Where did American Samoa originate from?

Political Status. American Samoa became a U.S. territory by deed of cession, starting in 1900. The matai (local chiefs) of Tutuila, the largest island in American Samoa, ceded the island to the United States in 1900. Manu’a followed in 1904.

Who were the first people in American Samoa?

History of American Samoa The Samoan islands were settled by Polynesians (probably from Tonga) about 1000 bce.

Who owned American Samoa before the US?

At the turn of the twentieth century, international rivalries in the latter half of the century were settled by the 1899 Tripartite Convention in which Germany and the United States partitioned the Samoan Islands into two: the eastern island group became a territory of the United States (Tutuila in 1900 and officially …

Who came to Samoa first?

Many years of Pacific wars ensued into the 13th century. Dutchman Jacob Roggeveen was the first European to sight the islands in 1722, but it wasn’t until 1830 when the Reverend John Williams arrived in Savai’i, that the Christian gospel had an impact on Samoan life.

Who discovered the Samoan islands?

Dutchman Jacob Roggeveen
In 1722, Dutchman Jacob Roggeveen was the first European to see the islands. This visit was followed by the French explorer Louis-Antoine de Bougainville (1729–1811), the man who named them the Navigator Islands in 1768.

Why is American Samoa separate from Samoa?

American Samoa is the result of the Second Samoan Civil War and an agreement made between Germany, the United States, and the United Kingdom in the Tripartite Convention of 1899. The international rivalries were settled by the 1899 Treaty of Berlin in which Germany and the U.S. divided the Samoan archipelago.

Is Samoan native American?

The Samoans are a Polynesian people closely related to the native peoples of New Zealand, French Polynesia, Hawaii, and Tonga.

Is Hawaiian the same as Samoan?

American Samoa The Samoans are a Polynesian people closely related to the native peoples of New Zealand, French Polynesia, Hawaii, and Tonga.

What was Samoa called first?

The country was known as Western Samoa until 1997. Its capital and main commercial centre is Apia, on the island of Upolu.

Did Samoa take over Tonga?

The Tui Manuʻa Empire of Samoa, which originates from the Manuʻa Island Group of the Samoan Islands, ruled over all of Tonga during the eighth century when the empire’s second king, Tui Manuʻa Tele (Fitiaumua), invaded and conquered Tonga, the Cook Islands, parts of Fiji, and other pacific islands by deploying hundreds …