plan bears fruit

Samoan history: An old plan bears fruit

An Outline of Samoan History.

By Sylvia Masterman MA.

Published and printed by Com mercial Printers Ltd. PO Box 4286, Matautu, Western Samoa. SWS2S. No ISBN pro vided.

More than 20 years ago, the late K. R. Lambie, New Zealand-born Director of Edu cation in Western Samoa (1948-59) wrote: ‘Every child should know, at least in outline, the history of his own country.’

Finding no book meeting this purpose, he said he was ‘fortu nate in persuading Sylvia Masterman’ to write An outline of Samoan History.

Miss Masterman (Mrs S.

Smith) was no stranger to the subject, having taken a master’s degree in history at the Univer sity of London with a thesis on some aspects of Samoan his tory, and her work on Lambie’s project was duly completed, printed, and published by the Education Department in a limited edition, and a somewhat primitive format, in December 1958. However, for certain

reasons, (see PIM May p 45) this book was not distributed to schools as originally intended, and remained unknown except to a few survivors of that period.

It is therefore with pleasure and great interest that we welcome a reprinting of this work and appendices in its entirety, modified only by an abbreviation of Lambie’s orig inal preface, the addition of a few paragraphs bringing the historical summary up to the date of independence 1962, the inclusion of the 1910 report of the Geological Society on the volcanic eruptions (1905-10), some maps and diagrams, and several historic photographs many of which seem to have come from the famous Tattersall collection.

There have been many his tories of Samoa in several languages and from many view points social, political, and anthropological but this one differs from previous publi cations in two significant re spects. First, the writer has adhered very strictly to her own precept ‘not to praise, blame, or justify what has been done or has happened’, and also by her use of almost basic English.

Writing in an easy narrative style and covering the vast field from pre-history to 1962, she has ably implemented Lambie’s original intention that this work should be, primarily, for use in schools. The happy result is, however, by no means just a children’s book, and can and it is to be hoped, will prove a valuable introduction to their

country’s history for the younger generation of Sam oans, as well as to the many expatriates now working in that country.

Second, the publishers have had the inspired idea of includ ing in this book a Samoan translation by Ailupotea Palamcme of the entire text, thus rendering it accessible not only to both Samoan and English readers, but also pro viding valuable assistance to pupils struggling in a bilingual education context.

It may appear invidious to comment that in this present publication we miss the former index, and that it does not contain a bibliography to en courage further study, notwith standing that a very useful one has been compiled by the staff of the Nelson Library in Apia.

With these reservations one can only express gratitude to Commercial Printers Ltd, for reprinting this work which has lain too long in limbo. The book is printed in clear, clean, crisp facsimile typescript on stout paper in a large formal (29X 20 cm), and bound in hard covers.

The publishers have not only produced a worthy successor to their first effort ( History of Samoa by Father Fred Henry), but have also, at last, brought to fruition a long overdue proj ect. Lambie would have been delighted. Leonard Good man.

A hurricane lashes the Apia foreshore in 1889 - one of the interesting historical photo graphs from An Outline of

Samoan History.