Apia, on the island of Upolu, is the capital of Samoa and the only place in Samoa that you could call a city and really mean it. For all of its modern details, such as banks and burger outlets, it still retains the picturesque charm of its history. All the traders, beachcombers, pirates, whalers, and fallen missionaries who have washed up on the shores of Apia still seem to be present in Apia's slightly rundown air and the old pula trees shading the streets. From the center of town, Apia's neat villages spread west along the level coastal area and climb up the gentle slopes towards the hills and into the valleys. The clock tower in the center of town is a memorial to WWI casualties. Just to the west of the clock tower is the Flea Market, which has craft stalls selling everything from cheap clothing and siapo (dyed bark sheets) to 'ava bowls and coconut-shell jewelry. Several churches are scattered around Apia with the largest of them being the Catholic church on the city waterfront. The Anglican church, although smaller, has the most beautiful stained-glass windows, while at the Congregational Christian church are the clean-picked bones of the unfortunate Reverend John Williams, a missionary cannibalized by the natives. Writer Robert Louis Stevenson spent the last four years of his life here, and is buried on Mt. Vaea, overlooking both the city and the home he built, Vailima, now a museum in his honor.
Origins of Samoa
The origin of Samoa, according to the stories told by the chiefs, is that Samoan people are actually from an unknown land call “Savaiki,” which most people believe is in Savaii. According to the ancient Samoan belief, everyone in the Polynesian area is from Savaiki. This is in accord with folk stories from other cultures in the Polynesian area: The Tongans believed that they are from Hauaiki, Maori people believe that they are from Hawaiki, Hawaiians believed that they are from Hawaii. It was originally believed that all Polynesians migrated from Hawaii, but DNA analysis indicates that these cultures are closely related to Samoans. It is thought that migration patterns from Samoa led the Polynesian people northward to Hawaii, southward to Maori, eastward to Fiji and westward to Tonga.
Labels: 2008, January 26
posted by Hills @ 7:38 PM
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