New Stories All Stories
Table of contents
Introduction 0 Why Write for the Public? 1 What to Expect, from Pitch to Publication 2 How to Write a Pitch 3 How To Tell a Great Story, Part 1: Structure 4 How To Tell a Great Story, Part 2: Style 5 Navigating Ethics and Reducing Harms 6 Habits of Thriving Public Anthropologists 7 Cultivating the Craft of Writing 8
Table of contents
Introduction 0 Why Write for the Public? 1 What to Expect, from Pitch to Publication 2 How to Write a Pitch 3 How To Tell a Great Story, Part 1: Structure 4 How To Tell a Great Story, Part 2: Style 5 Navigating Ethics and Reducing Harms 6 Habits of Thriving Public Anthropologists 7 Cultivating the Craft of Writing 8
Teaching
The Problems With Coming of Age
-
Unit 9

Colonialism and Christianity in the South Pacific

A cross stands in silhouette against a sunset in purple hues.

In this unit (to accompany SAPIENS podcast S6E5), students will learn about colonialism in the South Pacific and Samoa. Students will explore the history of colonialism and examine how both it and the influence of Christianity affected Samoan people and shaped their views toward the anthropologists Margaret Mead and Derek Freeman.

Learning Objectives
  • Outline the history of colonialism in the South Pacific.
  • Examine how colonialism and Christianity shaped how Samoan people view Margaret Mead and Derek Freeman.
Sapiens articles
A person wearing a brown floral shirt, red beaded necklace, and feather in their hair closes their eyes. In a blurred background, other people—one holding a red-and-white STOP sign—gather on a lawn in front of a white building.
essay / Viewpoint

Archaeological Tropes That Perpetuate Colonialism

Nicholas C. Laluk and Joseph Aguilar
Two Indigenous archaeologists from the U.S. Southwest shed light on how “abandonment” and other common archaeological terms continue to cause harm. They offer insights into how to rewrite narratives of the past.
Yardenit Baptismal
essay / Crossroads

How Tourism Reinvented Jesus’ Baptism Site

Sara Toth Stub
Pilgrims and tourists are flocking to a baptismal site in the Holy Land in search of religious experience—and souvenirs.
Keywords
View All in post_tag|colonialism
La gente camina por un largo y ancho pasillo del museo con altos techos arqueados y claraboyas enmarcadas por altas columnas de color canela.
op-ed / Viewpoint

El impulso de España para descolonizar sus museos debe continuar

Jeannette Plummer Sires
A principios de 2024, el ministro de cultura de España anunció que el país renovaría las colecciones de sus museos estatales, desatando una ola de expectación y controversia.
Un primer plano muestra una tela tejida en su mayor parte de color rojo, con dibujos diagonales que incorporan detalles en blanco, negro, verde y rosa fuerte.
poem / Counterpoint

Sentir lo que somos/A’yel jtaleltik

Delmar Ulises Méndez-Gómez
Un antropólogo y escritor de la comunidad tseltal impugna una historia colonialista del ocultamiento y reivindica su identidad, idioma y pueblo.
Tumbado de lado, una persona con una coleta rubia lleva una camisa azul y vaqueros negros y apunta con una cámara a una lápida.
essay / Field Notes

¿Puede la digitalización de lápidas salvar a la historia?

Anya Gruber
Una antropóloga está digitalizando lápidas en Burial Hill, un cementerio histórico de Plymouth, Massachusetts, que alberga los restos de algunos de los primeros peregrinos. Documentar estos registros únicos y hacerlos accesibles también suscita preguntas necesarias sobre la conservación de las historias coloniales.
View All in post_tag|religion
Una persona con una camisa azul oscuro, pantalones beige y un sombrero de ala ancha se encuentra en un agujero arenoso poco profundo en el desierto.
op-ed / Counterpoint

Cuando la pseudociencia inspirada en la Biblia y el clickbait causan saqueos

Morag M. Kersel, Meredith S. Chesson, and Austin «Chad» Hill
Un equipo de antropólogos argumenta que la investigación defectuosa que vincula a la Sodoma bíblica con un sitio arqueológico provocó una exageración en los medios que daña la ciencia y fomenta las excavaciones ilegales.
Glossary
Colonialism

  1. A practice that has one nation gain physical control and political power over another nation, often for the purpose of extracting resources and labor.

Christianity

  1. A monotheistic religion that follows the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Religion

  1. A system that follows a specific set of values and beliefs.

Sovereignty

  1. Being independent from anyone else’s influence.

Professor Talking Points
  • The Samoan islands were colonized for many years, with several different nations sharing control of the region. The colonizers included Germany, New Zealand, the United States, and Great Britain. At one time, three nations shared control before splitting Samoa into sections and allowing different nations to rule over those sections. Discuss with students how Samoan culture was influenced by the different nations in these sections.
  • In the 20th century, the nation of Samoa began a nonviolent movement—the Mau Movement—to protest for independence. Despite its beginnings as nonviolent, the movement did turn deadly for some. Explore this topic.
  • Mead talked about the open sexuality of Samoans, and at the time of her fieldwork, custom dictated that the chief’s daughter needed to be a virgin before marriage. But this standard did not necessarily guide the sexual lives of the other young women on the island. Once Christianity gained influence in Samoa, virginity before marriage became important for all women. Lead students in a discussion about how the Christian influence in Samoa shifted cultural and traditional norms.
Academic Articles

  1. Efi, Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Ta’isi. 2015. “Whispers and Vanities in Samoan Indigenous Religious Culture.” Parliament of the World’s Religions, February 15.

  2. Naepi, Sereana, and Marcia Leenen-Young. 2021. “Gathering Pandanus Leaves: Colonization, Internationalization and the Pacific.” Journal of International Students 11 (S1): 15–31.

  3. Salesa, T. Damon. I. 2013. “’Travel-Happy’ Samoa: Colonialism, Samoan Migration and a ‘Brown Pacific.’” New Zealand Journal of History 37 (2): 171–188.

Student Discussion Questions
  • What role did the Mau Movement play in the push for Samoan sovereignty? See Additional Resources for a video on this topic.
  • What were the most pivotal moments during the history of colonialism in the South Pacific?
  • How did the history of colonialism and Christianity influence the Samoan people’s opinion about Mead and Freeman?
  • How did Christianity change Samoan traditions and culture? Compare traditions before and after Christian influence increased.
  • Native Hawaiians have been arguing for their sovereignty from the United States for for decades. Compare similarities between U.S. colonialism in Hawai’i and Samoa.
Activities
  • Create a quiz on the history of colonialism in the South Pacific.
  • Based on “AMERICAN SAMOA: Which Road Ahead?” under Additional Resources, how did colonialism influence American Samoa? How does that differ from what was formerly known as Western Samoa?
  • Create a timeline of colonialism in the South Pacific and incorporate Mead’s and Freeman’s work.
Slides

Infographic: “History of Colonialism in Western Samoa”

Slides: “Colonialism and Christianity in the South Pacific”

Additional Resources

  1. Article: James Bishop’s “AMERICAN SAMOA: Which Road Ahead?”

  2. Documentary: The CoconetTV’s Samoana Documentary

  3. Podcast: Holger Droessler’s Coconut Colonialism: Workers and the Globalization of Samoa

  4. Video: The CoconetTV’s Untold Pacific History: Episode 3. Samoa/N.Z.’s Colonisation of Samoa and the Mau Movement

Unit By

Nadine Rodriguez, Freedom Learning Group

Teaching
The Problems With Coming of Age
-
Unit 10

Legacies of Colonialism in Samoa

A sepia-toned image of soldiers and men in uniforms, and Samoan men in formal white coats, and women in front in traditional Samoan clothing.