Thesis
This paper will expose the life of the Samoan people who live on the islands in the South Pacific. It will express the life styles of the Samoan culture in terms of traditional lifeway: the location of the group, material culture and subsistence. As well as talking about the effects of globalization: giving a brief history and what led them to their present location. Followed by the current status of the group: describing the government, economy, health, and education levels.
Traditional Lifeway
Samoan people are brought up from a Polynesian ethnic group and are known to have migrated from Southeast Asia. Today one can generally find Samoan people living in areas such as New Zealand, Australia, Hawaii and the U.S. mainland. Hot, wet, humid, and tropical describe the climate type on the islands. The islands are also very susceptible to storm hazards in which has been hit my cyclones, major flooding, and even a tsunami. A survey done in 2009 said that up to 80% of the population lived of the coast, which made the people vulnerable to these hazards (Daly, 2010). The Coastal Infrastructure Management Plans (CIM Plans) have teamed up with the islanders to come up with plans to deal with these cyclones and potential problems relating to the climate.
Even though they face these problems, Samoans still construct their homes of the coastline. Samoans homes are constructed either the long house (afo lav) or the round house (fale tele). These house structures are similar in some ways such as: the height, what they are made out of, the tools used, and how they are supported. Some of the differences include: the long house, which is built with long sided roofs to give off the bigger appearance (Handy, 1924). As for the round house, it...
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...Handy, E. S. Craighill, and Willowdean C. Handy. Samoan House Building, Cooking, and Tattooing. Honolulu, HI: Museum, 1924. Print.
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Ii, John Papa., Mary Kawena Pukui, and Dorothy B. Barrère. Fragments of Hawaiian History. Honolulu: Bishop Museum, 1983. Print.
In the chronological, descriptive ethnography Nest in the Wind, Martha Ward described her experience on the rainy, Micronesian island of Pohnpei using both the concepts of anthropological research and personal, underlying realities of participant observation to convey a genuine depiction of the people of Pohnpei. Ward’s objective in writing Nest in the Wind was to document the concrete, specific events of Pohnpeian everyday life and traditions through decades of change. While informing the reader of the rich beliefs, practices, and legends circulated among the people of Pohnpei, the ethnography also documents the effects of the change itself: the island’s adaptation to the age of globalization and the survival of pre-colonial culture.
The role of a kahuna in the Hawaiian culture takes on the responsibility of keeping a balance between the people and the nation. In doing so, they apply their field of expertise towards assisting the aliʻi and the makaʻāinana. In ancient Hawai’i, there were many different types of kāhuna that had a skill set that contributed or benefited the community. In this paper I will discuss the different ways a kahuna achieves this type of balance within the lāhui. These kuleana include advising the aliʻi to make pono decisions, guiding the makaʻāinana in their daily lives and practices, and taking care of the spiritual side of the Hawaiian culture and traditional practices of the people.
The Hawaiian culture is known throughout the western world for their extravagant luaus, beautiful islands, and a language that comes nowhere near being pronounceable to anyone but a Hawaiian. Whenever someone wants to “get away” their first thought is to sit on the beach in Hawai’i with a Mai tai in their hand and watch the sun go down. Haunani-Kay Trask is a native Hawaiian educated on the mainland because it was believed to provide a better education. She questioned the stories of her heritage she heard as a child when she began learning of her ancestors in books at school. Confused by which story was correct, she returned to Hawai’i and discovered that the books of the mainland schools had been all wrong and her heritage was correctly told through the language and teachings of her own people. With her use of pathos and connotative language, Trask does a fine job of defending her argument that the western world destroyed her vibrant Hawaiian culture.
Sonia P. Juvik, James O. Juvik. Atlas of Hawaii. 3rd Edition. Hilo: University of Hawai'i Press, 1998.
“The Sambia: Ritual, Sexuality, and Change in Papua New Guinea” is a book written by Gilbert Herdt. It is based on a case study Herdt did during the 1970’s of the culture of the Sambia people. His study took place in Eastern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea. He didn’t know much about their language, however through out his time there he was able to learn their language and customs. As he settled into their village, he mostly slept in the clubhouse with the other Nilangu villagers; however, eventually they built a house for him to stay at. Herdt had a great interest in gaining new knowledge about the Sambia culture.
Wheelwright, M. (1942). Navajo Creation Myth. Navajo Religion Series, Vol. 1. Santa Fe: Museum of Navajo Ceremonial Art.
Sioui, G. E. (2008). In Giroux D. (Ed.), Histoires de kanatha - histories of kanatha: Vues et contées - seen and told. Ottawa: Ottawa University of Ottawa Press.
Goodman, Ellen. “The Culture of Thin Bites Fiji”. Everything’s an Argument. 6th ed. Boston Bedford St. Martin’s, 2013. Print.
Kualapai, Lydia. "The Queen Writes Back: Lili'uokalani's Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen." Studies in American Indian Literatures. 17.2 (2005): 32-62.
Jovik, Sonia P. and James O. Jovik. (1997). “History.” Atlas of Hawaii. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, p.408.
[6] “What Is Making Pacific Islanders Fat?” USA Today [Mclean, VA] 9 May 2004: n. pag.USA Today. Web. 20 Apr. 2013.
The Polynesian peoples have a lifestyle quite different than that of any other culture, as living on an island requires a level of flexible adaptability in order to cope with such a different, sometimes difficult environment. We see the way diverse cultures build their lives around their circumstances and how they respect them in their cultural myths and stories. The Polynesian legends emphasize the physical environment that they live in. They are quite different than any other region in the world, but the beauty and individuality of the Polynesian culture is prominent as seen in their mythology.
There are many different people living in this world with different culture diversity, and ways of making a living. American Samoans are one of these countries with different
If I were to choose one place in the whole world which would be the best setting to learn the lessons of life, it would be at home with my family. I am from the islands of Samoa located in the Pacific. I grew up in a family of five people in a society of strong culture and religious atmosphere. I love being with my family because they play a vital role in my life. Most of my time was spent on helping out with the family chores, going to school and fulfilling my church callings. In this essay I will discuss how my culture, my family and my church has changed and molded my character for the better.