THE SORROWS OF SAMOA.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19646, 15 June 1929, Page 13

THE SORROWS OF SAMOA.

A POLITICAL DEADLOCK. vSPSCIALLT WBITTE* rOR Tss pezsO [By Ktxxztu E. Gauri.a-3, 8.A..' Perhaps the Samoans themselves and the late Leader of the Opposition are the only people in the whole world—with the possible exception of one or two broken-hearted military policemen—who tank of Samoa as a vast or important Place. To the average New Zealander it is but one of hundreds of dots on the Pacific. In his mind there are associated fiji (bananas and the Dunedin Exhibition), Hawaii (surfing and pineapples), Tahiti Cimmoralitv and oranges), Samoa (Robert Louis" Stevenson and insurrection"), and a host of undifferentiated islets. Vaguelv thev are all part 0 f the glamorous South Sea isles, romantic places where beneath waving palm, seductive damsels from White Cargo" vamp whisky sodden young men— w here charming" natives spend the time not taken up in being converted by missionaries iu degenerating under the influence of the white man's vices ami diseases. In fact, the ideas in general of people in general are as indefinite on the* question of Samoa as on any other subject. The 30-odd men who returned to New Zealand recently from their vear's bondage in the Pearl of the Pacific were all no doubt assailed bv the same set of questions:

"Hello, vou hack?" '' Yeh.''' "Have a good time over there?" "Aw, yeh." "Brought no dusisv brides back with you! Ha, ha!" "No, got back quite safe. Ha, ha!"

"What's all the trouble over there anyway! It's that Nelson, isn't it?"— or "It's the traders, isn't it?"—or "Is it those damn missionaries?"— or, in a hushed whisper. "Aren't the Germans behind it all!" "No, I don't know! it's very difficult; it's just the Samoans " and he stops, baffled by the complexity of the explanation demanded of him, then sighs with relief when his inquisitor gets on less difficult ground: "Hot over there, is iti "What did you eat? But what did you do with yourself anyway over there? Drink much liava? Ha, ha!" And with that the Samoan question is settled for most. Others are more persistent; some have been reading in between the lines of newspaper roports and are therefore ehoc-a-bloe with half truths; some have fine, impracticable ideas about all the world being brothers—the leopard and the kid ehall lie down and Bleep together sort of thing; some have strong opinions about the "cheek" of these white people who barge into a happy, peaceful island, bringing drink and vice and other such vaunted products of civilisation to degrade the noble native. Some have visions of a Samoa comparable only to the Belgian Congo of last century; some speak scornfully of the dirty niggers—why aro they not taught a lesson? —many have the weirdest and most fantastic ideas of the state of affairs in Samoa, and all ask interminable questions. And all these questions are most difficult to answer justly. For all it is so tiny and insignificant, Samoa is a vastly self-important midget, chock full of individuality and character. People live by altogether different standards there. New Zealand is a small country, too, but New Zealand is dependent on European civilisation for her standards, her customs, and her manners. Samoa, a thousand times smaller, is dependent on no one; she is as isolated sociologically and socially as she is geographically, and is a thousand times more individualistic and self-contained. People lose sight of this when they draw parallels between Samoan and Maori. The Maoris are but a handful among a nation of white men; they are surrounded by the European atmosphere, while in Samoa there are but a handful of white men among a nation of natives. There, English is a foreign tongue, English manners and customs are kept up only in the few purely European households. Although the half-castes have the same civil rights and social status as the white man, to the majority of them the customary usages and manners of the Englishman are as strange and difficult as is his harsh and intricate language. They speak the one about as well, and as often as they conform to the other. And, needless to say, in the household

on a principle which is generally looked upon as quite modern. I have often heard it said that interest in the health and comfort of expectant mothers is a sign of a high degree of civilisation, and modern philanthropists are rightly proud of their efforts in this direction. It is rather surprising then to find in the feudal world a practical and detailed scheme already working for the comfort and protection of mothers who are about to undergo the ordeal of child-bearing. In the Weisthumer, or sets of manorial customs of which over a thousand have been edited, there are in almost all cases regulations which show special consideration fo:r pregnant women, and for those in child-bed.

The Abbot of Lorsch decrees that the men of Schonau "shall keep an orchard at the Monk's Grange, so that if a woman with child went that way she might satisfy her longing." The Abbot of Marienstadt is a great stickler for his rights of game and fishery, but makes the special proviso in stating them, "If there bo pregnant women or sick folk, they may use the same in their necessity." The Prince Bishop of Mains gives an allowance of bread to pregnant women from the princely bakehouse. The Abbess of the Prauenkirche at Wolf decrees: "If a woman with child be picking or labouring in a vineyard she haa leave to cut a small branch with two clusters." At Kumersheim the Abbot relaxes his fishing rights in the women's favour. "If a woman bo with child she may go and fish with one foot on i land and tha other in the brook."

Tho Canons of Wurzburg allow the woman's husband "to fish until he hath caught something for her." Allowances to women in childbed are common on ali manors. The Abbot of Reichenau lays it down: ''lf it be that a man's wife be pregnant and lying in child-bed then my lord's bailiff (who has come to levy the Shrovetide hen) shall take the hen ind out off her head and cast the rest behind his back into the house; and he shall bring my Lord the head and the woman shall eat the hen." The peasant under the Bishop of Bale need not work for his Lord on the day when his wife is in childbed; he is also at that time exempted from the dutv of chasine robbers. On other Manors consideration for the mother was shown by stated gifts. One Lord allows the mother six weeks free pasture for her cow in the common meadow. .Another nresent* her with a quart of wine and four loaves. This set of regulations leads us on to another, which deals with the Lord's power of regulating the marriages of his serfs, in which we find the first glimmering of what is now the science of eugenies, but this I mast reserve for my B«xfc article.

of a white man married to a half-caste there is incessant conflict, the Samoan innuenc« being often stronger in the end than the European. To a voting New Zealander going there to live it is like entering a foreign eountry; he finds himself at first like a navigator ia some strange sea in vrhich a compass is useless. He has to acquire a new method of orientation, to accustom himself to a new set of standard?. He has to accept people on new terms; the old set of _ values is no longer valid: he must build up new ones. If he does not. he is thrown back on the incredibly dull, petty, and snobbish set of incredibly conventional and intolerant pure white wives of pure white planters and oSßeials, and. of course, their husbands. Most wise young people prefer to revise their social code a little. It being thus with the half-caste population, one can only expect the natives to be intensely more fixed in their national customs and beliefs. The cry of "Samoa for the Samoans," whether trumpeted forth as an administrative ideal bv an idealistic Administrator, or plaintively wailed by a disgruntled and oppressed nation, seems to anyone who has lived in that country to bo a foolish phrase even more " meaningless than most such slogans. Samoa quite obviously belongs to them already; wherever you go you see nothing but Samoans—the place literally reeks with them. Outside of Apia" and its environs it takes diligent search to discover a white man. And no white man who is btiil in his senses when he makes his escape from this siren land would ever wish to return, even with ears full of was. No, the Samoans are welcome to their Samoa—were they not so incredibly conceited they would know that no ono else wants their old island. What, then, of the glamour and romance of the South Seas? What of the beauty and charm of these tropical islands and the enthralling fascination of island life? Are wo not to believe Rupert Brooke when he say 3 of Samoa: "Imagine an island with the most perfect climate in the world, tropical, yet almost always cooled by a breeze from the sea. No malaria or other fevers. No dangerous beasts, snakes, or insects. Fish for the catching, and fruit for the plucking. And an earth and sky and sea of immortal loveliness. What more could civilisation give? Umbrellas? Rope? Gladstone bags? . . . Any one of the vast leaves of the banana is more waterproof than the most expensive woven stuff. And from the first tree you can tear off a long strip of fibre "that holds better than any rope. And oO seconds' work on a great palm leaf produces a basket-bag which will carry ineredible weights all day, and can be thrown away in the evening. A world of conveniences. And the things which civilisation has left behind or missed by the way are there, too, among the Polynesians: beauty and courtesy and mirth. 1 think there is no gift of mind or body that tho wise value which these people lack. Hour after hour one may float in the warm lagoons, conscious, in the whole body, of every shred and current of the multitudinous water, or diving under in a vain attempt to catch the radiant butterfly-coloured fish that flit in and out of the thousand windows of their gorgeous coral palaces. Or go up, one of a singing flower-garlanded crowd, to a shaded pool of a river in the bush, cool from the mountains. The blos-som-hung darkness is streaked with the bodies that fling themselves, head or feet first, from the cliffs around the water, and the haunted forestsilence is broken by laughter. And after dark the blaek palms against a tropic night, the smell of the wind, the tangible moonlight like a white, dry, translucent mist, the lights in the huts, the murmur and laughter of passing figures, the passionate, queer thrill of the rhythm of some hidden dance."

There is, of course, a reverse side. Besides the fact that a tiny scratch from one of the "coral palaces" may easily take several weeks to heal, the "multitudinous water," unless very carefully washed off, irritates the skin and brings on a persistent itch. Until you know them, the flower-garlanded crowd are most difficult to talk to, and their views and general attitude most disconcerting and difficult to understand. Bathing in the shaded river pool is likely to give you Samoan ear —pain and discomfort for weeks. And Brooke himself says, "It is the magic of a different way of life." When the strangeness wears off, when one becomes accustomed to living in paradise, the beauty and the peace and the wondrous carefree laziness become merely a drug to the senses. And the drug habit has notoriously disastrous effects. One does not desire to transform one's life into the unreal shadowy posturing of an opium dream. For the hopelessly world-weary and blase who grieve for the futility of all human endeavour, for these the islands are fashioned as a haven of contentment, not for young, vigorous men in whose veins life still throbs valiantly. The Samoans are the only people perfectly fitted to live in Samoa; they need fear no invasion.

While it is most difficult to give simple answers to more general questions, there are still a few points on which anyone at all acquainted with conditions" in Samoa can be quite definite.

Some people are so tender-hearted and have such ready sympathies that they tend to discover injustices and oppression where none really exist. i There are people who have so unpleasant a view of mankind in general and the male sex in particular that they cannot conceive of any opportunity for cruelty and oppression being neglected. And there in Samoa is a whole nation of poor, dear natives absolutely at the mercy of an autocratic male Government. All such people's warped motherly instincts revolt at the thought of the terrible injustices and indignities that surely must have been inflicted on this proud child-race to bring it to this state of revolt. Sweet, indeed, the thought of the coarse and brutish Government officials being nonplussed, like a big puppy when a kitten turns suddenly and spits at it. Their heart 3 glow with the fervent hope that these proud and noble savages, battling valiantly against oppression, their eyes glowing" with the holy joy of struggle for a just cause, would teach their evil tyrants that they could not with impunity pursue their wicked course of land "stealing and super taxation, of brutal handling* of sweated labour, of permitting the traders to exploit the poor, ignorant native while cavilling at the missionaries who were longing to help him. and of distributing gin and venereal disease among these dusky innocents, an activity in which they of course delighted—men were like that!

Whereas it need scarcely be stated that the whole purpose of the Administration of Samoa is to develop the country in the best interests of the Samoans themselves. That is the whole idea of a mandate. Indeed, there are almost no other interests to consider. The number of independent planters is remarkably small; almost all the big plantations are Government-owned and are inland in the bush. The Samoans themselves own their coastal lands as they have always done. The great majority of the Samoans will not work, all the labour being done by eoolies indented fruia China. And either the Samoans or the eoolies can and do complain about any ill-treatment, with the result that the planter m question is fined- When, however, a planter complains that his car has been stopped earning through th« TiUag* «f Vainoso

by the Mau picket of cheeky natives ■who watch by the roadside all night, he has no redress at al!. The traders —and there are many rival firms operating in Samoa—sell at standard price?, if anything more cheaply to the Samoan than to the European. There is a standard price for the purchase of native copra, which is the natives' main source of income. No doubt there are abuses in the system, but such have been known even in enlightened New Zealand. Moreover the Samoan is proof against exploitation. la the word? o* one old trader, "Every Samcan is a potential millionaire.*' He ha? all that he needs for a comfortable and happy existence growing in the ground and on trees around him—houses, mats, canoes, tobacco, even candles, hair oil. and cigarette papers made from dry banana leaves. He ha? food in abundance, food that he loves —pics, chickens, taro. breadfruit, fish of a

[ hundred kinds, bananas, sugarcane. Fire he can make in a few moments. All the luxuriant riches of an exuberant nature are his. He is virtually independent of the trader; all that he requires from him are sugar, soap, and a few yards of cloth for his lavalavas. At least he is as keen to buy from the trader as the trader is to* buy from him. And if it is a question "of exploitation, the missionaries get as much out of these very pious, unco guid, socalled Christians as do the Government and the traders put together: it is said that they even use Samoan money to extend their operations among less impressionable peoples. If these Samoans are so happy, contented, and self-supporting, why bother them? Why not leave them to dream the tranquil years away on their halcyon islands? Why trouble them even with a \ory nominal taxation of a few shillings per head and with endless regulations concerning such unimportant details as village hygiene, protection of coconut trees —their whole wealth, improvement in quality of native copra, and modification of the more barbarous of native customs? They are happy, and happiness is found so seldom that when discovered it should be left undisturbed. Why pester them by making them search for rhinoceros beetles every Monday, allowing them to play their ancient traditional form of cricket only on two days a week, and putting tiresome restrictions on the old custom of making "malaga" (a journey) for the purpose of presenting fine mats (handwoven mats as fine and soft as linen, the most-prized of possessions) f Let the beetles cat up the coconuts, allow their plantations to become neglected while the village is pleasure-seeking and making frivolous journeys. What do the Samoans want with hospitals, eompulsory medical treatment, and free schools? New Zealand control is irksome to their proud natures: let them govern their own country without this tiresome interference. Their ancestors starved in a happy and proud isolation —what was good enough for their ancestors is good enough for them. What matter though she reek with eyedisease and yaws and all manner of filthy ailments, Samoa will be proudly governing herself like America and France and Russia, and all her other peers among the nations. Oh, yes, by all means let Samoa govern herself! We hear a lot about the injustices and insults which the proud Samoan has had to suffer. It is with propaganda of this sort that Mr Nelson is exploiting most thoroughly the tender feminine sympathies and motherly instincts of New Zealand spinsters of both sexes. Indeed, to judge by a great deal of the inexcusable propaganda which Mr Nelson and Ms supporters are disseminating in this country, the New Zealand Administration is exercising a medieval tyranny over Samoa, delighting in injustice, and enjoying an orgy of self-interested despotism. Presumably Mr Nelson is referring to the Administration rightly or wrongly depriving a few chiefs of their titles of rank. There is a feeling abroad that the Government Bbould make honourable amends, should apologise to the injured parties, and offer to begin afresh. One helpful American gentleman —president of the Something or Other Consolidated Whatnot Corporation —said in a Press interview last year: "Far from me be it to criticise the present Administration, but if my opinion as a man accustomed to settle problems is of any value, who not make friends with the chiefs?" Oh, that American business mind!

This brings us to a most pronounced trait in the Samoan character, the immense importance he attaches to codes of respect. Chiefly rank always demands certain forms of respectj there is a whole vocabulary of "chief words" wMch constitute a language of respect. To use common words before a chief is like using blasphemous language in the presence of a parson. The higher the rank of a chief the more involved and difficult become these forms. The whole Samoan structure is wrought from this principle of respect. Conversely their dignity is a very delicate and easily injured growth—hence Mr Nelson's propaganda. And there is nothing so ridiculous to a Samoan's mind as a picture of collapsed dignity. The members of a beaten team in a. football or cricket match go home miserable and with bowed heads, they are "ashamed." If distinguished visitors descend on a Samoan unexpectedly and he has no food to offer them, he is deeply ashamed —he may even go away and hide until uis visitors are gone. If a young buck is beaten for his girl by a more attractive young buck, he is prostrate with humiliation. A very strong influence mitigating against the possibility of the Mau ever becoming reconciled with the Administration is that, in the event of their again recognising Government authority they would be put to shame before the few much-despised loyal villages. This handful of chiefs who have remained loyal through the unrest would then be able to say most gleefully, "We told you so"—an indignity which clearly no Mau chief could ever tolerate.

Thus, if the present Administration were to get off its pedestal—to capitulate, in effect —it would deal such a blow to the respect of the natives for official dignity (however hollow and superficial) that no amount of strict formality and keeping up appearances could ever subsequently restore it. It would be the most effective and speedy | way to end New Zealand's career in Sainoa. For the idea of the prestige of a governing race is really significant; it is more than mere conceit and national self-importance. Enthusiasts on the colour question who claim that an intelligent, social, and moral race like the Samoans are entitled to equality of treatment and should be regarded in a spirit of brotherhood —these do but emphasise, by the very ardour of their protest against it, that there does in reality exist an undoubted "colour consciousness." And the Samoan is more colour conscious even than the white man. If, when you are visiting a fale, to decline the offer of a chair, preferring to sit on the mat in friendly fashion, like one of the family, it is the Samoan who is ill at ease and overcome with embarrassment. He proffered you the chair as a mark of respec-t, and' it is in terms of formal respeet that all relations between Samoan and white man must be carried on. In any approach to intimate friendship one of two things happens—either it is marked by a pathetic eager»ess on the part of the native to be well thought of by the somewhat patronising powers that be, the relation between schoolmaster and favourite pupil; or else eventually i the Samoan, given an inch, takes a mile, as 4 bwomet cheeky and bump- |

tious. Either way mutual respect suffers. Granted that at the present time the ■Samoan neither fee's nor shows any respect for administrative authority; granted that in some measure the Government deserved to forfeit this respect, and that the Samoan has right on his Bide—indeed, the recent visit of the three commissioners disclosed a deplorable state of affairs in the civ:! service in Samoa: granted that thd present Administrator realises that there is some justification for the attitude of the natives —even then it is not his policy to eat humble pie. (.The virtue of humility is just not comprehended by these Christians.> No matter how much of this is tacitly understood, when it comes to a question of reconciliation—and the Mau must surelv soon begin to lose faith in the idolised Mr Nelson's power to win through in his struggle to oust Now Zealand from Samoa—both parties must preserve r> passable semblance of dignity, else even the faintest hope of a mutual understanding is lost. Sir Joseph Ward, it seem?, can «ay nothing except that there can be no negotiation with the Mau until they again accept Government authority. Clearly he might as well give up hope of negotiation. Granted that some of the shrewd old Mau chiefs pcrceivr that their cause, run on constitutional lines as it always has been, has but thin hopes of success; grant -i that they now perceive that they .vent a'Together the wrung way to v>o:k in advancing it; granted that all this may be tacitly understood by the present Administrator, yet there may be no overt admissions of such errors. The Administration and the Mnu alike must save their faces at all costs. When a time comes when the Mai; have realised the futility of unconstitutional protests, yet perceive that the Administration is likely to guard against repeating past mistakes in the future—when, in a word, the occasion is ripe for reconciliation—then it i? for the ingenuity of a statesman to discover some common ground on which the two parties can meet without loss of prestige, to contrive some graceful gesture by which the differences may be adjusted without either side having to suffer any appearance of indignity or defeat. (■Concluded.)