The People

About 177,000 people live in independent Samoa, the vast majority of them full-blooded Samoans. They are the second-largest group of pure Polynesians in the world, behind only the Maoris of New Zealand.

Although divided politically in their home islands, the people of both Samoas share the same culture, heritage, and, in many cases, family lineage. Despite the inroads that Western influences have made -- especially in American Samoa -- they are a proud people who fiercely protect their old ways.

"Catch the bird but watch for the wave" is an old Samoan proverb that expresses the approach followed in the islands. This conservative attitude is perhaps responsible for the extraordinary degree to which Samoans have preserved fa'a Samoa while adapting it to the modern world. Even in American Samoa, where most of the turtle-shaped thatch fales have been replaced with structures of plywood and tin, the firmament of the Samoan way lies just under the trappings of the territory's commercialized surface.

The showing of respect permeates Samoans' lives. They are by tradition extremely polite to guests, so much so that some of them tend to answer in the affirmative all questions posed by a stranger. The Samoans are not lying when they answer wrongly; they are merely being polite. Therefore, visitors who really need information should avoid asking questions that call for a yes or no answer.

The Aiga

The foundation of Samoan society is the extended family unit, or aiga (pronounced ah-eeng-ah). Unlike the Western nuclear family, an aiga can include thousands of relatives and in-laws. In this communal system, everything is owned collectively by the aiga; the individual has a right to use that property but does not personally own it. In a paper prepared for the government of American Samoa by the Pacific Basin Development Council, it states: "the [Samoan] attitude toward property is: if you need something which you don't have, there is always someone else who has what you need."

At the head of each of more than 10,000 aigas is a matai (mah-tie), a chief who is responsible for the welfare of each member of the clan. The matai settles family disputes, parcels out the family's land, and sees that everyone has enough to eat and a roof over his or her head. Although the title matai usually follows bloodlines, the family can choose another person -- man or woman -- if the incumbent proves incapable of handling the job.

Strictly speaking, Samoans turn all money they earn over to their matai, to be used in the best interest of the clan. The system is being threatened, however, as more and more young Samoans move to the United States or New Zealand, earn wages in their own right, and spend them as they see fit. Nevertheless, the system is still remarkably intact in both Samoas. Even in Samoan outposts in Hawaii, California, Texas, and Auckland (which collectively have a larger Samoan population than do the islands), the people still rally around their aiga, and matais play an important role in daily life.

Land ownership is a touchy subject here. About 11% of the land here is freehold, which Samoan citizens can buy and sell. Non-Samoans can lease freehold and communal property, but they cannot buy it outright.

Keep an Eye on Your Camera -- As is the case throughout the South Pacific islands, traditional Samoan custom is at odds with Western concepts of ownership. You may notice the difference directly when a camera or other item left unattended suddenly disappears.

Organization & Ritual

Above the aiga, Samoan life is ruled by a hierarchy of matais known in English as high-talking chiefs, high chiefs, and paramount chiefs, in ascending order of importance. The high-talking chiefs do just that: talk on behalf of the high chiefs, usually expressing themselves in great oratorical flourishes in a formal version of Samoan reserved for use among the chiefs. The high chiefs are senior matais at the village or district level, and the paramount chiefs can rule over island groups. The chiefly symbol, worn over the shoulder, is a short broom that resembles a horse's tail.

The conduct and relations between chiefs are governed by strict rules of protocol. Nowhere is ritual more obvious or observed than during a kava (pronounced 'ava in Samoan) ceremony. The slightly narcotic kava brew is made by crushing the roots of the pepper plant Piper methysticum. In the old days the roots were chewed and spit into the bowl by a chief's virgin daughter. (Forget the wisecracks about there being no virgin daughters these days; that method of kava preparation disappeared in the face of modern notions of hygiene.)

How to Drink Kava -- During a Samoan kava ceremony, coconut shells are scooped into a large wooden bowl of the gray liquid, which looks like mud and tastes like sawdust. The host passes a cup to one person at a time. When you get yours, hold the cup straight out with both hands, and say "Manuia" (Good health) before gulping most of it down in one swallow. Save a little to toss on the floor mats before handing the cup back to your host. And remember, this is a solemn occasion -- not a few rounds at the local bar.