"The artistic, cultural and economic functions of siapo in Samoan life prevail today... My little book is a modest contribution to understanding this important aspect of Samoan culture..."--Preface.

"Samoan Art and Artists is a wide-ranging survey of both the traditional and contemporary arts of Samoa. The author has drawn on an extensive research base to present a contemporary and accessible picture of a vibrant culture. The book has a broad sweep, covering all facets of the Samoan arts, including canoe and house building, siapo (tapa) weaving, tattooing, oratory, adornment, all forms of performance art, the visual arts, and literature. An important feature of the book is the inclusion of profiles of living practitioners, both from Samoa and the large Samoan communities in other Pacific countries."--Publisher description.

Auckland Museum's collection of tapa cloth from around the Pacific is one of the most extensive in the world and it forms the basis of this comprehensive survey.

Ua fuifui faatasi, ae vaoeseese "Gathered into one flock from different parts of the forest" The beauty of this Samoan proverb poetically describes The Samoans: A Global Family. From the tea estates of Sri Lanka to the deserts of the Sudan, from the Himalayas of Bhutan to the jungles of Brazil, and from the People's Republic of China to Papua New Guinea, a family is gathered in 285 color photographs captioned with the proverbs of 30 languages. Each person recounts his or her autobiography: a cardinal in Rome, a cowboy in the outback of Australia, a champion sumo wrestler in Japan, a jet pilot in nothern Alaska, an NFL football player at the Super Bowl, a nun in the slums of Lima, Peru. Each brings a story from his part of the "forest." The book is the result of a two-and-a-half-year odyssey around the world, through 45 countries and 20 states and into the lives of over 125 Samoans documenting what it means to be Samoan not only in Samoa but in the farthest reaches of the globe.

'O si Manu a Ali'i is the first comprehensive guide for teachers of Samoan oratory and the Samoan language of respect. It is also an authoritative resource book for students of the language. The author's insightful descriptions of Samoan culture provide the necessary social contexts for learning these important speech registers. Text in Samoan