Anthropology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Anthropology - Essay ExampleThe people of the Samoan Islands allot a common language Samoan, a common culture faa Samoa and an indigenous form of validation called faamatai.2Due to colonialism, the Samoa Islands and people were divided by Western powers. Today, politically the islands have two jurisdictions, the independent acres of Samoa at the western half of the islands, and the territory of American Samoa comprising the islands to the east. The two regions are separated by 64km of ocean. nearly Samoans are full-blooded and comprise one of the largest Polynesian populations in the world.3Faa Samoa means the Samoan Way.4 Faa Samoa dictates how Samoans should conduct themselves. This brings out the Samoan Identity and how they should fulfill their obligations towards their families, their communities, the Church and their fellow Samoans. At the heart of the Samoan Identity is Respect, an unquestioning respect for their established institutions, their systems and their elders.R eligion is a very important part of the Samoan Culture. Samoas motto in fact is based on religion Samoa is founded on God5 Originally Samoans had a polytheistic religion. This belief is divided in to two the Atua (non-human) and Aitu gods (human) which also include tooth root worship.6Thus, when religious expeditions arrived in Samoa, assimilation of the new world was not met by too much resistance. Today, the of import religions in Samoa include Congregational, Catholic, Methodist, Assembly of God, Seventh Day Adventist, Bahai,, the Latter Day Saints and Jehovahs Witnesses.8 pagan religion was replaced by the promise of eternal life of these new religions. But what remains is that religion plays a commutation part in the lives of Samoans.In Samoa, the aiga (extended family) is all important.9 Villages are composed of aigas and the greater