Origin of the Samoans

ORIGIN OF THE SAMOANS.

Among the conflicting opinions as to the origin of the inhabitants of Samoa as well as their congeners on several groups of the Pacific islands, I will offer the following as evidence that they belong to the house of Israel and came from America.

First—According to the tradition of Samoans: They first landed on and inhabited “Manu’a,” the most eastern island of the group. This is an evidence that they did not come from the west. Following in this line of evidence we read in the Book of Mormon (Alma 63:5–8) that at least two large ships were “launched into the west sea near the narrow neck which leads to the land northward and were never heard of more.” The question is: Were these two ships destroyed? Or were they drifted away to some of the Pacific Islands? The probability is in favor of the latter, when we consider that the trade wind and ocean current of that part of the sphere tend westerly. It must be left to conjecture, however, how they scattered from island to island. But that the natives had boats large enough to navigate from one group of islands to another is evident from the well-known fact that not many years since the Tongan people came to Samoa (a distance of nearly five hundred miles) in sufficient numbers to conquer them.

Second—The Samoans rigidly adhere to the old Mosaic law of circumcision, which was in force among the Nephites and Lamanites till the coming of Christ. (It will be noted that the two above mentioned boats left 54 B.C., the laws of Moses being in full force at that time).

Third—The Samoans have a custom of embalming their dead—an old Israelite custom (Gen. 50:26).

Fourth—Both among the American Indians and the Samoans is the custom represented in the law of Moses by “An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth,” e.g.: if John Doe should kill Richard Roe, the Roe family would seek revenge until they had got a man from the Doe family; thus: a man for a man, or, “An eye for an eye,” etc.

Fifth—There is a custom among the Samoans of cutting off a woman’s nose for the crime of stealing another woman’s husband by marrying him. The same custom is prevalent among some of the tribes of American Indians. The writer is familiar with this custom among the Apache Indians of Arizona.

sixth—The girls of Samoa often gather themselves together to sing and to dance and to make themselves merry (exclusive of the men)—a custom that existed among the ancient inhabitants of America (Book of Mormon, Mosiah 20:1).

Seventh—The syntax of the Samoan language in many points resembles the Hebrew.

The above are a few indirect evidences I have gleaned principally through my own observations, and not having access to any writings of the ethnology of the race, it is possible that I have omitted much very valuable evidence. While it is almost impossible to glean sufficient data to establish definitely the origin of the Samoans, the fact that they observe some of the laws of Moses, and that a number of the customs of both the Samoans and the American Indians are identical, taken in connection with the other evidences, seems, when looked upon in the light of reason, to render the argument strongly in favor of them belonging to the house of Israel and most likely drifted from American shores.—William A. Moody, in Deseret News.