April 2023

The Boshin War was a Japanese civil war fought between Imperial and shogunate forces from 1868 to 1869. While many foreigners may view the Meiji Restoration that followed as a positive development, it is important to recognize the tragedies that befell the regions that were defeated in the war. In these regions, residents often lacked basic necessities such as food, and some samurai families were forced to sell their daughters into servitude in Tokyo, where they became mistresses of Meiji…

In 1936, a Labour government was formed in New Zealand, and the new Prime Minister, Michael Joseph, promised to improve relations with Samoa. The new government reviewed several rules and laws, including establishing Samoan associate judges in the courts and hiring Samoans and local Europeans in the public sector. They also set up a registry office to recognize land rights. In 1947, Samoan leaders sent a letter to the United Nations asking for autonomy. The UN sent a delegation to…

New Zealand governed Samoa from 1919 to 1962, but initially struggled to understand and rule the country effectively. Samoa had a self-governing system in which chiefs in each village held important roles and responsibilities. However, the New Zealand government forbade Samoans from fulfilling these roles and transferred power from the matai, or village chiefs, to the New Zealand government. The New Zealand government even had the power to revoke the title of matai, which was deeply hurtful to Samoans as…

After Samoa became a colony in 1925, the Colonial Act was implemented, causing many issues as it failed to acknowledge the realities of Samoa. In 1929, during protests, Prince Tamasese was killed by New Zealand violence, which led to increasing momentum to oppose the colonial law and pursue independence and self-government by Samoans. Samoa appealed to New Zealand and the United States for independence. In 1948, the Samoan flag was allowed to fly next to the New Zealand flag, and…

In the 1800s, people from many countries immigrated to Samoa. In 1857, German traders established plantations on the island of Upolu. The plantations flourished, and the German settlers gained more power. They then negotiated with the United States, Great Britain, and Tonga and signed the Berlin Agreement. As a result, the great chief of Upolu was overthrown, and the German settlers proclaimed themselves as kings. In 1914, World War I broke out, and New Zealand invaded Samoa, which was a…

Between 1000 B.C. and 400 A.D., Polynesian peoples began to settle on Pacific islands. Between 950 and 1250 A.D., Samoa came under the rule of the Kingdom of Tonga. Samoa then gained independence and experienced a golden age under Queen Salamagina around 1600 A.D. However, with the Age of Exploration, Europeans began to arrive to explore. The Germans arrived in 1772, followed by the French in 1787. In 1828, Christianity was introduced, and both the Anglican Church and the Catholic…