Book

Ta'u: stability and change in a Samoan village

Wellington, N.Z.The Polynesian Society, Inc. • Published In 1958 • Pages:

By: Holmes, Lowell Don.

Abstract
This monograph explores change and continuity in the material culture and social organization of Ta'nu, a village in the Manu'an island group of American Samoa. To achieve this goal, the author contrasts his own observation of daily life among Ta'nu villagers and Chiefs in 1954 with ethnographic and historical information obtained from the nineteenth century (circa 1800-1870), and during 1925-1930. The monograph concludes by providing a long list of materials and cultural practices which the author found to be either survivals of past traditions or recent additions following contacts mostly with Europeans and Americans.
Subjects
Community structure
Household
Family relationships
Gender status
Division of labor by gender
Settlement patterns
Buying and selling
Community heads
Status, role, and prestige
Chief executive
Form and rules of government
Etiquette
Visiting and hospitality
Acculturation and culture contact
Sociocultural trends
culture
Samoans
HRAF PubDate
2009
Region
Oceania
Sub Region
Polynesia
Document Type
Book
Evaluation
Creator Type
Anthropologist
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
Teferi Abate Adem; 2007
Field Date
1954
Coverage Date
1800-1954
Coverage Place
Samoa
Notes
Lowell D. Holmes
Reprint of the Polynesian Society No.7
Pages v-ix and 3-37 of this reprint appeared in the Journal of the Polynesian Society, 66:301-338. Pages 38-77 appeared in the Journal, 66:398-435
Includes bibliographical references (p. 79-80) and index
LCSH
Samoans