Samoan Culture Essay

Samoa is constituted of a group of islands located in the southern Pacific Ocean only a few miles away from the American island of Hawaii and New Zealand. In total, Samoa covers about 2,934 Square kilometres of land (Palenapa, 1993). The majority of Samoans live in these islands. Millions of others, however, live in other countries such as Australia, New Zealand and the United States of America among others. Although no culture can be said to be superior to the rest, the Samoan culture is one of the most prestigious ones in the world. This research provides an in-depth analysis of the Samoan culture. The analysis covers a wide array of cultural aspects, including foods, language, religion, social systems, etc. The primary aim of this

The only permitted mode clothing in the traditional Samoan culture is the lava, a type of dress wrapped around the shoulder (Purcell-Sjölund, 2013). However, the influence of the western culture is quickly taking root in the country with urban women and men beginning to adopt foreign attires such as trousers and shorts. On traditional occasions, Purcell-Sjölund (2013) observes that all Samoans, rural or urbanized are required to wear the traditional lava. Modesty in dressing is highly adored among the Samoans, especially in the rural areas. Despite these traditions being held so high in Samoa, there are no specific distinguished taboos. The culture of the Samoans, however, consider it impolite to walk in front of people when in a group instead of side-by-side. When one excuses themselves to others, they do it by bowing down to

Having many children is highly preferred among the traditional Samoan families. The elderly in the families and the communities are often accorded high status, coupled with special treatment in the society. Most Samoans prefer caring for their aged relatives (parents and grandparents) at home rather than taking them to nursing homes (Tauiliili, Delva & Browne, 2001). Since family ties are strong in the traditional Samoan societies, most of them feel that when they care for their elderly at home, they can render them the best care needed at that time, and provide them with adequate company and warmth of the family. For these reasons, the Samoans consider keeping the old in nursing homes to be a form of neglect and denying the young ones the right to benefit from the wisdom of the elderly (Tauiliili, Delva & Browne, 2001). Through the elderly, the younger generations receive guidance, historical narratives and other forms of teaching which helps them to grow up in the native culture. Typically, the Samoans believe that when placed in nursing homes, the elderly persons would die of neglect, abandonment and depression due to loss of family