American Samoa

Polynesian Psychology

AN article by Margaret Mead, in The World To-day, gives some interesting sidelights on conditions in American Samoa.

The Polynesian separated from his land (she says) is a doomed man. He will not work for wages, he knows no trade, he has no means of subsistence except sponging upon his relatives.

Wherever the white or Chinese trader has penetrated, unless deterred by gov ernment, he has tended to extend to the native long credits which the lat ter is unable to meet. Ultimately the native’s land finds its way to the trader as payment for the debt.

All such exploitation is effectively prevented in American Samoa.

Justice is administered by a civilian judge appointed by the Navy for a period of two years, and by a series of native magistrates selected from am ong the more venerable chiefs in the native communities.

Fines have been found to be the most effective form of punishment. The Samoans were familiar with them be fore “the coming of the light” (a eu phemism in Oceania for the coming of the white man). Every Samoan pre fers to compound an offence if possible; even adultery is settled by the co-res pondent, male and female, making atonement in fine mats to the injured spouse. Gaoling, which lacks the power to confer social degradation in Samoa, is found to be less effective.

Old residents still tell the story of the time when a village asked permis sion to go upon a malaga—a visit to another village. It had been found ne cessary to institute some sort of traffic regulation in these wholesale village exoduses, since the introduction of cric ket has made them so popular that often the gardens are badly neglected.

The judge therefore refused permission to the whole village to go and live upon

the other village for a week, and then found to his great chagrin that the chiefs had made a visit first and asked for permission afterwards. They were ordered to gaol and came into the Naval Station singing gaily, happy at the thought of living upon the Govern ment for a month. The Government has wisely profited by such occurrences and changed its tactics.