WESTERN SAMOA 1952 A step on the road to independence

The story of Samoa begins around 3,500 years ago with the arrival of Polynesian settlers, probably from Tonga. Like all Polynesians, they were expert navigators and for centuries, life revolved around the sea. Most people lived in fortified villages along the coasts and maintained close contacts with the peoples of Tonga and Fiji through trade, intermarriage and, occasionally, warfare. Europeans arrived from 1722, missionaries came later and by the mid 19th century, the islands had converted to Christianity.

Now, there were three western powers involved. Germany, Britain and the USA all claimed dominion over the islands. Individual matai (tribal chieftains) lined up behind the Westerners to advance their own interests and in the 1880s and 1890s,