CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Unbekannt
1887 - 1919
About the object
German-Sāmoan relations
This photograph was taken at the Papase’ea falls in Se’ese’e, Faleata, south of Apia - a well-visited tourist location in Upolu today. A group of people can be seen perched atop the protruding rock formation above the swell and beneath the foliage. They appear to be Sāmoan and European. Papase’ea, which translates as sliding rocks, was a prominent landmark associated with Telesā, spirit women and guardians of villages and natural environments. Often visited by locals, the rocks and pools later became a popular destination for Euro-American settlers. Subsequently, it was incorporated into the “ethnic shows” that toured through Germany in the late 19th and early 20th century. Taking shape as a nine-metre-tall pyramid-like structure, the prop was designed to emulate aspects of Sāmoa away from home.
Author: Charlotte Klinge, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
This photograph was taken at the Papase’ea falls in Se’ese’e, Faleata, south of Apia - a well-visited tourist location in Upolu today. A group of people can be seen perched atop the protruding rock formation above the swell and beneath the foliage. They appear to be Sāmoan and European. Papase’ea, which translates as sliding rocks, was a prominent landmark associated with Telesā, spirit women and guardians of villages and natural environments. Often visited by locals, the rocks and pools later became a popular destination for Euro-American settlers. Subsequently, it was incorporated into the “ethnic shows” that toured through Germany in the late 19th and early 20th century. Taking shape as a nine-metre-tall pyramid-like structure, the prop was designed to emulate aspects of Sāmoa away from home.
Author: Charlotte Klinge, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
Gatherings between the indigenous and colonial settler communities as seen in the photograph appear to have occurred frequently in the late 19th century. This is evident throughout collections of photographs from the time. Spending time together may have been a means of cultural exchange and knowledge transfer. Or, one might argue that young men leaving their European home countries may have longed for a sense of community and belonging in their new places of residence. Therefore, the gatherings would have provided fertile ground for relationships to form or be strengthened. Arguably, gatherings may have also been perceived as a form of escapism to get away from the exacerbated political tensions that riddled Sāmoa during European settlement and occupation. While these speculations, either individually or combined, may have given impetus to the cross-cultural gatherings, they disregard the violent underpinnings of one population asserting dominance over another.
Interestingly, the German occupation, in particular, was and is often romanticised. The façade of co-existence in harmony has lasted until today, with many Sāmoans looking back at the German era in Sāmoa as the golden period. One of the contributing factors to this romantic perception are likely the numerous lineages that trace their genealogies back to the meeting of two cultures.
Another contributing factor were the two tumultuous events that took place during New Zealand’s administration of Sāmoa after 1914, leaving a sour taste in the mouths of many Sāmoans today. When the First World War broke out, New Zealand troops took control of Sāmoa, which lasted until 1962. Under the New Zealand government, the “Talune” landed in Apia harbour in 1918, carrying passengers infected with the Spanish influenza, almost decimating a quarter of the Sāmoan population under New Zealand colonel Robert Logan.
With little understanding of the Sāmoan system of rule, the New Zealand administration sought to assert authority by stripping matai of their titles, diminishing the power of village councils in an attempt to dismantle the socio-cultural structures. Anti-New Zealand sentiment spread among the peoples of Sāmoa, eventually leading to the Mau movement in 1927 that had its origins in the Mau a Pule (1908). The Mau was a peaceful resistance movement that intended to reclaim Sāmoan sovereignty under the slogan Sāmoa mo Sāmoa – Sāmoans for Sāmoans. During one of the peaceful marches on 28 December 1929, the second incident unfolded. Eleven Sāmoans and one New Zealand policeman were shot. Today, this day is commemorated as Black Saturday.
Author: Charlotte Klinge, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
Interestingly, the German occupation, in particular, was and is often romanticised. The façade of co-existence in harmony has lasted until today, with many Sāmoans looking back at the German era in Sāmoa as the golden period. One of the contributing factors to this romantic perception are likely the numerous lineages that trace their genealogies back to the meeting of two cultures.
Another contributing factor were the two tumultuous events that took place during New Zealand’s administration of Sāmoa after 1914, leaving a sour taste in the mouths of many Sāmoans today. When the First World War broke out, New Zealand troops took control of Sāmoa, which lasted until 1962. Under the New Zealand government, the “Talune” landed in Apia harbour in 1918, carrying passengers infected with the Spanish influenza, almost decimating a quarter of the Sāmoan population under New Zealand colonel Robert Logan.
With little understanding of the Sāmoan system of rule, the New Zealand administration sought to assert authority by stripping matai of their titles, diminishing the power of village councils in an attempt to dismantle the socio-cultural structures. Anti-New Zealand sentiment spread among the peoples of Sāmoa, eventually leading to the Mau movement in 1927 that had its origins in the Mau a Pule (1908). The Mau was a peaceful resistance movement that intended to reclaim Sāmoan sovereignty under the slogan Sāmoa mo Sāmoa – Sāmoans for Sāmoans. During one of the peaceful marches on 28 December 1929, the second incident unfolded. Eleven Sāmoans and one New Zealand policeman were shot. Today, this day is commemorated as Black Saturday.
Author: Charlotte Klinge, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
References
- Peter Swain: Fono: the contest of the governance of Sāmoa. 2022.
- Robert MacKenzie Watson: History of Sāmoa. 2021.