Reflection to Samoan Economy:

          I found the Samoan Economy to be very interesting. Mostly due to the fact that the factors that make up the nations economy was very similar to ours. The U.S. also depends on its agricultural and industrial sectors to employ people and receive an income. Some of the things I had to look up to find out I came to realize that I had already known using common sense. For example, Samoan's principal exports are coconut and fish. Coconuts are from the tropical climate and the fish could be deduced from the fact that the nation of Samoa is made up of islands. Perhaps the most interesting fact that I found was probably the implication of an anthropological element as a way of receiving income. This element of course is nationalism. The people of Samoa were so proud of their country that they used its beauty and uniqueness as way to make money and keep their thriving economy alive and running. 

The Samoan Economy:

          The agricultural and industrial sectors employ 70 percent of the workforce and account for 65 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP). The service sector employs 30 percent of those employed and accounts for 35 percent of the GDP. Much of this sector is associated with the tourist industry, which is limited by intense competition from other islands in the region and its dependence on economic conditions in source countries.
         Trade is also a huge part of the large and expansive Samoan economy. New Zealand is Samoa's principal trading partner, typically providing between 35% and 40% of imports and purchasing 45%-50% of exports. Australia, American Samoa, the United States, and Fiji also are important trading partners. Its main imports are food and beverages, industrial supplies, and fuels. Samoa's principal exports are coconut products and fish.

          As mentioned earlier in the post, tourism is a major source of income for the Samoan nation. In 1972, more than 85,000 visitors arrived in Samoa, contributing over $12 million to the local economy. One-third came from American Samoa, 28% from New Zealand, and 11% from the United States. Arrivals also increased in 2000, as visitors to the South Pacific avoided the political strife in Fiji by traveling to Samoa instead. In 2007, Samoa received a record high 122,000 visitors. 

          Agriculture and industrial sectors along with trade and tourism are the many factors that make up the Samoan economy.

Bibliography:

Economy of Samoa

          2009: Samoan Economy. Electronic Document, https://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Economy_of_Samoa.html, accessed July 20, 2013. 

Culture of Samoa

            1970: Tradition and Economic Progress in Samoa. Electronic Document, http://www.everyculture.com/No-Sa/Samoa.html, accessed July 20, 2013

Reflection on Samoan Education:

     Throughout my readings of different indigenous cultures throughout the world, I find that sometimes influence from missionary groups or European culture isn't always the best thing for some people. The fact that Samoans had to learn a written language that had never been a part of their culture before may be seen as a good thing to some people, but it could also have had negative effects on their culture. Because of the way school and education was established in Samoa, it appears that there is a discrepancy between the way that the Department of Education would like to raise the youth, and the way the villages would like to raise the youth. Certain groups of people are not getting the education they deserve, while others are being pushed into a system that they do not want to be a part of. Samoan education is infamous for having low standards, and that could have a lot to do with the wide division between primary school and secondary schools. It appears that people are not given equal opportunities to pursue education.

Samoan Education:

      Samoan education had developed quite rapidly after the 1830's. Initially, Samoans had no system of academic education. Everybody had learned from experience and picked up on the wisdom of their elders. In the 1830's, however, the London Missionary Society had landed on the Islands of Western Samoa. The missionaries had influenced Samoans religiously and culturally. The London Missionaries established "mission schools" throughout the islands of Samoa launching training schools for "faifeaus", or pastors. Educators within these mission schools were the "palagi" missionaries themselves along with island-trainees previously trained from the islands of Tahiti.

     The education that was established had no organization, formal teaching staff, administrative service, or set curriculum. This may have been due to the fact that Samoa did not have a written language at the time. The missionaries learned the Samoan language and created the "Samoan Alphabet" which consequently developed a new found written Samoan language. This was mainly used in an effort to translate the bible to Samoan so that Samoans could learn more about Christianity. Eventually the Maths and Sciences were incorporated. Since then, academic institutions have been developing in the Samoan Islands.

     Currently, Samoan education is undergoing various drastic changes due to the fact that it is infamous for having unacceptable standards for education as decided by the Ministry of Education and The Department of Education. The Samoan education survey showed that approximately 97% of children residing in the islands attended the primary school, whereas 68% attended the secondary school. The primary schools are maintained by the villages and districts. The village schools provide for four years of primary schooling and the district schools prepare their students for upper level education. Primary schools implement a bilingual education system where students are taught English as a second language. The secondary schools are maintained by the government and English is the instruction language of these schools.

Bibliography:
American Samoa Department of Education
     History of Education in AS. Electronic document,
     http://www.doe.as/District/1112-Untitled.html,        
     accessed July 22, 2013.
Maps of World
    Samoa Education. Electronic Document,
    http://www.mapsofworld.com/samoa/education/,
    accessed July 22, 2013.

Reflection on Discrimination in Samoa:

It is impressive how easily many places of employment were able to discriminate against older employees. Not just by sneakily reassigning their jobs but also by blatantly firing them to replace them with younger employees. This scandal was among the government work force, but the Samoan government was quick to take a deal to reinstate former employees. I can't help but wonder if they were really concerned by the age discrimination happening or if they were in on it the entire time. My assumption would be that because it was the government work force that they were in on it and to cover up their own mistake they played ignorant.

Being an American I would like to think that my Government is trustworthy enough to not participate in a situation similar to this. The US's Equal Employment Opportunity Commision (EEOC) is the one that created laws for the Samoan government to follow. The EEOC has a lot of laws to help limit discrimination, which leaves room for a little ethnocentrism on my part. Knowing that I live somewhere that actively fights discrimination makes me feel like I live in the better cultural setting and that my cultural setting is more advanced.

Discrimination in Samoa:

There was a conflict in the opinion of age discrimination in the work force between the Samoan government and The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Samoan employers forced their senior employees to retire by reassigning them to lower more undesirable positions to hire younger Samoans. This discrimination that started in one department gradually spread throughout the entire Samoan work force.

     The Samoan government agreed to reinstate all former employees let go because of age discrimination because of the violation of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. The human resources department is in charge of deciding who was let go or reassigned based on age discrimination and reinstate employees according to their own guidelines. This is based off of a three-year consent degree to get the age discrimination issue under control.

     The Samoan government easily agreed to the terms to prevent further discrimination against their older employees.

Bibliography:
American Samoa Government and EEOC Settle Age Discrimination Suit
     Samoa Discrimination. Electronic document,
     http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/newsroom/release/12-20-12a.cfm,
     accessed July 22, 2013.

Reflection on Christianity and Gender Roles in Samoa:

      Samoan culture and way of life was drastically altered by Christianity, which ultimately led to Westernization of the Island. Christianity and its correlating rules of society, such as modest women, also changed the role of the fa'afafine, or the third gender in Samoa. Although both Samoan culture and the fa'afafine still exist today, they are not at all what they once were. Samoan culture was the free men and women, living off nature and worshiping many gods and spirits, hunting, and of course the Island songs and dances that still exist today. However, it is unfortunate that the only thing about their culture that really still exists today are the songs and dances. Those English missionaries changed everything for the Samoans, and made them a civilized society. There are still some different practices in Samoa of course, because it is Island life and not European life, but for the most part they have modern technology, stores, economic practices, churches, schools, literature, art, and music, and speak fluent English.

      What happened in Samoa is different from many other ethnic groups and indigenous peoples that have been discussed in class, because they did not just change their ways over time like the Shuar of the Amazon, and they were not just observed by Europeans like the Yanomamo. English missionaries actually went to Samoa with the full intent of converting the Samoans to Christianity and making them more civilized, and they succeeded. Samoa has done very well and is now a successful Westernized community, but I still think it is sad that so much was changed in Samoa. Although no Samoans from when the missionaries first visited them are still alive today, as that was in 1830, I believe they would be upset and feel much like the indigenous group in the Amazon who are fighting for their land and their own practices despite government pushes of Westernization. The Samoans embraced Christianity, but I am not sure they knew what all they would be embracing that accompanies the religion.