Red seed pods gathered on a string on a white background

Sāmoa

Our collections represent stories of Sāmoa and its people. They include the human settlement of the archipelago 3000 years ago, and the early 20th century periods of German and New Zealand colonial administration. There is a focus on the mid-to-late 20th century when Sāmoans established communities in urban centres in New Zealand, Australia, Hawai‘i and California.

Over several decades, a significant transnational population developed into a diaspora. Today Sāmoan communities maintain social and economic connections to their homeland and sustain their language, customs and culture in a range of new contexts.

Explore some of our Sāmoan stories about our collections from Apia to Auckland, tatau to travelling umu boxes, headdresses to hip hop, and more.

A postage stamp with an etching of a bird sitting in a tree and the words Western Sāmoa, 5d, Manumea the tooth-billed pigeon. Postage & revenue.

The Sāmoan Manumea – how can museums help to protect this national treasure?

The Manumea, or tooth-billed pigeon (Didunculus strigirostris), is an endemic bird of Sāmoa, currently on the brink of extinction. How can museums help to protect this national treasure? Research Assistant Annika Sung examines how our collections can teach us about the Manumea and its entwined relationship to various aspects of Sāmoan life and culture.

A black and white photo of a line up of people dressed in uniform

Interconnected spaces and materiality: Exploring German-Pacific relations

This project is a foray into the entangled relations between Germany, Sāmoa, and Aotearoa New Zealand between 1850–1950 through objects across Te Papa’s collections. Material culture is used to explore these interconnected colonial spaces and the evolution of German-Pacific networks and ideas over time.

Tapa cloth with a saltire design containing arrows within its stripes. A border around the tapa contains images of leaves

Browse the collections from Sāmoa

Find out about tools that make siapo (tapa cloth), mama (rings) made from turtle shell, decorative selu (combs), and early photographs showing life in Sāmoa on Collections Online.

A white rectangle with a book cover in the centre which is a picture of the head and shoulders of a man in the Pacific

Lāuga: Understanding Samoan oratory

Lāuga or Sāmoan oratory is a premier cultural practice in the fa‘asāmoa (Sāmoan culture), a sacred ritual that embodies all that fa‘asāmoa represents, such as identity, inheritance, respect, service, gifting, reciprocity and knowledge.

A wooden stamp with flower, leaf, and line patterns carved into it to be used as a pattern to ink onto material.

Mapping Sāmoa collections project

Our Mapping the Sāmoa Collections project is a collaboration between Te Papa and the Bishop Museum in Hawai‘i and aims to enhance museum catalogue records and develop digital maps to contextualise taonga (treasures). Research Assistant Alex Gordon reflects on the project.

A black and white photo of a Pacific island beach with palm trees

Sāmoan Multiplicities: Experiences of Samoanness

The project hypothesizes that experiences of Samoanness are spatially embedded – in landscapes, journeys, and multiple localities. They are also simultaneously, yet temporally, negotiated – through memories, narratives, and genealogies.

Going to Te Papa | Asiasiga ‘i le Falemata‘aga i Te Papa

An appealing board book that develops Samoan language and cultural knowledge.

Tatau: Sāmoan tattoo

Explore the history of Sāmoan tatau, watch interviews with people talking about what their tatau means to them, and discover objects and photographs within our collections.

A man standing in a colourful market stall holding a feathered headdress

The market at Savalalo, Apia – collecting and recollecting

In 2016 there was a large fire in the flea market at Savalalo in Apia, Sāmoa. The entire building was destroyed and with it the livelihood of many vendors and their families. The maketi (market) was a local landmark and an important part of experiencing Sāmoa as a visitor and tourist. It was also a site with a connection to Te Papa.

Va‘aalo: a Sāmoan bonito fishing canoe

According to early nineteenth-century accounts, va‘aalo were manned by two people and used to chase large schools of surface-feeding fish, such as the bonito. Read more about the va‘aalo on Collections Online.

An old black and white photo of a Sāmoan chief in a headdress

The tuiga, or Sāmoan ceremonial headdress

The tuiga is a Samoan ceremonial headdress. Wearing the tuiga is a privilege only extended to members of certain families with rank and status, like this photograph of Talolo, who was the son of a matai (chief) in Vaimoso, Upolu in Sāmoa. Find out more about the tuiga headdress on Collections Online.

A vase of flowers and woven flax flowers with a tribute written on the side of the vase

Vase of flowers as a tribute

Flowers are often given items in times of mourning and remembrance. This vase of flowers was sent from Sāmoa and left as a tribute at the Wellington Islamic Centre / Kilbirnie Mosque in the aftermath of the Christchurch terror attacks on 15 March 2019.

A close-up of a hand drawing caligraphy and another hand holding the piece of paper still.

Tuhinga 21: Letter Man: representing graphic designer Joseph Churchward

Cetaceans and citations: a survey of the English literature on the role of cetaceans in South Pacific island cultures: Tuhinga 19

A black and white photo of a lot of Sāmoan people dressed in white and sitting in a church

Thomas Andrew’s photographs on Collections Online

New Zealand photographer Thomas Andrew lived in Sāmoa from 1891 to 1939 – a tumultuous time when Britain, the United States, and Germany wrestled for control over the country – and captured political events, recorded daily life, and shot idyllic scenes for the tourist market.

Sāmoan language activity book

Early childhood, Primary

Celebrate Sāmoan Language by learning Sāmoan words through simple activities that kids love – word searches, colouring pages, and stories.

Activity book

Red pandanus seed pods joined together and shown in two rows on a white background

‘O le gagana t ma le gagana k

So‘o se gagana lava e iai ona suiga. O nei suiga e afua mai la tā fa‘aaogāina ‘o le gagana. ‘O la tā fa‘aaogāina fo‘i o le gagana, e afua mai i lo tā fa‘asinomaga.

‘Good talk’ and ‘bad talk’: T-style and K-style in gagana Sāmoa

Language changes over time, and the way we speak is influenced by who and where we are and how we are putting language to use.

Improvised sextant made by a prisoner of war

This totally improvised sextant (navigational instrument) was made in 1917 by German merchant marine cadet, Walter von Zatorski, a prisoner of war after he was captured when New Zealand forces took the Pacific Island of German Sāmoa (now the Independent State of Sāmoa) during World War I (1914-1918).

Travelling umu boxes

Like hangi, umu refers to food cooked in an earth oven. This specially made box help to maintain our biosecurity regulations when air travellers wish to bring foodstuff that was cooked in an umu into New Zealand.

an X-ray of a damaged hand showing wiring and bolts in two of the fingers

Mark Hunt, UFC and the history of broken hands in the Pacific

On 6 December 2013, Auckland born Sāmoan and mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Mark Hunt broke his hand on the head of Antonio Silva during the main event of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fight night, held in Australia. After the fight, Mark revealed he had fractured his hand in two places.

A sculpture of a steer made from flattened corned beef cans

Pisupo lua afe (Corned beef 2000)

Find out about the connections between canned corned beef and Sāmoa via the sculpture ‘Pisupo lua afe (Corned Beef 2000)’.

a black and grey record turntable on a white background

Hip hop pioneer’s Technics 1200 Turntable

This turntable was part of the set-up for DJ Raw (aka Ian Seumanu), a 9-time New Zealand champion Hip Hop DJ, until 1996.

A collection of samoan rings on a white background

Inspired inscriptions: Sāmoan mama (rings)

Pacific curator Sean Mallon provides an overview of the origins of mama (rings) from Sāmoa.

Sāmoan Cricket Bats – Tales from Te Papa episode 30

Kilikiti is the national sport of Sāmoa. With the help of some huge bats, Simon Morton discovers backyard cricket, Pacific Island style.

Sāmoan Kilikiti (cricket)

With summer comes the sport of kilikiti, a form of cricket, played Sāmoan style.

Manu Samoa rugby lapel pin

Manu Samoa rugby team lapel pin belonged to Sene Ta'ala, a local Wellingtonian and a former Manu Samoa rugby player. Read more about him and the history of rugby in Sāmoa.

Western Samoa Red Cross badge

Te Papa holds over 1,300 community club badges and pins made by Trevor Dick in Petone, Wellington, during the 1960s and 1970s. Take a closer look at the Western Samoa Red Cross decorative badge.

An open book with Sāmoan text printed on the page

Blog: A collection of Sāmoan Fa‘alupega (chiefly titles)

Fa‘alupega or the naming of chiefly titles is a fundamental part of Sāmoan culture and custom. This book O le tusi fa‘alupega o Samoa was adapted from the work of Misi Kirifi Le Mamea, Te’o Tuvale, T. E. Faletoese, F. F. A. and Kirisome, F. L. with the first edition published in 1915.