First of all, Samoa is a country located in the Pacific Ocean, near Hawaii and New Zealand, and it is one of six Polynesian cultures. The country is split into two territories; the Independent State of Samoa and American Samoa. The Independent State of Samoa is its own country, run by the Samoan citizens while American Samoa is a U.S. territory.
American Samoa is also run by the Samoan citizens, but the government has an American influence, and the Samoans have a representative in the U.S. government. When the United States first gained this territory, it had a major influence and role in the developing government, but for many years, Samoa has been and is fully capable of running its own government.
While the government is under American influence, the Samoan culture is still very much the same. When boys become men, they receive a painful two month process of tattoos, which is an honor because it shows they can be strong both mentally and physically. Girls learn how to make special ceremonial mats, and once they learn this trade, they are considered women.
Both of these significant processes represent the “coming of age” for both men and women. Men and women are both equally important to the Samoan society. Women are important domestic leaders within the family, while men are required to be more knowledgeable and skilled to work with the outside world and other issues which may regard politics or economics. Because men and women are responsible for different aspects of the society, there is a mutual respect between them, even though the Samoan culture is male-dominated.
There has been a lot of Western influence on the country of Samoa throughout the years. Fortunately, the amount of Western influence has not shaken the Samoan culture. One reason for this is because their government and religion are not intertwined with each other, making it easy to change each aspect as necessary without really affecting how they live.
However, if the American government had ever decided to intervene with the Samoan way of life and forced the citizens to change and adopt the American lifestyle, the culture could be in danger. Although this does not seem to be a problem in the near future, it is important the U.S. government continues to support the Samoans and their way of life.
Culture is a very important aspect to a country. It represents a sort of pride among the citizens who live in it. Each country has a unique way of life or custom that is different from any other country. The culture is almost the main reason why people visit a country.
Having said this, does the United States seem to have a unique culture? It is a “melting pot” of many cultures that have come together, but if one were to ask what is unique to the American culture, would there be an answer? One can make the argument that all the cultures within the United States are what make the United States unique from other countries.
However, if the American government were to interfere with the Samoan culture and “Americanize” the society, what would make American Samoa so unique from other countries if they no longer had a specific way of life?
American Samoa would become just another country or territory, and over time, the Samoans who live there would have no connection to their unique history because they would have adopted the American lifestyle. Although the Independent State of Samoa would still be its own country, the American lifestyle has the potential to spread through it, causing Americanization of all Samoans, eliminating the Samoan culture completely.
It has the potential to influence the Independent State of Samoa greatly because American Samoa and the Independent State of Samoa are basically the same country, just under different authority. Granted, this may be a little extreme, but, they are very similar in culture and are close enough to be influenced by the other.
