Etiquette and Customs of Samoa

Eating commences when indicated, and using hands is common, though cutlery is often provided. Samoa has a delicious ‘natural’ cuisine, so be inquisitive and try everything. This is a considered a sign of great respect.

Living in Australia you get to meet many people from the Pacific Islands, such as Tonga, Samoa, Cook Islands, Fiji, Niue, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia. Each island has its own languages and they are uniquely different from the other. a strong tribal and familial culture with a deep appreciation for a creator.

In the early 18th century, European contact began with Dutch and French explorers making their initial visits to Samoa. However, in the 1830s , it was the arrival of missionaries that significantly impacted Samoan society. They introduced Christianity, which quickly integrated with traditional beliefs, brought in a new way of dressing, foods and sadly diseases. 

Samoa has had its fair share of colonialising, in the late 19th century, leading to the islands being divided between Germany (and for a short while called ‘German Samoa’ yes,you heard that right!) and the United States. In 1962, Western Samoa gained independence, becoming the first Polynesian nation to do so, while American Samoa remains an unincorporated territory of the United States.

What did I see and learn from the Samoan people? I found them a very respectful, easy-going people who are known for their warmth, hospitality, and strong sense of community. Central to Samoan identity is the concept of "fa'a Samoa" or "the Samoan way," which emphasises family, respect, and social responsibility. You will find that the extended family or "aiga," where multiple generations live together, is a traditional lifestyle is evident in sharing resources and responsibilities. 

Family elders are held in very high esteem in the Samoan community, therefore leadership within these communities can be guided by a chiefly system. Samoa also has a royal family who is ruled by four major title holders – the Tupua Tamasese, Malietoa, Mata'afa, and Tuimaleali'ifano families.

On a Sunday, I found myself amazed as I watched Samoans walking to church in traditional dress, Bibles in hand, with distant smoke rising from backyard umus. Early mornings often see Samoan families preparing food in underground ovens for post-church feasts. Such a contrast from Australia. If fortunate enough to be invited to a Samoan family gathering, consider these pointers. 

• Shoes are removed before entering homes and once inside greet everyone, starting with the eldest. If people are sitting, never stand to say hello, you will need to lower yourself to their level. 
• You’ll be offered the best floor mat; sit cross-legged or with legs tucked, but feel free to stretch modestly if needed.
• Conversations should be relaxed yet formal, with slow, conversational speech and maintained eye contact. Avoid staring.
• Food is placed in the middle of the room, and meals typically begin with prayers, followed by the elders eating first. Eating commences when indicated, and using hands is common, though cutlery is often provided. 
• Samoa has a delicious ‘natural’ cuisine, so be inquisitive and try everything. This is considered an important sign of respect. 
• Dishes often include pork, chicken, whole fish, lamb and beef, and local produce like breadfruit, taro, tapioca, green bananas, rice, bread and tropical fruits. Meats and vegetables are frequently cooked in umus, especially on Sundays and special occasions. 
• Samoa is also known for cocoa, which can be purchased at markets or roadside stalls. Grated cocoa mixed with sugar and milk creates "koko Samoa."

I was excited to have the opportunity to experience life with a Samoan family and immerse myself in their etiquette, customs and culture. It was a truly rewarding experience and I’d love to make a return visit someday.

For many years, Etiquipedia contributor, Elizabeth Soos, has had a keen interest in cultural customs. With her European background and extensive travel, Soos developed an interest in the many forms of respect and cultural expectations in the countries she has visited. With her 20 years’ experience in customer service within private international companies based in Australia, and her lifetime interest in manners and research, she decided to branch out into the field of etiquette and deportment. Through her self-directed studies and by completing the Train-The-Trainer’s course offered by Emma Dupont’s School of Etiquette in London and by Guillaume Rue de Bernadac at Academie de Bernadac based in Paris and Shanghai, she founded Auersmont School of Etiquette. Elizabeth is currently traveling throughout India and brushing up on her Hindi.

 🍽Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia

Samoan Etiquette

All that is necessary to satisfy the dictates of Samoan etiquette is for the principal guest of the occasion to drink the kava, the rest being at liberty to partake of it or not, as they choose.

A Remarkable Exhibition of Hospitality to Visitors on the Part of Samoans

One of the queerest customs of the gentle Samoans was the cause of a great deal of embarrassment to a party of San Franciscans a short time ago while the tourists were sojourning in the sunny land made famous by the pen of Robert Louis Stevenson. When a person of more than ordinary importance is entertained by a Samoan chief it is the invariable custom to periorm the sacred ceremony of chewing the kava and offering the liquid to the guest of honor. When the party is seated in the chief's abode three or four of the prettiest girls in the village are called into the room and seated tailor-fashion in a half-circle facing the one who is being entertained. All being ready, the chief hands each of the girls a quantity of kava nut, a product of the island much resembling the betel nut, and they fall to chewing them with all the energy of strong jaws and perfect teeth. This operation is repeated again and again, until a sufficient quantity of the kava has been accumulated. Then water is brought in and the juice diluted until it suits the fancy of the chief.

Only unmarried women are permitted to chew the kava nut, the Samoan belief being that unless masticated by virgins the nut loses its best properties. At last the brew — if such it may be called — is ready, and the chief takes up a quantity in a cocoanut-shell cup and hands it to the guest of the occasion. Woe betide him if he refuses it, for this is the most serious breach of etiquette that can happen in a Samoan household, and should the cup not be drained to the last drop the taboo is put upon him from that moment. The guest must drink with as much decorum as the chief employs in passing the cup. The effect of kava is as queer as the method of preparing it. The first drink produces no effect beyond, perhaps, a natural nausea, but the second and third are more potent. The liquid is imbibed sitting tailor-fashion on a mat, and after the third cup, the guest, unless of unusual strength, finds it impossible to rise. The brain is as clear as though the liquid had been pure water, but, from the waist down, the body seems to be paralyzed, and the guest must of necessity sit and wait for the effects to wear away unless helped to some other posture.

The girls who chew the nut are not in any way inconvenienced by it, because they do not swallow the juice, and they often appear to enjoy the predicament of those who try vainly to rise from their lowly seats. All that is necessary to satisfy the dictates of Samoan etiquette is for the principal guest of the occasion to drink the kava, the rest being at liberty to partake of it or not, as they choose. The liquid tastes and looks like nutmeg water, though a flavor of soap is often detected by those who partake of it for the tirst time. – San Francisco Call, 1897

Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia