A large and peaceful pro-independence march along Beach Road in Apia, Samoa. Amidst panic and confusion, New Zealand police open fire with rifles and a machine-gun, killing nine people and wounding fifty. In this BWB Text, Michael Field describes what happened on Black Saturday, 28 December 1929, a day that is largely forgotten in New Zealand history but is vividly recalled in Samoa.
Historical background of the colonisation and accession to independence of Western Samoa and study of the development of government and political structures of the country - refers in particular to the period from 1830 to 1962, and covers the role of UK, the role of Germany, the role of USA, the role of New Zealand, political leadership, public administration, government policy, sociological aspects, cultural factors, tradition, etc. References.
"On 29 August 1914 New Zealand troops landed in German Samoa and established a colonial rule that was to last almost 50 years. The new administrators were an odd assortment of benevolent misfits. Their unchecked power led to widespread racism and the distortion of justice, bureaucratic bungling caused the spread of the 1918 influenza epidemic which killed 22% of the population, and on 29 December 1929 there was "Black Saturday when the police opened fire on an unarmed peaceful demonstration, killing 9 people and wounding a further 50. This book is the story of the courageous and non violent freedom movement known as "Mau". Thoroughly researched and provocative, Mau: Samoa's Struggle for Freedom is an integral chapter in the history of Samoa, NZ and the Pacific."--Publisher's description.
This is an engaging autobiographical account of a young American woman's life in her Samoan husband's native home. Fay Calkins, a descendant of Puritan settlers, met Vai Ala'ilima, a descendant of Samoan chiefs, while working on her doctoral dissertation in the Library of Congress. After an unconventional courtship and a typical American wedding, they set out for Western Samoa, where Fay was to find a way of life totally new and charming, if at times frustrating and confusing. Soon after her arrival in the islands, the bride of a few months found herself with a family of seven boys in a wide range of ages, sent by relatives to live with the new couple. She was stymied by the economics of trying to support numerous guests, relatives, and a growing family, and still contribute to the lavish feasts that were given on any pretext--feasts, where the guests brought baskets in which to take home as much of the largesse as they could carry. Fay tried to introduce American institutions: a credit union, a co-op, a work schedule, and hourly wages on the banana plantation begun by her and her husband. In each instance, she quickly learned that Samoans were unwilling or unable to grasp her Western ideas of input equaling output, of personal property, or of payment received for work done. Despite these frustrations and disappointments, however, life among the people of her Samoan chief was for Fay happy and productive.
A history from writers from Western Samoa, examining thematically the influences of European settlers, the churches, German and NZ colonialism and the background to Western Samoa's independence. This short history is written for the general reader and for senior high school and university students seeking an overview of Samoan history. First published in 1987 and last reprinted in 2003. This is a reissue of the 2003 edition for 2018.
