Samoan Culture

There are people who live on the Samoan Islands and have a culture that can be dated back thousands of years and is still very much alive amongst these people who are passing it on to the next generation. Read to know more about the religion, society, government, dress and food, which are parts of the Samoan culture.

Where are the Samoan Islands?

The Samoan Islands are situated in the South Pacific. It is about 1800 miles east of New Zealand and approximately 2400 miles southwest of Hawaii. These islands are in two parts out of which the ones that are on the eastern side are part of the United States of America and the western islands are an independent unit and form an independent country.

Samoan Culture: People

People form a part of the culture of a place and they are in turn the manifestations of every culture. In Samoan Islands, people are very traditional and they still have respect for the set of hierarchy set by their ancestors, though they are complex and modern concepts teach us the principle of equality now. Samoans are people oriented and they perform all their activities in groups. They do not construct walls in between houses and approximately twenty people can sleep in the same house. The fale is used for social activities during the day. Family is considered to be the basic element in the life of Samoans and then comes the extended family or the "aiga". The family respects the eldest in the family, as a matter of fact all the elders in the family are revered. The social structure is old and well-organized.

Samoan Culture: Society and Government

The system of government that the Samoans follow is known as the "fa'amatai" which has a chief called the "matai" who looks after the entire "aiga" or the extended family. On the basis of need and honor, food and wealth are distributed though everybody is considered equal in terms of social standing and they share equal responsibilities. "Matai" refers to that family that is on the village council and shoulders the responsibility of meting out justice and ensuring that all the customs and rituals are carried out properly. Samoans have very rigid set of rules and regulations and it also teaches its people to be independent, dignified as well as prudent.

Samoan Culture: Religion

Religion is an important part of the Samoan Culture and they believe that Samoa was founded on God. Now most of the Samoans are devout Christians though it is believed that initially they believed in a religion that had beliefs that were quite contrary to the Christian beliefs. After the missionaries arrived Protestant Christianity became the greatest influence on people of Samoa.

Samoan Culture: Dress and food

Women in Samoan Islands wear "puletasi" which is a skirt and a tunic with the traditional Samoan designs on it. They also wear a sarong kind of a thing called the "lava lava" which worn by men and women both. Men wear simple sarongs and for women they are intricately designed.

Samoans eat seaweeds and crayfish with baked taro and rice. Coconut is the staple food in Samoa and appears in almost all the dishes. The older members of the family eat first and then the younger family members eat. On Sundays it is the day of rest and many families come together to have their afternoon meal together.

The Samoans have a very old though effective system of government and know how they should manage their own cultural individuality through their language, food, dress, dance and music.