We are American Samoa's daily newspaper,
publishing six days a week (no paper on Sundays).
Our web site includes six issues of the newspaper delayed one
week. Same Day News service is a very reasonable $24 per year
and a link is delivered to your email in-box daily. At this time
we have no archives of older issues on line. We encourage Letters to the Editor and/or
the Webmaster. To
communicate with the journalists at our newspaper, click here.
For other links dealing with Samoa or related matters, click here.
If you want to use this web site to publicize or advertise some
event or product or service, let
us know! Upon request we will send information regarding advertising
rates.
To return to the six most recent issues posted of the Samoa News, click here.
The Samoa News is privately owned by American Samoa residents and has been in existence since the 1960s. The newsroom includes about 5 full time journalists. The newspaper includes both Samoan and English material on a daily basis, but 60% of the newspaper is published in English.
American Samoa is a United States territory
located south of the equator in the South Pacific Ocean. About
60,000 people live here, and most of us live on the main island
of Tutuila. Although U.S. citizens are allowed to settle in American
Samoa, more than 90% of the residents of the territory are Samoans
or part-Samoans.
English is taught in the schools, but almost all residents are
bilingual (Samoan and English).
Our gorgeous islands have a small (but growing)
tourism industry. In recent years, the National Park of American
Samoa has been established, along with Fagatele Bay National Marine
Sanctuary.
About one-third of the workforce is employed by the American Samoa Government, which is like a city, county, state and national government all rolled into one entity. Another third work for one of two large tuna canneries (StarKist and Chicken of the Sea); while the last third work in the rest of the private sector. Wages in American Samoa are generally about half or less than those offered on the U.S. mainland or Hawaii.
The Samoan culture is alive and well in
American Samoa (as well as in the nearby independent nation of
Samoa). Samoans are the original Polynesian people and their culture
is similar to that of other Polynesian people.The culture is based
on family relations and family-owned lands. Chiefs (known as matai)
serve as leaders for extended families and guide decisions about
land and other family resources. Over 90% of American Samoa's
land is owned communally and cannot be bought and sold.
Samoans have their own race, language, songs, dances, myths, clothing
styles (e.g., lavalavas), body ornaments (tattoo), sense of humor,
and customs. All of these are immediately obvious to a visitor,
but a full understanding of the Samoan culture (the fa'a Samoa--or
Samoan way) is beyond the grasp of a casual observer.