AMERICAN SAMOA AND TOURISM

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29138, 25 February 1960, Page 6

AMERICAN SAMOA AND TOURISM

“Risk Of Losing Culture” American Samoa, in developing its tourist industry, had to face the risk that it might lose its heritage and cultural values, said Mr P. T. Coleman, governor of the territory, in an address to the Pacific Area Travel Association conference yesterday. “As a Samoan, of the Polynesian race, born and geared in Samoa, I detect one great consequence of the arrival of the tourist —a consequence which is without our province to control. In our thinking, in our attitude, in our very behaviour, and for the preservation of our cultural identity, we Pacific people may well remember that we are hosts, not guests, in our own lands,” Mr Coleman said. “This connotes all the finest traditions everywhere of a host—courtesy, thoughtfulness, kindness, and the quality of making a guest feel at home. The visitor, in turn, is apt to enjoy his visit a great deal by respecting the status of the host. Tourists Sense Pretence

“Although we adjust our living to a certain extent to make our guests comfortable and happy, nevertheless, it is still our home. We still retain our basic ways of living, our traditions, our culture, our identity as proud people. “This is one of the features of Samoa, for example, so attractive to visitors; the reminder; be yourself. For the tourist wants to see the people as they live, and they can generally sense pretence.

“Visitors to Samoa especially like to see the typical Samoan houses. Fortunately, a large part of our population lives more or less in the simple style of our ancestors. Visitors driving along the road that extends coastwise along the southern side of Tutuila are enchanted by what they see. Our best salesmen are our children, with their shy charm and attractiveness.

"In spite of Its high hopes for an improved economy as a result of tourism, American Samoa, is faced with the risk of whether in improving its economy by the encouragement of visitors, it will lose its heritage and cultural values.

“This hovering cloud is the eventual loss of its limited lands to which are closely connected its legends, the history of its past, and the very way of existence in its culture. The history of the migrations of people into fairly small areas has not always been friendly. “The Pacific Area Travel Association, therefore, has a great responsibility to these people,” Mr Coleman said. “In encouraging travel, it must work closely with administering authorities to ensure the removal of this cloud so that the proud and trusting inhabitants of these islands will continue to hold open their arms of welcome with the assurance that they will perpetually remain hosts and never, guests in their own land.” Jet Runway In Samoa A new runway for jet aircraft is at present under construction in American Samoa, said Mr P. T. Coleman, governor of the territory, speaking at the Pacific Area Travel Association conference yesterday “An interesting aspect of this development of the jet runway is that a territory of about 21,000 people has raised about one million dollars as their initial contribution to the project,” Mr Coleman said. “Construction is done by the Samoan people themselves, with the aid of a consultant resident engineer from Hawaii.” Mr Coleman said that the new runway would be at an angle from the present field, which was suitable for conventional-type planes and was now being used regularly by Pan American World Airways, Transocean Airlines, Samoan Air Lines, and soon Polynesian Airlines and others.