Western Samoa lies approximately 1,600 miles northeast of Auckland, New Zealand. Samoa's main islands were formed from ranges of extinct volcanoes. The last recorded volcanic activity was in 1911. The climate is tropical, with wet and dry temperatures. Although Western Samoa does not lie in the normal track of typhoons, severe storms do occasionally strike. Western Samoa, on January 1, 1962, became the first independent island nation in the South Pacific.
More than 2,000 years ago, waves of Polynesians from Southeast Asia swept into the islands of Samoa. Although archaeological evidence suggests that Western Samoa was inhabited as early as 1000 BC, Polynesian oral history only dates back to 1250 AD. Samoans are one of the largest Polynesian groups, second only to the Maoris of New Zealand. The Western Samoans speak both Samoan and English, but have tended to keep their traditional ways despite more than 150 years of heavy European contact. Samoans live in a social system with traditional bases, based on an extended family they call the aiga. The aiga is headed by a matai, similar to a chief. Any eligible member of the group may be raised to this rank, even women, at the consent of the aiga. The matai represents the agia in village and district fono, or councils. Also, the matai is responsible for the general welfare of the group and directs the use of the land and assets owned by that group. Western Samoans are Christian, mainly of the Congregational Church and Roman Catholic denominations.
(Last
accessed January 6, 2000)
http://www.sil.org/ethnologue/countries/WSam.html
http://www.escapeartist.com/samoa/samoa.htm