How a Banished Samoan
pp. 40-41 · Read in the full issue
Chief Went Home
LJEBE is a little sidelight on Samoan n history, published in the “Guam Recorder” in December, 1918. It may be remembered, by some, that there was much native unrest in Samoa, about 1908-9, and finally the Germans banished a number of the ringleaders. They were sent to the Mariana Islands; and, in 1914, after the Japanese had taken the Caroline and Marshall Islands, and the British held Samoa, they were sent back home.
IINGA PISA, once a chieftain in his native island of Savaii, German Sa moa, and who took refuge in Guam in 1915, after paddling 135 miles from the Island of Saipan, is to return to his native haunts in the near future. No doubt, many have wondered who the tall, muscular, blonde native was who has been patiently setting up type for some time in the Print Shop, and probably very few pictured him as a native chief tain of Samoa.
The following tells the story of his exile from Savaii and his arrival in Guam: “At 11.30 a.m., June 18, 1915, there landed on Ritidyan Point, this island, a native Somoan Chief, linga Pisa, who claims to be a political refugee and seeks the right of asylum under the American Flag.
“Through a German interpreter he made the following statement: “He is 24 years of age, and was born at Amoa on the island of Savaii, Ger man Samoa. In 1895, he succeeded on the death of his father to the chieftain ship of his tribe.
“In 1909 in consequence of an upris ing among the natives, he with nhic other chiefs were deported to the is land of Saipan, Marianas, where he has remained ever since.
“Subsequent to the Japanese occupa tion of Saipan in October, 1914, some of the remaining exiled chiefs, of whom there were six, petitioned the Japanese Government to send them back to their native land, now occupied by Great Britain.
“Pisa protested at this step, as he considered it unwise to return at this time to Samoa without the consent of the German Government, and advised his fellow exiles to await the result of the present European war. He was, however, over-ruled and a short time ago all the party were notified by the Japanese Government to prepare them selves for immediate embarkment, as a ship to carry them to Samoa was ex pected daily.
“Pisa then determined to make his escape to American soil, being further confirmed in his decision by the action of the other chiefs in disinterring the remains of four of their number who had died during the exile, which step had been requested by their relatives at home. Pisa himself protested against this action, which he believed was like ly to spread contagion in Samoa, but he was unsuccessful in preventing it.
Incidentally he brought upon himself the weighty disapproval of his fellows, which will be almost sure to bring him into disfavour at home.
“Having then decided to make his es cape, Pisa, watching his opportunity, at 7 a.m., on June 15, 1915, secretly left Saipan alone in a native proa about 18 ft. in length which he had purchased, provisioned with only a small quantity of taro root and two bottles of water.
“With this slender equipment he pad
died, the boat not being fitted with sails, and drifted, the nautical 135 miles to Guam, landing as already stated at 9 a.m., June 18, having been 24 hours without food and water.
“Pisa desired to remain under the American Flag, either in Guam or the U.S. He is willing to go to American Samoa but does not wish to return to either Japanese territory or to territory formerly in possession of Germany”.