History

Samoan Pre-History
Samoans according to archeological and linguistic evidence are believed to have migrated from the West, (the East Indies, the Malay Peninsula, the Philippines even to the south of China). The oldest known site of human occupation in Samoa is Mulifanua on Upolu dating back to about 1000 BC (about 3000 years ago). This is according to the Lapita pottery that was found there in the 1970s however, there are still recent evidences that Samoa could have been populated much earlier than that.

Samoan Colonial History
By far the most important agents of change in Samoa were the Western missionaries. The missionary influence on Samoan life was so strong they are now a devoutly religious people with much time devoted to church activities. After the outbreak of World War I, New Zealand took administrational control of Samoa from 1914 up to the day of independence in January 1962.