Colonialism and Christianity in the South Pacific
In this unit (to accompany SAPIENS podcast S6E5), students will learn about colonialism in the South Pacific and Samoa. Students will explore the history of colonialism and examine how both it and the influence of Christianity affected Samoan people and shaped their views toward the anthropologists Margaret Mead and Derek Freeman.
- Outline the history of colonialism in the South Pacific.
- Examine how colonialism and Christianity shaped how Samoan people view Margaret Mead and Derek Freeman.
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A practice that has one nation gain physical control and political power over another nation, often for the purpose of extracting resources and labor.
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A monotheistic religion that follows the teachings of Jesus Christ.
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A system that follows a specific set of values and beliefs.
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Being independent from anyone else’s influence.
- The Samoan islands were colonized for many years, with several different nations sharing control of the region. The colonizers included Germany, New Zealand, the United States, and Great Britain. At one time, three nations shared control before splitting Samoa into sections and allowing different nations to rule over those sections. Discuss with students how Samoan culture was influenced by the different nations in these sections.
- In the 20th century, the nation of Samoa began a nonviolent movement—the Mau Movement—to protest for independence. Despite its beginnings as nonviolent, the movement did turn deadly for some. Explore this topic.
- Mead talked about the open sexuality of Samoans, and at the time of her fieldwork, custom dictated that the chief’s daughter needed to be a virgin before marriage. But this standard did not necessarily guide the sexual lives of the other young women on the island. Once Christianity gained influence in Samoa, virginity before marriage became important for all women. Lead students in a discussion about how the Christian influence in Samoa shifted cultural and traditional norms.
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Efi, Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Ta’isi. 2015. “Whispers and Vanities in Samoan Indigenous Religious Culture.” Parliament of the World’s Religions, February 15.
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Naepi, Sereana, and Marcia Leenen-Young. 2021. “Gathering Pandanus Leaves: Colonization, Internationalization and the Pacific.” Journal of International Students 11 (S1): 15–31.
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Salesa, T. Damon. I. 2013. “’Travel-Happy’ Samoa: Colonialism, Samoan Migration and a ‘Brown Pacific.’” New Zealand Journal of History 37 (2): 171–188.
- What role did the Mau Movement play in the push for Samoan sovereignty? See Additional Resources for a video on this topic.
- What were the most pivotal moments during the history of colonialism in the South Pacific?
- How did the history of colonialism and Christianity influence the Samoan people’s opinion about Mead and Freeman?
- How did Christianity change Samoan traditions and culture? Compare traditions before and after Christian influence increased.
- Native Hawaiians have been arguing for their sovereignty from the United States for for decades. Compare similarities between U.S. colonialism in Hawai’i and Samoa.
- Create a quiz on the history of colonialism in the South Pacific.
- Based on “AMERICAN SAMOA: Which Road Ahead?” under Additional Resources, how did colonialism influence American Samoa? How does that differ from what was formerly known as Western Samoa?
- Create a timeline of colonialism in the South Pacific and incorporate Mead’s and Freeman’s work.
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Article: James Bishop’s “AMERICAN SAMOA: Which Road Ahead?”
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Documentary: The CoconetTV’s Samoana Documentary
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Podcast: Holger Droessler’s Coconut Colonialism: Workers and the Globalization of Samoa
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Video: The CoconetTV’s Untold Pacific History: Episode 3. Samoa/N.Z.’s Colonisation of Samoa and the Mau Movement
Nadine Rodriguez, Freedom Learning Group
Legacies of Colonialism in Samoa
