Teaching
The Problems With Coming of Age
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Unit 10
Legacies of Colonialism in Samoa
In this unit (to accompany the SAPIENS podcast S6E5), students will explore how colonialism shaped Samoa. Students will examine the legacies of the colonial era and how Samoan populations have striven to overcome these legacies. The unit will dig into how language is shaped, specifically how ideologies shape the language and the West’s view on Samoa and its people.
Learning Objectives
- Explore the legacies of colonialism in Samoa.
- Recognize how derogatory language toward Samoans misshaped the global view of Samoa and the Samoan people.
Sapiens articles
To Decolonize, We Must End the World as We Know It
A contributor to a special series on decolonizing anthropology argues that true decolonization would require the complete dismantling of existing global power structures, including academic disciplines.
How Can Societies Decolonize Conservation?
Two archaeologists reflect on how social hierarchies harm biodiversity and how to move away from conservation efforts based on colonialist values.
Keywords
View All in Violence
![A dog stands on a cement sidewalk along a busy street in front of two people eating at a food stall.]()
![In the center of a huge, multistory room, multiple computers hanging on a wall display images of city streets. In the foreground, dozens of people sit at cubicles looking at similar computer images on their desks.]()
![Two people in uniforms—one in black, the other in tan—wearing black boots and hats topped with matching fans face each other and kick one leg up, their feet traveling above their heads. Other people in uniform stand at attention along the roadside behind them.]()
![In a sepia-and-white color palette, two hands cup a pile of sand, much of which is falling between the fingers.]()
![A person wearing a white dress whose skirt is made of ribbons, each with a name written on it, leans back with their eyes closed. They are on grass with a Black Lives Matter banner on the ground beside them and a circle of drummers and bystanders around them.]()
![Surrounded by gray cobblestones, two black kettles sprinkled with ash sit over blackened logs and open orange flames. Two pairs of sneakers on people’s feet are visible just behind the fire close to another kettle.]()
Do Strict Criminal Penalties Protect Animals From Abuse?
In Mexico, a growing animal protection movement often promotes harsh criminal punishment for those who abuse animals. But are these strategies working, or do they lead to further injustices?
Inside Mexico City’s Surveillance State
An anthropologist investigates how one city’s rapidly expanding video surveillance system is transforming criminal investigation—sometimes in deeply flawed ways.
Imagining Other Worlds at the India-Pakistan Border
For decades, soldiers at the border between Attari, India, and Wagah, Pakistan, have staged an elaborate ceremony for onlookers. An anthropologist reflects on the ceremony as a legacy of Partition—and imagines other futures for the two nations.
Cold Hubris and Fundo
A poet-historian reflects on the legacy of colonial-era collecting practices in Tanzania that tore Black Indigenous ancestors from their communities and history.
The Urgency of Envisioning a World Without Police
An anthropologist working in Baltimore argues that safety for Black communities requires an end to policing. That also means taking a hard look at how policing intersects with patriarchy and intimate partner violence.
The Heaviness
A multidisciplinary poet-scholar and suicide attempt and multi-suicide loss survivor unveils complex anthropological threads that shape suicidal ideation.
View All in Power
![In a brick-covered public square surrounded by buildings, a metal statue features two people with flattened fronts and their hands extended sideways facing each other. They stand on opposite sides of a gap in the rounded brick hill they are built on.]()
![A landscape features a grassy complex with a large, tiered structure made of stones that towers upward toward a blue, cloud-filled sky. Mountains taller than the structure are barely visible behind clouds in the distance.]()
![Two people in uniforms—one in black, the other in tan—wearing black boots and hats topped with matching fans face each other and kick one leg up, their feet traveling above their heads. Other people in uniform stand at attention along the roadside behind them.]()
![A person wearing a white dress whose skirt is made of ribbons, each with a name written on it, leans back with their eyes closed. They are on grass with a Black Lives Matter banner on the ground beside them and a circle of drummers and bystanders around them.]()
![In front of many people seated around the perimeter of a town square, a person in a brown hat stands in its center over a pile of green leaves on a colorful patterned cloth. They are holding up a bag by a string.]()
![A close-up image features the hands of a person wearing a black top with a colorful beaded necklace cradling a wooden pipe with a face carved into its top end.]()
Dismantling the Walls in Our Heads
The Berlin Wall fell more than three decades ago—but political, social, and economic divides between East and West Germany continue to reverberate, even among those born after Reunification.
Decoding Diversity and Power at Machu Picchu
New DNA analysis has revealed surprising diversity among remains from burial sites in Peru. A genetic anthropologist explains what this suggests about the 15th century Inca palace.
Imagining Other Worlds at the India-Pakistan Border
For decades, soldiers at the border between Attari, India, and Wagah, Pakistan, have staged an elaborate ceremony for onlookers. An anthropologist reflects on the ceremony as a legacy of Partition—and imagines other futures for the two nations.
The Urgency of Envisioning a World Without Police
An anthropologist working in Baltimore argues that safety for Black communities requires an end to policing. That also means taking a hard look at how policing intersects with patriarchy and intimate partner violence.
Fair and Balanced—Weighing Coca With a Wipi in Peru
An Andean community’s use of weighing scales shows how meanings of fairness and justice differ across cultures.
Collaborating So a 200-Year-Old Pipe Can Continue Its Work
A museum curator and a First Nations leader explain how a treaty pipe, sold at auction, exemplifies a new path for repatriations in Canada.
View All in Mind
![Public wall art depicts a woman with facial wrinkles and gray hair smoking a cigarette while surrounded by green leafy plants as well as red, blue, and yellow mushrooms.]()
![A photograph features a cluster of stars sporadically circling a larger and brighter central orb in a pitch-black sky.]()
![A photograph features a child with a cochlear implant sitting on a wooden chair at the end of a hallway. They are looking down at a handheld device they are using.]()
![A photograph features two people smiling and holding chopsticks. Surrounded by sunlight, they sit side-by-side at an outdoor table with plates, pots, and plastic cups on it.]()
![With forest in the background, shirtless people with "USA" painted in red on their chests wear a mix of jean and khaki bottoms. Each person holds a long bamboo stick in their left hand, balancing it on their left shoulder. The group steps forward in unison.]()
![Three human researchers surround a white robot with a screen on its chest. The robot looks up to meet the gaze of one of the researchers.]()
The Psychedelics Industry Is Booming—but Who’s Being Left Out?
Three researchers discuss the possibilities and problems arising as psychedelic plant medicines, held sacred by many Indigenous communities, move into the global mental health and tourism industries.
“T”
A poet-anthropologist celebrates how the Orring people of southeastern Nigeria conceptualize the origins—and workings—of the cosmos.
Who Pays the Price When Cochlear Implants Go Obsolete?
Some cochlear implant users can’t afford to keep up with compulsory technology upgrades. After becoming dependent on the devices, they’re losing their hearing and feel abandoned by manufacturers.
What Is Linguistic Anthropology?
Linguistic anthropologists study language in context, revealing how people’s ways of communicating and expressing themselves interact with human culture, history, politics, identity, and much more.
What Cargo Cult Rituals Reveal About Human Nature
In Melanesia, Indigenous communities developed elaborate rituals to bring themselves material wealth starting in the late 19th century. These practices reveal a profoundly important and universal social technology.
Why AI Will Never Fully Capture Human Language
Researchers in artificial intelligence have made extraordinary strides in mimicking human language—but they still can’t capture the parts that truly make language human.
Glossary
Globalism
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The lack of isolation of individual countries and the practice of creating a world with more fluent borders.
Language
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A set of words that is spoken and understood by a group of people.
Legacy
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Something that was passed on by the people who have lived before us.
Professor Talking Points
- Several countries played a role in the colonization of Samoa: Germany, New Zealand, and the United States. There are a variety of areas that each of these countries influenced.
- Colonial rule in Samoa resulted in many Western traditions, views, and beliefs influencing the Samoan people. As a result, the legacies of colonialism can still be found in Samoa. The legacies left by the West’s imposed rule are complex, as some are viewed negatively, while others are seen in a positive light.
- Language can carry bias and affect a person’s empathy. If I use derogatory language toward a person or whole culture, that inhibits my ability to understand those people and their culture. Colonizing nations often used derogatory language to refer to the people they colonized. Using words like “savage” or “heathen” to refer to colonized people negatively shaped the colonizers’ views of those people. These negative views were often shared with other Western and global powers, resulting in negative and false understandings of non-Western nations and cultures.
- Despite colonization, Samoans, for the most part, were able to preserve their traditions and cultures through colonialism.
- Language is a powerful tool. It can uplift, and it can harm. Discuss the impact language and its usage has had on the global view of Samoans.
Academic Articles
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Cervone, Carmen, Martha Augoustinos, and Anne Maass. 2021. “The Language of Derogation and Hate: Functions, Consequences, and Reappropriation.” Journal of Language and Social Psychology 40, no. 1 (2021): 80-101.
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McMullin, Dan Taulapapa. “Fa’afafine Notes: On Tagaloa, Jesus, and Nafanua.” Amerasia Journal 37, no. 3 (2011): 114-131.
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Sailiata, Kirisitina Gail. “The Samoan Cause: Colonialism, Culture, and the Rule of Law.” PhD diss., University of Michigan, 2014.
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Tuia, Tagataese Tuia. “Globalization, Culture and Education in Samoa.” International Online Journal of Primary Education 8, no. 1 (2019): 51-63.
Student Discussion Questions
- Discuss the colonial legacies that are still found in Samoa.
- What, if any, influence did colonialism have on the educational system in Samoa?
- How does language shape our view of other people and ourselves? Include examples to support your points.
- Discuss how derogatory language can be used to devalue other people and how this can impact our society.
Activities
- Watch the video “How language shapes the way we think” in “Additional Resources.” Create a list of your thoughts while you are watching this video. How would derogatory language play a role in the topic of this video?
- Do you think that language can be used to intentionally manipulate other people’s perceptions of the world? Write an essay arguing your opinion.
- Create an infographic highlighting a selected colonial nation in Samoa.
- Create a list of at least two cultural aspects that were influenced by Germany and New Zealand, which can still be found in Samoa.
Additional Resources
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Podcast Episode: Dayonara Gaoteote: American Samoa Politics: Performing SĀMOA. “Keeping SĀMOA in American Samoa”
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Video: TED: Lera Boroditsky’s “How Language Shapes the Way We Think”
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Video: UN Story’s “The Shocking Link Between Hate Speech and Genocide”
Unit By
Nadine Rodriguez, Freedom Learning Group
Teaching
The Problems With Coming of Age
-
Unit 11
Unpacking the Mead-Freeman Controversy
