Samoa (Western and American): Difference between revisions

There are migrations of other ethnic groups found among Samoan people. English and Germans were traders and plantation owners. The Germans were frustrated with the Samoan work habits because Samoans didn’t like to work in the rain. They preferred to stay indoors and celebrate or sleep during the rainy season, so the Germans hired Chinese laborers to come, so you find Chinese blood mixed in with the Samoan''. ''Also, a lot of Tongan people intermarried with Samoansover the years.  

The land in Samoais owned by genealogical rights. Only the “half-caste” land (bought by foreigners generations ago when a they would say it was for the Church (not the LDS Church) and then have the chief record it as their own land) can be bought and sold. This is a reason why people do not want their genealogies made public. People could try to get land from another family by disputing it.  

Oral legends: Pili’s four sons become rulers: '''Atua''', '''A`ana''', '''Tuamasaga''' and '''Tolufale'''.<br>950 Tongans conquer Samoa and rule until '''Tuna''','''''<i>Fata</i>'''''and '''Savea'''''<b>drove them from the country.</b>'''''Malietoa''(''brave warrior'') becomes a Matai title.<br>1000'''''<i>Faiga'''becomes Malietoa. He abandons cannibalism by not eating his son Polu. He gives his grand daughters titles. One becomes '''Gato`aitele''', and the other '''Tamasoali`i'''.<br>1550 A great woman named '''Nafanua</i> from Falealupo, Savai`i is the ruler and gains the Tafa`ifa title. The Samoan high chief married the daughter of the Tongan king. Their daughter, Salamasina, is adopted by So`oa`e, the widow of the high chief of Atua district. Salamasina also possesses royal Fijian and Tongan blood from her mother.<br>1700 Tupua becomes the progenitor of the Sa Tupua family, who has the right to kingship for 100 years.<br>1722 Dutchman Jacob Roggeveen trades in Samoa.<br>1768 Frenchman Antoine De Bougainville trades with Samoans.<br>1800 White traders begin to settle in Samoa.<br>1802 Malietoa Vai`inupo is appointed king after the death of King I`amafana. <br>1830 John Williams of the London Missionary Society brings Christianity to Samoa<br>1835 Methodists and London Missionary Society agree that Methodists will proselyte in Tonga and leave Samoa to the London Missionary Society.<br>1840 Malietoa Vai`inpo dies. Moli Malietoa, Tamasese, Tui-Aj`ana, and Mata`afa Tui-Atua contend for power.<br>1849 Willliam T. Pritchard sets up the first permanent store.<br>1855 Goddeffroy and sons of Germany establish a store.<br>1861 Maliatoa dies and his sons, Laupepa and Talavou battle over the Malietoa title.<br>1873 Peace is declared between Laupepa and Talavou. Colonel A. Steinberger of the USA helps the Samoans establish a government. Tupua Pule declares himself king. Alternating 4-year terms for each king begin.<br>1875 Steinberger becomes premier of ''Samoa.<br>''1880 Talavou dies. Laupepa becomes king, Tamasese Sa Tupua becomes vice-king, and Mata`afa Sa Tupua becomes prime minister. They wage a bloody war for power.<br>1860-89 Samoa exports cotton. Europeans purchase large amounts of land from Samoans. <br>1888 The LDS ''Samoan Mission ''was established.<br>1889 A devastating hurricane hits. German, British, and American warships sink. Malieatoa is crowned king of Samoa and Mata afa is given a high position. The land commission declares foreign land claims invalid and purchase of land outside Apia forbidden to non-Samoans. Robert Louis Stevenson moves to Samoa. Dies 5 years later and is buried on Mt. Vea.<br>1890 Wars occur between Malietoa Laupepa and Mata`afa.<br>1899 Laupepa’s son, Tanumafili is installed as king by force of foreign powers.<br>1899 USA, Great Britain and Germany agree to Western Samoa’s independence and neutrality. They set up a multi-government. Kingship is abolished in Samoa. 1900 Great Britain and Germany cede rights to the islands east of 171 degrees west of Greenwich. Later, a few other islands are added. At present this is unincorporated territory of the United States. Western Samoa becomes a German protectorate and Heinrich Solf is governor for ten years. Workers migrate from Micronesia and Melanesia to help on plantations. Eastern Samoa (Tutuila and surrounding islands) become a U.S.A. protectorate.<br>1902 An LDS church and school are built in ''Pesega''. Mission headquarters moves there.<br>1903 Over 2 thousand Chinese laborers are imported to Samoa. The Samoan translation of the Book of Mormon becomes available.<br>1905 The volcano Matavanu on Savai`i erupts and the refugees move to two villages on Upolo.<br>1910 Dr. Eric Schultz is governor of Samoa and the Malietoa and Tupua families are given titles as counselors to the governor.<br>1914 Western Samoa is occupied by a New Zealand force during World War I. Colonel Robert Logan becomes Military Administrator.<br>1918 A deadly flu epidemic kills one-fifth of the Samoan population (approximately 8,000 people).<br>1920 New Zealand administers the islands because Germany loses the war. <br>1920s Schools are built in Sauniatu and Mapusaga. The chiefs of Taup`ele`ele decide to dismiss their minister and join the LDS Church. Land is purchased, a school built, and the Mormon village becomes known as '''Vaiola''' (''Living Waters''). <br>1923 Major George Richardson becomes administrator and dissension between him and Samoans begins.<br>1929 The Independence movement (Mau) becomes a political power.<br>1939 U.S. Marines establish airfields and a radio station in Eastern Samoa during World War II.<br>1951 American Samoa administered by the U.S.A. Department of the Interior instead of the Navy.<br>1954 A Constitutional convention is held to prepare Western Samoa for independence.<br>1958 Native Samoans carry out most of the LDS missionary work because of government restriction on non-native missionaries in the country. <br>1962 Western Samoa becomes an independent country, which renames itself the '''Independent State of Samoa'''. The First LDS stake is organized in Samoa in Apia.<br>1972 Samoa becomes the first country to be covered by Latter-day Saint stakes.<br>1976 First LDS area conference in Samoa.<br>1983 The Apia, Samoa LDS temple is dedicated.<br>2000 The LDS Church has one mission in Samoa. There are 16 stakes in Western Samoa with 58,000 members, and 6 stakes in American Samoa with 13,000 members.  

Example below.&nbsp; This chart will be updated as the oral genealogies are made available on the Internet.