A Connection to Samoa

​BY TIM DEPP, MD​No one knows when the first Samoans landed on what is now the Samoan Islands, the destination of our journey. The Samoans have most likely been there for several thousand years, since the Lapita people (ancestors of the Polynesians) migrated there between 1200 and 1000 BC, making Samoan culture, in a word, ancient. Spaniards, pirates, and missionaries came and went. And "fa'asamoa," the Samoan way, has continued, albeit somewhat changed. Important distinctions are maintained, including the divide between the sovereign nation of Samoa (formerly Western Samoa) and American Samoa (a U.S. protectorate). Its population is now more than 198,000, and the dominant religion of the Samoan Islands is Christianity, with 76 percent identifying as Catholic or Protestant. Despite the island's proximity to New Zealand, which is only a few hours away by plane, the Samoan Islands remain geographically sequestered and receive relatively little traffic from other countries.It might then come as a surprise that a group of South Carolinians has had ongoing contact with and visits to Samoa for many years. The key player is Vaifanua Pele, a retired resident of Cayce, SC, who was born in Samoa. Pele joined the military after finishing his secondary education and spent the remainder of his career in the army. He became a pastor after retiring and has continued his role as a local leader in leveraging resources for outreach to his fellow Samoans as one of the bloodline le...
Source: Going Global - Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: Blog Posts Source Type: blogs