Abstract:
It is presumptuous to attempt a reconstruction of the history of our people prior to the arrival of the Europeans. The reason is that the Samoans like other Polynesian peoples lacked a written language. Pre-European history existed only in the legends and genealogies which have been handed down by word of mouth from generation to generation until the missionaries arrived and recorded what they heard.
How true were the missionaries records? So many contradictory versions of legends and genealogies exist today that one can readily come to two conclusions, Firstly events of history have been coloured and exaggerated to suit each story-teller's fancy. Secondly the informants of the missionaries deliberately distorted their stories to make the hearing good and to make their family genealogies much more exalted than they really were. Inevitably some of the most important chiefly titles appeared less important or discarded altogether in the current record of honorific titles and ceremonial address which has since become the pattern of ceremonial behaviour. Tusi Fa'alupega.
