Sunday and Family - American Samoa Culture and Ocean Conservation Film Series

Film synopsis: Two American Samoans, High Chief Togotogo Sotoa and Rex Lokeni, an untitled man, share parts of their culture that bring families and communities closer together.

In American Samoa, chiefs give family members tasks to benefit their family. When family members earn respect from their families, their chief can grant them a title such as paramount chief, high chief, and high talking chief. An untitled man works to earn a servings chief title to a high chief in hopes of getting a high talking chief title.

Executive Producers - Jean-Michel Cousteau, Gene Brighouse
Producer - Jim Knowlton
Filmed and edited by Jim Knowlton
Music - Doug Shirley - "Silver Threads" and "Nahenahe"

Special thanks to:
National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa
National Marine Sanctuary Foundation
Office of National Marine Sanctuaries

This film is the first film of the American Samoa Culture and Ocean Conservation Film Series. The stories in these short films are told by Americans Samoans who share their passion for their unique culture and for protecting their ocean resources for future generations.

About National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa

The National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa is located in the cradle of Polynesia’s oldest culture and is thought to support the greatest diversity of marine life in the National Marine Sanctuary System, including a wide variety of coral and other invertebrates, fishes, turtles, marine mammals and marine plants. The sanctuary protects extensive coral reefs, including some of the oldest and largest Porites coral heads in the world, along with deep water reefs, hydrothermal vent communities, and rare marine archaeological resources, and also encompasses important fishing grounds, the southernmost point in the United States, and waters surrounding one of the world’s smallest atolls. The sanctuary is also the only true tropical reef within the National Marine Sanctuary System, and is the most remote location within that system. NOAA co-manages the sanctuary with the American Samoa Government and works closely with communities adjacent to the sanctuary, all within the context of Samoan cultural traditions and practices.

About Ocean Futures Society

Our mission is to explore our global ocean, inspiring and educating people
throughout the world to act responsibly for its protection, documenting
the critical connection between humanity and nature, and celebrating the
ocean's vital importance to the survival of all life on our planet.

[southseasprincess]

When people live this way, God is happier, and people are united, blessed and free!! This is what God wants every nation to be.

[carmen]

This is the normal and natural way for humans to live. You plant your own food you have the sense of togetherness with the family you learn to love earth and respect God and nature. you appreciate all the beautiful things that this planet earth gives us. Thank you for this wonderful video.

[craigcurlee]

What a beautiful and traditional culture. Would have love to grow up with family values like they have.

[marialevao]

Seeing your umu makes me so hungry. I long for my return to my beautiful Samoa. There is no place like home. Thanks for sharing your home with us.

[raymondfaleofa]

Very much the same all over the Polynesian Islands ee.Very rich culture, Sunday the same, the day of Going to churches, eat n rest, prepared the whole meal for the day. It's God day, Thanks for sharing from your neighbor island, TONGA, Love the Samoan, our Pacific Islander's.

[mioksundiitsaklewamono]

I love the way of living and food ....

[faasinogale]

God bless all Samoans and our beautiful culture, thanks for sharing your video.

[lbradshaw]

Talofa lava Samoa. Much love to your beautiful people. Bula from Fiji bula vinaka loloma yani❤👍

[kirahmanusamoa]

Magaia le umu a gai taule'ale'a. Malo lava fa'afetai! I missed the umus on Sundays and missed the traditions. There's nothing like the Samoan cultural! I'm proud to be Samoan!

[aukusitinotalato]

Wow... remind me of the good old days, this is wat we use to do every Sunday..good life...respect your eldest especially your parents and you will be blessed...

[falconguy]

It is a great culture lived there for a few years and yes Sunday was a great quiet restful day centered around Christ. Tafuna pulega frisco

[adrianvanniasinkam]

This is therapeutic. Love from Melbourne, Australia!

[patricklee]

A fascinating look at your culture, thank you so much. I wish I could live like that.

[emaniutasuapaiatupulehake]

miss The island tradition, Love this👊❤👊

[jacquelinesteenson]

This is one of the best explanations I have seen on YouTube. Thank you and God bless!

[panchaguzman]

This is very beautiful, my granddaughter samoan and since she 18 now she with her family and it's big too lovely

[guynyc]

Great video! Im Samoan but never been to Samoa always wanted to visit Samoa

[jbrown]

Nothing like Samoan food..satisfying..especially on sunday koogai..i want to go back to Samoa one day..

[tkimble]

Faafetai lava mo le video.
This video humble me because it brings back memories when I grew up in American Samoa. I left Samoa when I was 16 1/2 years old, moved to America and now I have a family of my own with my half palagi kids. We sometimes forget where we came from or how we grew up that makes you who you are today.
The Samoan way without a doubt is one of the toughest way of life but very humble lifestyle that no American life ever measured up to.I used to blame and hate my dad for a long time for being too rough and abusive to us when we were young and now having a family of my own I look back and I appreciate it now how my dad was racing us to make me a better person and a strong independent individual because of the way my dad taught me. I know now and realize it that that's the only way my father know how to race and discipline us when we were kids. I thank him for bringing us to America for better life despite all the tough life that we had in Samoa. I will forever grateful for the effort and the determination that my father strive to bring us to America for better life after our mother passed away. I will share this video with my American Wife(Palagi) and my half Samoan kids forever . Thank you again for sharing this video because this will bring back good memories and to remind myself who I am and where I'm from.

[jameshale]

I want to live with and like those people they are like real family HEAVEN