Group of brothers and sisters in Vaitogi, dressed for Lotu Tomaiti (the Children's Mass).
The Children's Mass is a special day, as big as Christmas, when all the children of the island receive new clothes and special gifts. The day is focused around the children, who round up all the adults and run the festivities, from cooking in the early morning hours to conducting services and singing in angelic choirs in all the churches. Services are conducted and songs sung in Samoan, a dialect similar to other Polynesian languages in the south pacific.
The American Samoans have a strong christian community which dates back to the days of Reverend Williams who came to the islands in the 1800s, representing the London Missionary Society (LMS). His benevolent ways, and wise counsel soon convinced the Natives to turn from their pagan worship to christianity and brotherly love. Soon after the LMS arrived tribal wars between villages stopped, and were replaced by friendly dance competitions and dugout canoe races.
Smiling shining faces are everywhere on American Samoa. For centuries, fine mats, woven from the leaves of the pandamas tree, have been the symbol of wealth and prosperity. To this day, they are equated to the many hours, indeed sometimes years, of work put into the diligent weaving of the mat. In this way, the intrinsic value of the work in the mat is valued so highly, that for many years the mats were used for money and barter. Today, they are given mostly as gifts at special occasions like marriages, and to the bereaved families at funerals.
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