Everything about American Samoa totally explained
American Samoa (or ) is an
unincorporated territory of the
United States located in the
South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the sovereign state of
Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa. The main (largest and most populous) island is
Tutuila, with the
Manua Islands,
Rose Atoll, and
Swains Island also included in the territory. American Samoa is part of the Samoan Islands chain, located west of the
Cook Islands, north of
Tonga, and some 300
miles (500 km) south of
Tokelau. To the west are the islands of the
Wallis and Futuna group. The
2000 census showed a total population of 57,291. The total land area is 200.22 km² (77.305 sq mi).
History
Pre-Western contact
It is generally believed that the Samoan Islands were originally inhabited as early as 1000 BC. Samoa wasn't reached by European explorers until the eighteenth century.
The pre-Western history of Eastern Samoa (now American Samoa) is inextricably bound with the history of Western Samoa (now independent Samoa). The
Manu'a Islands of American Samoa has one of the oldest histories of Polynesia, in connection with the
Tui Manua title, connected with the histories of the archipelagos of
Fiji, Tonga, the Cook Islands, Tokelau and elsewhere in the Pacific, all of which had once been under Manua's occupation. Tu'i Manu'a from Manu'a ruled most of the Pacific, including Tonga, long before the Tu'i Tonga Empire. While Tu'i Manu'a ruled Tonga, the external influences came in the form of imperial activities, beginning with the Tu’i Pulotu empire in Fiji and followed by the Tu’i Manu’a empire in Samoa. In other words, Tonga was under considerable influence from the imperialism of both Fiji and Samoa. However, Tonga was able to free herself through bitter and bloody wars from the imperial domination of the Tu’i Manu’a -- which eventually led to the formation of the Tu’i Tonga empire around AD 950 in the person of ‘Aho’eitu, the first Tu’i Tonga -- whose father was a deified Samoan high chief, Tangaloa ‘Eitumâtupu’a, and mother a Tongan woman, Va’epopua, of great noble birth. This double origin entitled the Tu’i Tonga to hold both divine and secular offices. In principle, the close cultural and historical interlinkages between Fiji, Samoa and Tonga were essentially elitist, involving the intermarriage between regional aristocratic families. Many years later after Tonga freed herself from Samoa the Tongans took rule over Samoa until Samoa freed herself. Manu'a was the only island group that remained independent. The islands of Tutuila and
Aunu'u were politically connected to 'Upolu island in what is now independent Samoa. It can be said that all the Samoa islands are politically connected today through the
faamatai chiefly system and through family connections that are as strong as ever. This system of the faamatai and the customs of
faasamoa originated with two of the most famous early chiefs of Samoa, who were both women and related,
Nafanua and
Salamasina.
Colonization
Early Western contact included a battle in the eighteenth century between French explorers and islanders in Tutuila, for which the Samoans were blamed in the West, giving them a reputation for ferocity. Early nineteenth century Rarotongan missionaries to the Samoa islands were followed by a group of Western missionaries led by
John Williams of the
Congregationalist London Missionary Society in the 1830s, officially bringing Christianity to Samoa. Less than a hundred years later, the
Samoan Congregationalist Church became the first independent indigenous church of the South Pacific.
In March of 1889, a
German naval force invaded a village in Samoa, and by doing so destroyed some American property. Three American warships then entered the Samoan harbor and were prepared to fire on the three German warships found there. Before guns were fired, a typhoon sank both the American and German ships. A compulsory
armistice was called because of the lack of warships.
As a U.S. Territory
International rivalries in the latter half of the nineteenth century were settled by the 1899
Treaty of Berlin in which Germany and the U.S. divided the Samoan
archipelago. The U.S. formally occupied its portion—a smaller group of eastern islands with the noted harbor of
Pago Pago—the following year. The western islands are now the independent state of Samoa.
After the U.S. took possession of Samoa, the
U.S. Navy built a
coaling station on Pago Pago Bay for its Pacific Squadron and appointed a local Secretary. The navy secured a Deed of Cession of Tutuila in 1900 and a Deed of Cession of Manuʻa in 1904. The last sovereign of Manuʻa, the [[TuiManua Elisala, was forced to sign a Deed of Cession of Manuʻa following a series of U.S. Naval trials, known as the "Trial of the Ipu", in Pago Pago, Taʻu, and aboard a Pacific Squadron gunboat.
After World War I, during the time of the
Mau movement in
Western Samoa (then a New Zealand protectorate), there was a corresponding American Samoa Mau movement
Politics
Politics of American Samoa takes place in a framework of a
presidential representative democratic dependency, whereby the
Governor is the
head of government, and of a
multi-party system. American Samoa is an unincorporated and
unorganized territory of the United States, administered by the
Office of Insular Affairs,
U.S. Department of the Interior. Its constitution was ratified in 1966 and came into effect in 1967.
Executive power is exercised by the government.
Legislative power is vested in the two chambers of the legislature. The American political parties (Republican and Democratic) exist in American Samoa, but few politicians are aligned with the parties. The
judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.
There is also the traditional village politics of the Samoa Islands, the "fa'amatai" and the "fa'asamoa", which continues in American Samoa and in independent Samoa, and which interacts across these current boundaries. The Fa'asamoa is the language and customs, and the Fa'amatai the protocols of the "fono" (council) and the chiefly system. The Fa'amatai and the Fono take place at all levels of the Samoan body politic, from the family, to the village, to the region, to national matters. The "matai" (chiefs) are elected by consensus within the fono of the extended family and village(s) concerned. The matai and the fono (which is itself made of matai) decide on distribution of family exchanges and tenancy of communal lands. The majority of lands in American Samoa and independent Samoa are communal. A matai can represent a small family group or a great extended family that reaches across islands, and to both American Samoa and independent Samoa.
Nationality
Persons born in American Samoa are
American nationals, but not United States
citizens. Such status is only conferred on people born in the districts of American Samoa and Swains Island, but not to people born in
unorganized atolls. [Note:
Swains Island is claimed by supporters of independence for
Tokelau as part of that country.]
Samoans are entitled to elect one
non-voting delegate to the United States House of Representatives. Their delegate since 1989 has been
Democrat Eni Fa'aua'a Hunkin Faleomavaega, Jr. They also receive delegates to the
Democratic and
Republican National Conventions.
Administrative divisions
American Samoa is administratively divided into three
districts and two "unorganized" atolls. The districts and unorganized atolls are subdivided into 74 villages. Pago Pago is the capital of American Samoa. It is one of the largest villages and is located on the eastern side of Tutuila island in Ma'oputasi County district #9. Some have mistakenly cited Fagatogo as the capital due to the fact that's listed in the
Constitution of American Samoa as the official
seat of government.
Geography
American Samoa is located within the geographical region of
Oceania. With a total land area of 199 km² (76.83 square miles), it's slightly larger than the
District of Columbia. Consisting of five, rugged volcanic islands and two
coral atolls, it's frequently hit by typhoons between December and March, due to its positioning in the South Pacific Ocean. In addition, Rose Atoll, located in American Samoa, is the southernmost point in the territory of the United States.
Official protest to neighboring Samoa
In 1997 a protest was issued against Samoa, formerly named Western Samoa, for changing its official name to the shorter form. The official view in American Samoa is that such a form detracts from the Samoan identity of American Samoa, and public officials and documents from American Samoa still refer to Samoa as Western Samoa.
Territorial claim by Tokelau nationalists
Swains Island is claimed by supporters of independence for
Tokelau as part of that country. Swains Islanders and Tokelauans enjoy linguistic and cultural affinities. Tokelauans refer to Swains as Olohega. In 2006 and 2007, unsuccessful,
United Nations-sponsored referenda on independence for
Tokelau, currently administered by
New Zealand, revived a dormant source of tension. The
American and New Zealand governments are not concerned to pursue any change of territorial status over the
Swains Island issue. However, the existence of a clause in a draft independence treaty espoused by
United Nations-driven Tokelauan nationalists is a matter which will be a potential source of diplomatic tension. In one direction or another, the way out of this impasse may depend on the extent that the
United States government shows a willingness or otherwise to support the
United Nations' decolonization efforts at the expense of the current territorial integrity of American Samoa.
Economy
Employment on the island falls into three relatively equally-sized categories of approximately 5,000 workers each: the public sector, the two
tuna canneries, and the rest of the private sector. There are only a few federal employees in American Samoa and no active military personnel except members of the U.S. Coast Guard. (there is an
Army Reserve unit, however); the overwhelming majority of public sector employees work for the American Samoa Government. The two tuna canneries (
StarKist and
Samoa Packing) export several hundred million dollars worth of canned tuna to the United States. In early 2007 the Samoan economy was highlighted in the
U.S. Congress as it wasn't mentioned in the
minimum wage bill, at the request of the Samoan delegate to the
United States House of Representatives,
Eni Faleomavaega.
The
Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 has, since inception, contained special provisions for American Samoa, citing its limited economy. Since the American set based on the recommendations of a Special Industry Committee meeting bi-annually. Originally, the Act contained provisions for other territories, which were phased out as those territories developed more diverse economies. In 2007, the
Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 was passed, increasing minimum wage in American Samoa by $0.50 per hour in 2007 and another $0.50 per hour each year thereafter until the minimum wage in American Samoa equals that of the fifty states.
Demographics
American Samoa is small enough to have just one
ZIP code, 96799. The island contains 23
primary schools and six
secondary schools, all of which are operated by the
American Samoa Department of Education.
American Samoa Community College, founded in 1970, provides post-secondary education on the islands.
Culture
The culture in American Samoa is almost the same as in Western Samoa (Upolu). The U.S. military and agricultural occupation distinguishes the civilization of American Samoa from the sovereign Samoa.
Sports
About 30 ethnic Samoans, many from American Samoa, currently play in the
National Football League. A 2002 article from ESPN estimated that a Samoan male (either an American Samoan, or a Samoan living in the 50 United States) is 40 times more likely to play in the NFL than a non-Samoan American.
A number have also ventured into professional wrestling (see especially
Anoa'i family).
American Samoa's national soccer team is considered one of the newest teams in the world. It also has the distinction of suffering the worst loss in international soccer history: they lost to
Australia 31 - 0 in a
FIFA World Cup qualifying match on
April 11 2001.
Further Information
Get more info on 'American Samoa'.
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