Sāmoa

In 2016 there was a large fire in the flea market at Savalalo in Apia, Sāmoa. The entire building was destroyed and with it the livelihood of many vendors and their families. The maketi (market) was a local landmark and an important part of experiencing Sāmoa as a visitor and tourist. It was also a site with a connection to Te Papa.

According to early nineteenth-century accounts, va‘aalo were manned by two people and used to chase large schools of surface-feeding fish, such as the bonito. Read more about the va‘aalo on Collections Online.

The tuiga is a Samoan ceremonial headdress. Wearing the tuiga is a privilege only extended to members of certain families with rank and status, like this photograph of Talolo, who was the son of a matai (chief) in Vaimoso, Upolu in Sāmoa. Find out more about the tuiga headdress on Collections Online.

Flowers are often given items in times of mourning and remembrance. This vase of flowers was sent from Sāmoa and left as a tribute at the Wellington Islamic Centre / Kilbirnie Mosque in the aftermath of the Christchurch terror attacks on 15 March 2019.

Cetaceans and citations: a survey of the English literature on the role of cetaceans in South Pacific island cultures: Tuhinga 19

New Zealand photographer Thomas Andrew lived in Sāmoa from 1891 to 1939 – a tumultuous time when Britain, the United States, and Germany wrestled for control over the country – and captured political events, recorded daily life, and shot idyllic scenes for the tourist market.

Early childhood, Primary

Celebrate Sāmoan Language by learning Sāmoan words through simple activities that kids love – word searches, colouring pages, and stories.

So‘o se gagana lava e iai ona suiga. O nei suiga e afua mai la tā fa‘aaogāina ‘o le gagana. ‘O la tā fa‘aaogāina fo‘i o le gagana, e afua mai i lo tā fa‘asinomaga.

Language changes over time, and the way we speak is influenced by who and where we are and how we are putting language to use.

This totally improvised sextant (navigational instrument) was made in 1917 by German merchant marine cadet, Walter von Zatorski, a prisoner of war after he was captured when New Zealand forces took the Pacific Island of German Sāmoa (now the Independent State of Sāmoa) during World War I (1914-1918).

Like hangi, umu refers to food cooked in an earth oven. This specially made box help to maintain our biosecurity regulations when air travellers wish to bring foodstuff that was cooked in an umu into New Zealand.

On 6 December 2013, Auckland born Sāmoan and mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Mark Hunt broke his hand on the head of Antonio Silva during the main event of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fight night, held in Australia. After the fight, Mark revealed he had fractured his hand in two places.

Find out about the connections between canned corned beef and Sāmoa via the sculpture ‘Pisupo lua afe (Corned Beef 2000)’.

This turntable was part of the set-up for DJ Raw (aka Ian Seumanu), a 9-time New Zealand champion Hip Hop DJ, until 1996.

Pacific curator Sean Mallon provides an overview of the origins of mama (rings) from Sāmoa.

Kilikiti is the national sport of Sāmoa. With the help of some huge bats, Simon Morton discovers backyard cricket, Pacific Island style.

With summer comes the sport of kilikiti, a form of cricket, played Sāmoan style.

Manu Samoa rugby team lapel pin belonged to Sene Ta'ala, a local Wellingtonian and a former Manu Samoa rugby player. Read more about him and the history of rugby in Sāmoa.

Te Papa holds over 1,300 community club badges and pins made by Trevor Dick in Petone, Wellington, during the 1960s and 1970s. Take a closer look at the Western Samoa Red Cross decorative badge.

Fa‘alupega or the naming of chiefly titles is a fundamental part of Sāmoan culture and custom. This book O le tusi fa‘alupega o Samoa was adapted from the work of Misi Kirifi Le Mamea, Te’o Tuvale, T. E. Faletoese, F. F. A. and Kirisome, F. L. with the first edition published in 1915.

The “Foreign Office State Flag” was the flag the authorities of the Reich used in German colonies such as Sāmoa which did not have their own flag from 1892-1919.

View examples of commercial postcards depicting incidents during New Zealand’s annexation of the German colony of Sāmoa in August 1914 on Collections Online.

According to newspaper reports at the time, the flag was captured by members of the Fiji defence force who joined New Zealand troops at Apia Samoa on August 29, 1914. Find out more about the story of this flag

Land and resources are not the only things that can be colonised: the body and gender also suffer from its pernicious effects, as Pounamu Jade Aikman reflects on in this personal essay.

Find out about the history of this controversial flag used from 1920 to 1923, after Western Sāmoa became a “League of Nations Class C Mandate” of the United Kingdom.

August 2014 marked the 100th anniversary of the occupation of Samoa by New Zealand troops. It was the first military action of New Zealanders in the first world war.

The outbreak of World War I was a time of upheaval and change for the world. As soon as New Zealand entered the war there was a rush to secure the Pacific.

A crab that can break coconuts, grows as big as a dog, steals anything that isn’t nailed down, and enjoys a tickle. Crab expert Rick Webber introduces us to the largest land-living arthropod in the world.

Celebrate the story of Pacific people, past and present, in all areas of life.