched roof supported by wooden posts. Fales don’t have walls, which allow ventilation in the hot climate. Mats are sometimes used as temporary walls ...

Images of Samoa in 1949

Images of Samoa in 1949

Images of Samoa in 1949, some taken from Archives New Zealand's National Publicity Studios collection.

Samoan dance Ref: PA12-7270-06

Samoan dance Ref: PA12-7270-06

Samoan women perform at Lepea Village, at the 1996 7th Festival of Pacific Arts in Apia, Samoa.

Pupils of Strathmore Park School with food for umu

Pupils of Strathmore Park School with food for umu

In this image we see children at Strathmore School preparing food for the school’s Samoan Day umu. Samoans use an umu, an earth oven similar to the Māori hangi, to cook their food. To prepare an um...

Samoa yielded without a struggle

Samoa yielded without a struggle

This cartoon shows a Samoan maiden leaning on the shoulder of a New Zealand soldier on a Samoan beach. A German rests in a hammock in the background top right. The comment accompanying the cartoon ...

Cocoa beans drying in Samoa

Cocoa beans drying in Samoa

Cocoa planting began around 1900 in Samoa. By 1912 it had become second only to copra production. Labour for the cocoa and copra plantations was provided by indentured workers from Melanesia and Ch...

Samoan epidemic

A report on the disastrous 1918 influenza epidemic in Samoa.

Woman picking coconut

Woman picking coconut

In this photograph we see a young woman picking a coconut from the tree. Coconuts are a vital part of Samoan culture. Every part of the coconut has a use, making it extremely versatile. Coconut wat...

Samoan tattoo

New Zealand’s unique environment makes us vulnerable to damaging ultraviolet (UV) rays. During summer people are strongly advised to ‘slip, slop and slap’ sun block on to protect themselves against...

Samoa — history and culture

Article about Samoan history and culture.

Teaching and learning Gagana Sāmoa

Provides support for teaching Gagana Sāmoa including story books.

Traditional sapa sui

How to make Samoan chop suey.

O tala tu'u ma pese

A collection of Samoan songs and audio books.

Samoan greetings

Learn how to greet people in the Samoan language.

How to dance Siva Samoa.

Sione found a huge talo (taro) growing on his plantation. He pulled and pulled, but he couldn't pull it out.

Traditional Samoan songs

A selection of traditional Samoan songs.

Video about Samoan tattoos.

How to husk a coconut

Chief Kapa Te'o-Tafiti shows how to husk a coconut... with his teeth

Samoa Tourism Authority

Tourism website containing information about Samoan culture, food, dance and history.

Information about Siapo (tapa) including the process, the artists, and the history behind this art form.

An overview of Samoa including information about its society, economy, constitution, history and politics.

A brief encounter with Associate Professor of Pacific Studies, Damon Salesa.

The national anthem of Samoa

Online, full-text version of the newspaper ‘Samoa Observer’.

A collection of fables from Samoa.

Samoan language

Information on the Samoan language, legends, weaving patterns and life in traditional Samoan society.

A selection of artworks by Samoan artist, Fatu Feu’u.

Helen Clark's apology to Samoa

Helen Clark apologises to Samoa for the wrongs committed by colonial New Zealand to Samoa in the past.

The big chill and the big drill

What was the weather like in Antarctica and what kinds of animals lived there?

How to perform the Samoan war dance, Siva Tau.

Weather in Apia, Samoa

Site contains information about weather in Samoa.

O le mata a Teli (Teli's Goggles)

Samoan children's programme featuring the Samoan version of Teli’s goggles

Fa'a-Samoa: The Samoan way

An introduction to the traditional Pacific Island culture of Samoa.

A gallery of images related to Samoa.

Digital dialects

A Samoan language learning site.

This site explains New Zealand’s trade relationship with Samoa.

A gallery of images related to Samoan food.

Aid partnership with Samoa

Article about New Zealand’s aid partnership with Samoa.

The Samoan mat

Although modern goods can be purchased from town stores in Samoa, many people choose to make their own things. Women weave pandanus palm leaves to make sleeping mats, wall blinds, hats and other it...

Samoa

Samoa is a country made up of nine volcanic islands in the South Pacific Ocean. The largest of these islands is Upolu - home to Samoa’s capital city. An independent nation since 1962, Samoa has clo...

Samoa looks to ban all single-use plastic

Samoa will look to ban all single-use plastic in the latest move to protect the country's oceans.