Their wars. Their arms. 



THE SAMOANS. 



Mode of government. 

 Their fonos or councils. 



negotiation is entered into to fix the amount of 

 compensation. When this is agreed upon, it is 

 offered to the nearest relative of the deceased, and 

 the parties who present it perform at the same 

 time an act of submission, by prostrating them- 

 selves before him. This closes the affair. 



For some crimes nothing but the death of the 

 offender could atone. Among these was adultery; 

 and when the wives of chiefs eloped with men of 

 another district, it generally produced a war. This 

 was one of the causes of the wars waged by Ma- 

 lietoa. 



There existed, however, means by which the 

 code was rendered less bloody, in places of refuge 

 for offenders, such as the tombs of chiefs, which 

 were held sacred and inviolate. 



Wars were frequent among the Samoans before 

 the introduction of the Gospel, and scarcely a month 

 passed without quarrels being avenged, and with 

 blows. The last and perhaps the most bloody war 

 that has ever occurred on these islands, was about 

 the time of the first visit of Mr. Williams, the 

 missionary, in 1830, when the inhabitants of one 

 of the finest districts, that of Aana, in the western 

 part of Upolu, were almost exterminated. This 

 war continued for eight months, and only those 

 were saved who escaped to the olos, or inaccessible 

 places of refuge, or were protected by the " Malo," 

 the ruling or conquering party. 



When the missionaries arrived, in 1836, and for 

 upwards of a year afterwards, Aana was without a 

 single inhabitant; but through their influence upon 

 the Malo party, it was agreed at a large " fono" to 

 restore the exiles to their lands. Aana is again 

 (in 1839) the finest part of the island, and will be 

 in a few years quite a garden. 



These wars, like those of all savage people, were 

 attended with great cruelty, and neither old nor 

 young of either sex were spared. It is related 

 that after the last battle of Aana, a fire was kept 

 burning for several days, into which hundreds of 

 women and children were cast. 



Their wars were seldom carried on in open fight, 

 but stratagem was resorted to, and all enemies that 

 could be attacked were killed, whether in their 

 houses, or when accidentally met with at their 

 work in the taro-patches. 



Their arms consisted of clubs and spears, made 

 of the iron-wood (casuarina), bows and arrows, 

 and of late years, the musket. The man who could 

 ward off a blow, and at the same time inflict a 

 wound on his adversary, was considered the best 

 warrior. Each village had its separate commander, 

 and there was no general, their operations being 

 from time to time decided in council. Their spears 

 were pointed with the sting of the ray-fish, which, 

 on breaking off in the body, caused certain 

 death. 



The olos, above mentioned, were usually on the 

 top of some high rock, or almost inaccessible 

 mountain, where a small force could protect itself 

 from a larger one. One of these olos, or strong- 

 holds, of the people of Aana, during the late war, 

 was on a high perpendicular ridge, which forms 

 the western boundary of the bay of Faleletai, and 

 it was the scene of many a bloody contest. The 

 Manono people, coming by night, would land at 

 the foot of the hill, and attempt its ascent, while 

 those on the top would roll and hurl down stones, 

 generally overcoming them with ease, and driving 



the invaders back with great slaughter. The latter, 

 however, took a fearful and truly savage revenge 

 for their various defeats. Laying in wait until the 

 women came down to fish on the reefs, they set 

 upon them, and massacred them all. The burning 

 of houses, the destruction of the bread-fruit, cocoa- 

 nut trees, taro-patches, and yam-grounds, &c., 

 were the ordinary features of these conflicts. 



Upon the occurrence of a cause of war, the 

 parties sent to their respective friends in the dif- 

 ferent towns to solicit their aid* Such solicitations 

 usually resulted in the whole district, and some- 

 times the whole of the island, being engaged in a 

 civil war. 



On going to wai-, they were accustomed to cast 

 their hair loose, or to tie it up in various forms; and 

 to add to the fierceness of their appearance, they 

 wore large bunches of false hair, which also in- 

 creased their apparent height. 



In making peace, the conquered party was 

 required to make submission, by bringing loads of 

 stones, fire-wood, and green boughs, and to bow 

 down very abjectly in the presence of the chief. 

 They were also required to pay a large amount of 

 tapa, mats, and other property. 



The government of the Samoans is more refined 

 in principle than could well be expected. The rule 

 of hereditary chiefs is acknowledged, and the dis- 

 tinction of the several classes well defined. Great 

 respect is paid to the chiefs, and particularly to the 

 "tupu," or highest class. To this belong Malietoa, 

 Pea of Manono, &c. The second class consists 

 of the near relatives of the first, and of others who 

 have large possessions; the third, of the petty chiefs 

 of villages; next come the tulafales, who are a well- 

 defined class between the chiefs (alii) and common 

 people. These tulafales are proprietors of the soil, 

 and householders ; they possess considerable in- 

 fluence, and act as advisers of the chiefs, and the 

 executors of their orders. Like the chiefs, they 

 derive their rank from descent. There is no dis- 

 tinct name for the common people as a class, but 

 the chiefs in speaking of them always apply some 

 opprobrious epithet. The son of a low-born wo- 

 man by a chief ranks as a chief, although he has no 

 authority; and the son of a noble woman by a man 

 of mean birth, may be either a chief or a com- 

 moner. 



The lands are allotted and distinguished by 

 known boundaries. The natural heir of the former 

 owner succeeds, and is the feudal chief or leader 

 in war, but all his dependants are free to cultivate 

 it. Lands may be sold, which is done at public 

 meetings, and the bargain is made binding by 

 sticking their staves into the ground, or digging a 

 portion of it up. 



The whole power lies in the high chiefs of the 

 " Malo" or conquering party. They assemble in 

 fono, and determine the general laws and rules of 

 action. At the head of this is Malietoa, who is 

 now considered the head chief of Atua, and is sup- 

 posed will shortly acquire that of Tui of Aana. 

 Each of these districts formerly had a separate 

 chief, bearing the same title of Tui, but in their 

 wars with Manono, nearly all the descendants of 

 these princes were killed off. To obtain this title 

 requires the consent of the chiefs of Manono, 

 and part of Savaii, which belongs to the ruling 

 party. 



The fono may levy what contributions it pleases, 

 i 2 



