THE SAMOAN MAU MOVEMENT: A UNITED SAMOAN OPPOSITION

1. 18
THE SAMOAN
MAU MOVEMENT
A UNITED
SAMOAN OPPOSITION

2. PROBLEMS IN SAMOA
•Grievances emerged in Samoa in the early 1920’s.
•A sense of injustice became more widespread as the possibility for
autonomy was vanishing under New Zealand’s colonial paternalism.
•The problems were evident when talking about authority and
sovereignty issues.
•The chiefs did not like their loss of authority.

3. PROBLEMS IN SAMOA
•By 1926, anti-New Zealand feeling was strong throughout Samoa and
this was reinforced by memories of the handling of the 1918 influenza
pandemic.

4. PUBLIC MEETINGS
•Two public meetings were held at the Market Hall in Apia.
•In the October 1926 meeting there were 250 Samoans, Papalagi and
Afakasi attending.
•One month later, there were almost 700 people in the attendance.
•Richardson sent a message to the second meeting in which he
expressed his disapproval of local interference in European politics and
affairs.
•The meetings were organised by Olaf Nelson.

6. PATERNALISM
•Paternalism is a historical force that inhibited any real effort to listen to
the Samoan people. When the Mau Movement appeared in 1926, it was
not recognised by the New Zealand administration for what is was – a
nationalist movement.
•Paternalism was seen as a negative force.
•Samoan people were subject to a variety of legal disadvantages: they did
not vote or sit on juries, were not trusted to tell the truth and were
restricted in their ability to hold property.