Culture of Samoa

Elders in the family are greatly respected and hold the highest status, and this may be seen at a traditional Sunday umu (normal oven).

Ornaments, jewellery and hair accessories are made from naturally occurring materials such as sea shells, coconut and coir.

[11] The 'ava ceremony is the most significant ritual which takes place before all important occasions, including the bestowal of matai chiefly titles.

The Tuiga is a Samoan traditional headpiece (crown) that is made out of things like feathers, human hair, and a variety of different types of shells.

It is now a privilege to wear the Tuiga because in the 19th century it was only to be worn by the high chief's son, daughter, and also by extended families.

The outfit is made from fine woven mats that symbolizes time, honor, and traditions, then we add red feathers from the birds of the islands.

Then there was the Ula Nifo, a necklace made from whale-tooth that is worn by the head chief or by the person who dances the taualuga.

Back in Samoa in the 19th century the person who performed the dance was the high chief's son or daughter that was a virgin.

People in Samoa are also bilingual, but Samoan is stronger and more widely spoken, although the inhabitants of Swains Island speak Tokelauan.

For events or work attire, the traditional ladies clothing is the puletasi[15] which is a matching skirt and tunic with Samoan designs.

The umu contains an abundance and variety of dishes ranging from a whole pig, fresh seaweed and crayfish to baked taro and rice.

Commonly imported from New Zealand or Australia, pisupo is conventionally served alongside white rice or alaisa fa'apopo (coconut rice), combined with vegetables and noodles to make sapasui, simmered with taro leaves in coconut milk as in palusami, or mixed with supoketi (cooked spaghetti).

[18] Today, the word is applied more generically to all foods preserved in cans, especially corned beef, which has become incorporated into the daily social and gastronomic life of Samoans.

[19] Critics claim that pisupo represents a form of "food colonialism" wherein Western dietary standards displace those of the indigenous populations of the South Pacific, creating a dependence on foreign trade and the importation of processed goods.

[20] In recent years, pisupo has been targeted for contributing to an emerging health crisis in Samoa, which has seen a steady increase in obesity and diabetes since the 1960s.

[21] Nutritionists have pointed to the influx of imported processed foods, sugary beverages, and rice as contributing to the rise in obesity and diabetes in the island.

Canned corned beef, in particular, is high in saturated fat, sodium, and cholesterol[19] and, like many processed foods, is linked to hypertension.

[22] These statistics reflected continual growth in the number and size of Mormons and Assemblies of God and a relative decline in the membership of the historically larger denominations.

[22] The Baháʼí Houses of Worship was dedicated by Malietoa Tanumafili II, King of Samoa (1913–2007), who was the first reigning Bahá'í monarch.

[22] All religious groups are multiethnic; none are composed exclusively of foreign nationals or native-born (Western) Samoans.

For the Independent State of Samoa, New Zealand and British influences has led to the popularity of rugby union, soccer, netball and volleyball.

At weddings, chiefly installations (sa'ofaiga), funerals, opening of houses or churches, or any other public gathering of Samoans, Fa'aaloaloga will always be performed.

This is usually made up of vailolo (drink with money in it; originally it was a coconut and a coconut frond called tuaniu), amoamosa (tray of biscuits and material or a combination of other small foodstuffs like a can of corned beef), and a suatalisua (a box of corned beef and chicken or similar).

[27] The U.S. National Park Service says the following about Turtle and Shark: "Villagers from nearby Vaitogi continue to re-enact an important aspect of the legend at Turtle and Shark by performing a ritual song intended to summon the legendary animals to the ocean surface, and visitors are frequently amazed to see one or both of these creatures emerge from the sea in apparent response to this call.