Western Samoa is the name of a nation in the South Pacific Ocean. A former United Nations Trust Territory, Western Samoa gained independence on January 1, 1962. The country is made up of two significant islands with several smaller islands.
The more oversized island, Savaii (pronounced sah-vy), is home to about half of the population, while Upolu (pronounced u-poe-lo) houses most of the rest. Some small islands belong to Samoa but don’t have much population.
Early period
The oral history of Samoa is rich and varied, with many different versions of the same story. Each island group has its traditions and myths, passed down from generation to generation through song, dance, and storytelling.
Samoan mythology dates back to when Samoa was first settled by Polynesians around 1000 CE; they brought with them their unique beliefs in gods and spirits who controlled nature.
After European contact in the 18th century
After European contact in the 18th century, the Samoans were exposed to diseases that had not been seen before. As a result of this and other factors, their numbers declined rapidly.
In addition, many Samoans died due to conflict with Europeans and others who had arrived on their shores.
The first European explorer recorded to have visited Western Samoa was Dutchman Jacob Roggeveen on April 4, 1722, when he landed at Mulifanua Bay near present-day Faleolo International Airport on Upolu island.
The next visit was by Louis Antoine de Bougainville (1729), who landed at Tumaseu but left without any conflict with the locals. He named it “New Cythera” after his yacht “La Naiade.”
James Cook visited Tutuila in 1799 and again in 1798, naming it St George Island before leaving without any bloodshed between his crew members and native Samoans.
After European contact in the 19th century
The first European ships to visit Samoa were whalers, who arrived in the early 19th century. They brought alcohol and disease with them, which devastated the population.
Germany formally annexed the islands in 1888. They became a German protectorate in 1900 when the Treaty of Berlin transferred control of all Pacific islands north of the Equator from Britain to Germany.
The Germans introduced modern institutions and infrastructure in Samoa: hospitals, schools, and roads were built; taxes were raised; mail service began; Christianity was promoted over traditional beliefs;
Samoans were forced off their land onto more minor reservations where they could be more easily controlled; land ownership was transferred from collective groups to individual households, so each family had its plot.
The Samoan crisis and the First Samoan Civil War
The first Samoan Civil War was fought between Malietoa Laupepa and Mata’afa Iosefo from 1899 to 1903. The conflict was caused by a dispute over who should succeed Tupua Tamasese Lealofi, who had died without leaving an heir.
Laupepa was supported by British colonial authorities, while German interests in Samoa backed Mata’afa. After an initial victory for Mata’afa at Afua on January 29, 1900, he suffered a series of defeats over the next three years.
He finally surrendered on July 17, 1905, after being defeated at Omaru village near Namua’a village on Upolu island by British forces led by Colonel Turner-Crawford and Major Herbert Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax’s Australian Contingent.
The Siege of Apia and the Second Samoan Civil War
The Second Samoan Civil War was fought between 1899 and 1904. It began when Mataafa Iosefo, the leader of the Mataafa clan, refused to accept a decision by the British government to appoint Tui A’ana Tamasese Lealofi III as king instead of him.
The war ended with a treaty establishing Samoa as a British protectorate, but this did not stop conflicts from continuing for years afterward.
Division of islands