Back to Samoa for Dr. Mead

Samoa has for many years been a by-word for university students, particularly students of anthro pology, due to a book called Coming of Age in Samoa, writ ten by Dr. Margaret Mead.

Somerset Maugham did his part towards making Pago Pago a by word of the South Pacific with his book about Sadie Thompson, called Rain.

Dr. Mead, world-famed anthro pologist, plans to revisit Samoa in November of this year as guest of honour at the dedication of the new Museum of American Samoa.

She spent a considerable time in Samoa as a 23-year-old woman in the mid-19205. Her interpreter at that time was a 15-year-old boy who is now High Chief Napoleone Tuiteleleapaga, and he is looking forward to renewing his acquaint ance with Dr. Mead. “She is a wonderful woman and has a great respect for the Samoan people and their culture,” Napoleone said.

The museum, which contains hundreds of items and artifacts pertaining to Samoan history and Polynesian culture, was established by Mrs. John M. Haydon, wife of the Governor, about two years ago.

Its present location at the Gover nor’s official residence, Govern ment House, is inadequate, and it is to be moved to the downtown major commercial centre in Faga togo village.

The National Endowment for the Arts has awarded a grant to the American Samoa Arts Council to rehabilitate the old post office building to house the new museum.

During Dr. Mead’s visit on November 12 and 13, Samoan style celebrations are being plan ned, with a touch of US-style inno vations. There will be traditional singing and dancing, a kava cere mony, brass bands and parades.

There will also be a ribbon cutting, with the ribbon made of flowers, and a day-long “plant-in” to land scape around the building. It will be followed by a fiafia (feast) in one of the villages.

Actually, it is quite possible the building will not yet be ready for the museum but, according to Mrs.

Haydon, “We will dedicate the building to the museum, ready or not. If necessary, we will dance around the post office boxes.”

Dr. Mead is now in Australia and will stop off in Samoa en route to New York where she recently saw the establishment of the Hall of the People of the Pacific in the American Museum of Natural History. She visited Pago Pago for half a day on a cruise ship in 1937 and was aboard a plane wffich re fuelled there in 1967. Other than those brief stops she has not been back there since she did her re search for Coming of Age in Samoa.