Bahá'í Faith in American Samoa and Samoa
Encyclopedia
`Abdu'l-Bahá
‘Abdu’l-Bahá , born ‘Abbás Effendí, was the eldest son of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. In 1892, `Abdu'l-Bahá was appointed in his father's will to be his successor and head of the Bahá'í Faith. `Abdu'l-Bahá was born in Tehran to an aristocratic family of the realm...
, mentioning the islands in 1916. This inspired Bahá'ís on their way to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in 1920 to stop in Samoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
. Thirty four years later another Bahá'í from Australia pioneered
Pioneering (Bahá'í)
A pioneer is a volunteer Bahá'í who leaves his or her home to journey to another place for the purpose of teaching the Bahá'í Faith. The act of so moving is termed pioneering. Bahá'ís refrain from using the term "missionary"...
to Samoa in 1954. With the first converts the first Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly was elected in 1961, and the Bahá'í National Spiritual Assembly was first elected in 1970. Following the conversion of the then Head of State of Samoa, King Malietoa Tanumafili II
Malietoa Tanumafili II of Samoa
Malietoa Tanumafili II, GCMG, CBE, was the Malietoa, the title of one of Samoa's four paramount chiefs, and the head of state, or O le Ao o le Malo, a position that he held for life, of Samoa from 1962 to 2007. He was co-chief of state in 1962 and became the sole head of state on 15 April 1963...
, the first Bahá'í House of Worship
Bahá'í House of Worship
A Bahá'í House of Worship, sometimes referred to by its Arabic name of Mashriqu'l-Adhkár ,is the designation of a place of worship, or temple, of the Bahá'í Faith...
of the Pacific Islands was finished in 1984 and the Bahá'í community reached a population of over 3000 in about the year 2000.
Early history
The first mention of the Samoan Islands in Bahá'í literatureBahá'í literature
Bahá'í literature, like much religious text, covers a variety of topics and forms, including scripture and inspiration, interpretation, history and biography, introduction and study materials, and apologia...
is in a series of letters, or tablets, to the followers of the religion in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1916-1917 by `Abdu'l-Bahá, head of the religion until 1921 when he died, asking the followers of the religion to travel to other countries; these letters were compiled together in the book titled Tablets of the Divine Plan
Tablets of the Divine Plan
The Tablets of the Divine Plan collectively refers to 14 letters written between September 1916 and March 1917 by `Abdu'l-Bahá to Bahá'ís in the United States and Canada. Included in multiple books, the first five tablets were printed in America in Star of the West - Vol. VII, No. 10, September 8,...
. The seventh of the tablets was the first to mention several island nations in the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. Written on April 11, 1916, it was delayed in being presented in the United States until 1919 — after the end of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and the Spanish flu
Spanish flu
The 1918 flu pandemic was an influenza pandemic, and the first of the two pandemics involving H1N1 influenza virus . It was an unusually severe and deadly pandemic that spread across the world. Historical and epidemiological data are inadequate to identify the geographic origin...
. The seventh tablet was translated and presented by Mirza Ahmad Sohrab
Mirza Ahmad Sohrab
Mírzá Aḥmad Sohráb was a Persian-American author and Bahá'í who co-founded the New History Society and the Caravan of East and West in New York, and was excommunicated from the Bahá'í Faith in 1939 by Shoghi Effendi.-Early life:...
on April 4, 1919, and published in Star of the West
Star of the West (Bahá'í magazine)
The Star of the West was a Bahá'í periodical which began publication on March 21, 1910 and ended publication under this title in March of 1935....
magazine on December 12, 1919.
"A party speaking their languages, severed, holy, sanctified and filled with the love of God, must turn their faces to and travel through the three great island groups of the Pacific Ocean—PolynesiaPolynesiaPolynesia is a subregion of Oceania, made up of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are termed Polynesians and they share many similar traits including language, culture and beliefs...
, MicronesiaMicronesiaMicronesia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising thousands of small islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It is distinct from Melanesia to the south, and Polynesia to the east. The Philippines lie to the west, and Indonesia to the southwest....
and MelanesiaMelanesiaMelanesia is a subregion of Oceania extending from the western end of the Pacific Ocean to the Arafura Sea, and eastward to Fiji. The region comprises most of the islands immediately north and northeast of Australia...
, and the islands attached to these groups, such as New GuineaNew GuineaNew Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, BorneoBorneoBorneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
, JavaJavaJava is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
, SumatraSumatraSumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
, Philippine Islands, Solomon IslandsSolomon IslandsSolomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
, Fiji Islands, New HebridesNew HebridesNew Hebrides was the colonial name for an island group in the South Pacific that now forms the nation of Vanuatu. The New Hebrides were colonized by both the British and French in the 18th century shortly after Captain James Cook visited the islands...
, Loyalty IslandsLoyalty IslandsThe Loyalty Islands are an archipelago in the Pacific. They are part of the French territory of New Caledonia, whose mainland is away. They form the Loyalty Islands Province , one of the three provinces of New Caledonia...
, New CaledoniaNew CaledoniaNew Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
, Bismarck ArchipelagoBismarck ArchipelagoThe Bismarck Archipelago is a group of islands off the northeastern coast of New Guinea in the western Pacific Ocean and is part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea.-History:...
, CeramCERAMCERAM is a materials science and testing organisation based in Stoke-on-Trent specialising in the field of ceramics. The CERAM Group owns testing facilities around the world.-History:The British Refractories Research Association was formed in 1920...
, CelebesSulawesiSulawesi is one of the four larger Sunda Islands of Indonesia and is situated between Borneo and the Maluku Islands. In Indonesia, only Sumatra, Borneo, and Papua are larger in territory, and only Java and Sumatra have larger Indonesian populations.- Etymology :The Portuguese were the first to...
, Friendly Islands, Samoa Islands, Society IslandsSociety IslandsThe Society Islands are a group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean. They are politically part of French Polynesia. The archipelago is generally believed to have been named by Captain James Cook in honor of the Royal Society, the sponsor of the first British scientific survey of the islands;...
, Caroline IslandsCaroline IslandsThe Caroline Islands are a widely scattered archipelago of tiny islands in the western Pacific Ocean, to the north of New Guinea. Politically they are divided between the Federated States of Micronesia in the eastern part of the group, and Palau at the extreme western end...
, Low Archipelago, Marquesas, Hawaiian IslandsHawaiian IslandsThe Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
, Gilbert IslandsGilbert IslandsThe Gilbert Islands are a chain of sixteen atolls and coral islands in the Pacific Ocean. They are the main part of Republic of Kiribati and include Tarawa, the site of the country's capital and residence of almost half of the population.-Geography:The atolls and islands of the Gilbert Islands...
, Moluccas, Marshall IslandsMarshall IslandsThe Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
, TimorTimorTimor is an island at the southern end of Maritime Southeast Asia, north of the Timor Sea. It is divided between the independent state of East Timor, and West Timor, belonging to the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara. The island's surface is 30,777 square kilometres...
and the other islands. With hearts overflowing with the love of God, with tongues commemorating the mention of God, with eyes turned to the Kingdom of God, they must deliver the glad tidings of the manifestation of the Lord of Hosts to all the people."
Following this call to pioneer in 1919, Clara and Hyde Dunn moved from the United Kingdom
Bahá'í Faith in the United Kingdom
The Bahá'í Faith in the United Kingdom started in 1898 when Mrs. Mary Thornburgh-Cropper , an American by birth, become the first Bahá'í in England. Through the 1930s, the number of Bahá'ís in the United Kingdom grew, leading to a pioneer movement beginning after the Second World War with sixty...
to the United States where they met and married and then decided to pioneer
Pioneering (Bahá'í)
A pioneer is a volunteer Bahá'í who leaves his or her home to journey to another place for the purpose of teaching the Bahá'í Faith. The act of so moving is termed pioneering. Bahá'ís refrain from using the term "missionary"...
to Australia in 1920 and stopped briefly in Samoa on their way. Shoghi Effendi
Shoghi Effendi
Shoghí Effendí Rabbání , better known as Shoghi Effendi, was the Guardian and appointed head of the Bahá'í Faith from 1921 until his death in 1957...
, head of the religion after the death of `Abdu'l-Bahá, launched the Ten Year Crusade
Ten Year Crusade
The Ten Year World Crusade was launched by Shoghi Effendi in an effort to facilitate an organized expansion of the Bahá'í Faith....
and during this plan, 34 years after the first Bahá'ís of Australia had stopped at Samoa, a woman named Lilian Wyss pioneered to Western Samoa from Australia in January 1954 leaving behind a position on the National Spiritual Assembly of Australia at the age of 24 while her brother, Frank Wyss, introduced the religion that year to the Cocos Island
Cocos Island
Cocos Island is an uninhabited island located off the shore of Costa Rica . It constitutes the 11th district of Puntarenas Canton of the province of Puntarenas. It is one of the National Parks of Costa Rica...
. For their service, Shoghi Effendi awarded both of them the accolade of Knight of Bahá'u'lláh. Later she married and took the name Suhayl 'Alá'í. About this time Emmanuel Rock, one of the earliest Samoans to join the religion, did so prior to the beginning of the Ten Year Crusade
Ten Year Crusade
The Ten Year World Crusade was launched by Shoghi Effendi in an effort to facilitate an organized expansion of the Bahá'í Faith....
. Simple Bahá'í literature
Bahá'í literature
Bahá'í literature, like much religious text, covers a variety of topics and forms, including scripture and inspiration, interpretation, history and biography, introduction and study materials, and apologia...
was translated into the Samoan language about 1955 and into the language of Niue Island in 1956. At this time Bahá'í sources claim there were five Bahá'ís known among the Samoa Islands. The first native believer Mrs. Lotoa Rock, Emmanuel Rock's wife, joined the religion in 1956. In late 1956 Saialala Tamasese was the second native to join the religion and the first Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly was elected in 1957 in Western Samoa with another five smaller groups of Bahá'ís, followed by an assembly election in Samoa in 1961. Many of the early Bahá'ís were well educated and some had Christian theological training and after conversion sometimes held positions of high office in the religion.
Connections to and from the Bahá'ís
From then events have multiplied involving the growing community. Starting on October 29, 1958 the first visit of a Hand of the Cause in the person of Enoch OlingaEnoch Olinga
Enoch Olinga was born to an Anglican family of the Iteso ethnic group in Uganda. He became a Bahá'í, earned the title Knight of Bahá'u'lláh and was appointed as the youngest Hand of the Cause, the highest appointed position in the religion. He served the interests of the religion widely and...
began an extended tour of the islands during which Olinga was honored with a Kava
Kava culture
Kava cultures are the religious and cultural traditions of western Oceania which consume kava. There are similarities in the use of kava between the different cultures, but each one also has its own traditions.-Hawaii:...
based ceremony. In 1959 the Bahá'ís gathered in the first summer school with some 30 attendees and hosted by a local chief, purchased the first Bahá'í cemetery, and gathered with Samoans from both islands to consult on the growth of the religion on the islands. In 1962 the religion had reached the island of Savai'i
Savai'i
Savaii is the largest and highest island in Samoa and the Samoa Islands chain. It is also the biggest landmass in Polynesia outside Hawaii and New Zealand. The island of Savai'i is also referred to by Samoans as Salafai, a classical Samoan term used in oratory and prose...
and the first public talk on the religion was given in Apia - which was extended to three additional talks and Hand of the Cause Collis Featherstone visited Bahá'ís and civic leaders. In 1963 the assembly of Pago Pago arranged the first observance of United Nations Day
United Nations Day
In 1947, the United Nations General Assembly declared 24 October, the anniversary of the Charter of the United Nations, as which "shall be devoted to making known to the peoples of the world the aims and achievements of the United Nations and to gaining their support for" its work.In 1971 the...
which had the acting governor and other leading figures giving talks. Coverage of the event was carried by print, radio and television media leading up to the event in general and of the Bahá'ís hosting. In 1964 a conference on Fiji which included Bahá'ís from Tonga, Samoa, New Guinea and Fiji. Immediately following the first convention was held to elect the regional national assembly of South Pacific Ocean. Bahá'ís continued to come and began to leave from Samoa. Also in 1965 the first Samoan pioneer
Pioneering (Bahá'í)
A pioneer is a volunteer Bahá'í who leaves his or her home to journey to another place for the purpose of teaching the Bahá'í Faith. The act of so moving is termed pioneering. Bahá'ís refrain from using the term "missionary"...
returned to the island of his birth - the Tokelau Islands. It was three years before authorities allowed him to promulgate his religion. Samoan Auxiliary Board member Niuoleava Tuataga toured Australia giving talks to Bahá'ís and Australian society on the religion in 1967. Russell Garcia
Russell Garcia (composer)
Russell Garcia, QSM was a composer and arranger who wrote a wide variety of music for screen, stage and broadcast....
and Gina, his wife, visited many islands among Samoa in 1967 and others giving concerts and classes in schools for several years before ultimately moving to New Zealand. In 1969 Samoan Bahá'í women stretched social norms by personally taking trips to attempt to spread the religion. From December 1969 into January 1970 the first international youth conference of the south pacific took place in Apia drawing attendees from Samoa. Australia, Fiji, Hawaii, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Tonga, United States, and Western Samoa. Hand of the Cause Abu'l-Qásim Faizi
Abu'l-Qasim Faizi
Abu'l-Qásim Faizi or Fayḍí was a Persian Bahá'í. He studied at the American University of Beirut.He married Gloria `Alá'í in 1939. Together they pioneered to Iraq and Bahrain...
attended and gave talks both to the attendees and to the public afterwards. In 1970 the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Samoa was elected at a convention hosting Hand of the Cause of God Collis Featherstone, Continental Board of Counsellors member Suhayl Ala'i, Auxiliary Board member Niuoleava Tuataga, the nine delegates and over fifty members of the religion from both Western and American Samoa. The elected members of the national assembly were from both Western and American Samoa.
Contact with civilian leaders
In an event that would have long range effects on the community in 1965 Tamasese, one of the first native Bahá'ís of Samoa, died and at the funeral members of a royal family of Samoa were present at the Bahá'í funeral. According to tradition, a fine mat is presented to the presiding officer of the funeral which in this case was an Auxiliary Board member. This mat was presented to the Universal House of JusticeUniversal House of Justice
The Universal House of Justice is the supreme governing institution of the Bahá'í Faith. It is a legislative institution with the authority to supplement and apply the laws of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, and exercises a judicial function as the highest appellate institution in the...
in 1968. This same mat was gifted to the King at the dedication of the temple in 1979. Meanwhile cooperation with the government of Samoa expanded. In 1967 Bahá'ís presented Bahá'í literature
Bahá'í literature
Bahá'í literature, like much religious text, covers a variety of topics and forms, including scripture and inspiration, interpretation, history and biography, introduction and study materials, and apologia...
to the kings of Tonga and Samoa with more planned for leaders of government. In 1967 the government of Samoa sponsored the observance of United Nations Day. In years past it had been the Baha'i community of American Samoa that had sponsored the observance, with the aid of the government of American Samoa. This year Governor Aspinall appointed a United Nations Day Committee which included the chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly of the South Pacific Ocean, Suhayl Ala'i, as member of the Committee for Iran. Mr. Ala'i made suggestions resulting in the inclusion of the Baha'i prayer for unity in the program and the committee secured the services of Hand of the Cause Ugo Giachery as guest speaker. By 1968 King Malietoa Tanumafili II of Samoa privately converted to the religion and announced it publicly in 1973 when he wrote a letter to the convention to elect the Universal House of Justice. The Universal House of Justice asked Bahá'ís individually to not seek publicity of the issue at the time. In 1974 King Malietoa Tanumafili II attended the national convention and congratulated work on construction of a Bahá'í center and KVZK-2
KVZK-2
KVZK-2 is the local PBS member station for Pago Pago and American Samoa, broadcasting in NTSC on VHF channel 2.KVZK-2 is owned by the Government of American Samoa, which also operates KVZK-4 and KVZK-5, offering programming from ABC, CBS and, before KKHJ-LP's acquisition, NBC.Despite the odd...
recorded a series of three 15 minute programs to be broadcast as part of its daily show Talosaga. In 1976 the national assembly was registered with the United States, the first Bahá'í center on Tutuila
Tutuila
Tutuila is the largest and the main island of American Samoa in the archipelago of Samoan Islands. It is the third largest island in the Samoan Islands chain of the Central Pacific located roughly northeast of Brisbane, Australia and over northeast of Fiji. It contains a large, natural harbor,...
was raised, and King Tanumafili visited the grave of Shoghi Effendi
Shoghi Effendi
Shoghí Effendí Rabbání , better known as Shoghi Effendi, was the Guardian and appointed head of the Bahá'í Faith from 1921 until his death in 1957...
. In 1986 as part of a series of events (see below) highlighting the importance of peace the Bahá'ís had meetings with the American Samoan Speaker of the House and the prime minister of Western Samoa attended including a presentation of the statement by the Universal House of Justice
Universal House of Justice
The Universal House of Justice is the supreme governing institution of the Bahá'í Faith. It is a legislative institution with the authority to supplement and apply the laws of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, and exercises a judicial function as the highest appellate institution in the...
called The Promise of World Peace. In 1987 the Bahá'ís helped celebrate the 25th anniversary of the independence of Western Samoa with a commemoration at the Bahá'í House of Worship which included a surprise unveiling of a large portrait of king Tanumafili, and at a parade for the anniversary Bahá'ís won third place in a contest of floats. At the 27th anniversary Bahá'ís double purposed the celebration with a service dedicated to World Environment Day which was followed by talks by Bahá'ís and head of the Forestry Division of the federal Environmental Program and Tafaese Lautua, a member of Parliament, also thanked the Bahá'ís on behalf of the minister of Lands and Survey/Park Preservation. At the 50th anniversary of the reign of king Tanumafili II a parade in which 40 Baha'is marched for the review of the Malietoa and his guest, the king of Tonga as well as entered a float in a parade depicting the oneness of mankind, which placed second in the judging. The float held the grandson of the king who is also a Bahá'í.
Organization and growth
In 1977 three summer schools were held in Samoa, one in each of the major islands of Savai'i, Tutuila and Upolu, replacing the usual central summer school held in Lelata, Apia, and the same year the first national children's conference took place. At that time eight of ten planned local centers had been built and there were at least 24 local assemblies. In 1978 the annual convention had 30 delegates to elect the national assembly - and the elected members of that year were Sam Ale Ale, Moli Chang, Reuben Busby, Lilian Ala'i, Fuiono Aniseto, Lina Kava, Khosrow Moghelpour, Fili Pe'epe'e and Leala Tasi. In 1978 an award was given to Bahá'í youth and children who took part in the Samoan Arts Festival; following Bahá'í lawsBahá'í laws
Bahá'í laws are laws and ordinances used in the Bahá'í Faith and are a fundamental part of Bahá'í practice. The laws are based are authenticated texts from Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, and also includes subsequent interpretations from `Abdu'l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi, and...
the money award was donated to a humanitarian agency. In 1979 the Bahá'ís of Samoa in cooperation with Russ and Gina Garcia produced a film commemorating the International Year of the Child
International Year of the Child
* Maureen Millicent Bomford founded International Year of The Child and it was endorsed by the United Nations. Maureen was born in Canterbury Punchbowl in 1930 and had four brothers. Her father was a Mayor and she always learned to appreciate the value of leadership. As the wife of a prominent...
that was shown on television several times in Samoa. In 1981 one hundred fifty people from Samoa, Tuvalu, the Cook Islands, Kiribati, New Zealand and the United States attended a women's conference in Samoa that was planned to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the death of Bahiyyih Khánum
Bahiyyih Khánum
Bahíyyih Khánum the only daughter of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, and Ásíyih Khánum. She was born in 1846 with the given name Fatimih Sultan, and was entitled "Varaqiy-i-'Ulyá" or "Greatest Holy Leaf"...
. Speakers included the wife and sister of the king of Samoa, and the wife of the prime minister of the Cook Islands and a Maori woman from New Zealand.
Coordinated efforts
Since its inception the religion has had involvement in socio-economic developmentSocio-economic development (Bahá'í)
Since its inception the Bahá'í Faith has had involvement in socio-economic development beginning by giving greater freedom to women, promulgating the promotion of female education as a priority concern, and that involvement was given practical expression by creating schools, agricultural coops, and...
beginning by giving greater freedom to women, promulgating the promotion of female education as a priority concern, and that involvement was given practical expression by creating schools, agricultural coops, and clinics. The religion entered a new phase of activity when a message of the Universal House of Justice
Universal House of Justice
The Universal House of Justice is the supreme governing institution of the Bahá'í Faith. It is a legislative institution with the authority to supplement and apply the laws of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, and exercises a judicial function as the highest appellate institution in the...
dated 20 October 1983 was released. Bahá'ís were urged to seek out ways, compatible with the Bahá'í teachings
Bahá'í teachings
The Bahá'í teachings represent a considerable number of theological, social, and spiritual ideas that were established in the Bahá'í Faith by Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the religion, and clarified by successive leaders including `Abdu'l-Bahá, Bahá'u'lláh's son, and Shoghi Effendi, `Abdu'l-Bahá's...
, in which they could become involved in the social and economic development of the communities in which they lived. World-wide in 1979 there were 129 officially recognized Bahá'í socio-economic development projects. In 1983 the national assembly sponsored a conference on rural development for one hundred-ten people from Upolu, Savaii and Tutuila, at Lelata. In 1986, in addition to an observance held at the Bahá'í House of Worship, (see below), the Bahá'ís sponsored a peace essay contest where Certificates of recognition were given to each of 36 finalists and monetary prizes awarded to seven winners. At the ceremony, Lt. Governor Faleomavaega Eni Hunkin and Counsellor Suhayl Ala'i spoke about peace. The Bahá'ís also held a conference on Family Welfare and Management with a talk by Western Samoa's assistant secretary for the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, and other talks with 200 Baha'is in attendance. By 1987 worldwide the number of officially recognized development projects had increased to 1482. Samoan Bahá'í youth began to be noticed in the development of the community - three youth were sponsored in 1985 for the International Youth Year
International Youth Year
The year 1985 was proclaimed by the United Nations as the International Youth Year, or IYY. It was held to focus attention on issues of concern to and relating to youth. The proclamation was signed on January 1, 1985 by United Nations Secretary General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar.-Events:Throughout the...
and participated in United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
and international projects. By the 1990s there were Samoan youth workshops (see Oscar DeGruy
Oscar DeGruy
Oscar DeGruy is an American actor who has appeared in over a dozen films and TV shows over 30 years, started the Bahá'í Youth Workshop performance model in 1974, and has assisted Hip hop artists.-Acting career:...
) performing internationally.
Bahá'í House of Worship
The site of the future temple was celebrated in 1976 with a gathering of over one hundred Bahá'ís and children who sang songs and said prayers for four days. Twenty five years after the first Bahá'í settled in the islands of Samoa the Bahá'í House of WorshipBahá'í House of Worship
A Bahá'í House of Worship, sometimes referred to by its Arabic name of Mashriqu'l-Adhkár ,is the designation of a place of worship, or temple, of the Bahá'í Faith...
in Tiapapata, 8 km from Apia, Samoa
Apia, Samoa
-Administration:Apia is part of the Tuamasaga political district and of election district Vaimauga West and Faleata East. There is no city administration for Apia. Apia consists of some 45 individual, independent villages...
, had its cornerstone set in 1979 and was completed in 1984 and serves as the Mother Temple of the Pacific Islands. After three days of celebrations and talks the cornerstone was laid and the Temple later dedicated by King Malietoa Tanumafili II of Samoa who was the first reigning Bahá'í monarch
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
. Hand of the Cause Rúhíyyih Khanum
Rúhíyyih Khanum
Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum , born Mary Sutherland Maxwell was the wife of Shoghi Effendi, the head of the Bahá'í Faith from 1921–1957. She was appointed by him as a Hand of the Cause, and served an important role in the transfer of authority from 1957–1963...
was also present at the laying of the cornerstone and its dedication. More than 500 Bahá'ís attended at the laying of the cornerstone and guests included members of the family of the king; representatives of 16 national assemblies; heads of several departments of the Samoan government and representatives of the churches of Samoa. At the dedication more than 1,000 Bahá'ís from 45 countries and islands with civic leaders including the king and prime minister and other officials. The structure is completely open to the island breezes. The lands of the Temple are also the resting place of Hand of the Cause Ugo Giachery
Ugo Giachery
Ugo Giachery was a prominent Italian Bahá'í from an aristocratic family from Palermo. At an anniversary of the founding of the spiritual assembly of Perugia Giachery told the story of how, as a young wounded soldier, still ignorant of the Bahá'í Faith, he was in Perugia in 1916...
. Perhaps the first large event held at the temple was a special service in 1985 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the United Nations and to launch the UN International Year of Peace. Among the guests at the service were the king and members of his family including Princess Tooa Salamasina Malietoa; the New Zealand High Commissioner; the Chinese ambassador; consuls from France, the Netherlands, and the United States; and other diplomatic dignitaries. The UN's resident Representative was present, as was the UNESCO Representative and most of the UN personnel in Samoa. Some of the dependencies of a Bahá'í House of Worship have also been developed — - a cemetery and school have been set.
Modern community
Across Samoa and American Samoa there are Bahá'í communities in Puleia, Papa-i-Palauli-le-Falefa, Sasina, Pu'apu'a, Faleasi'u-Uta, Faeasi'u-Tai, Laleta, Lepea, Pago Pago, Iliili, Tafuna, and LeoneLeone, American Samoa
- Tsunami :Leone was devastated by a tsunami on September 29, 2009. The tsunami was generated by a magnitude 8.0 suboceanic earthquake.- References :...
. The Bahá'ís of Samoa numbered too few to show up in the 2001 national census. The shared estimate of the Bahá'í population in Samoa circa 2000 according to a profile by the World Council of Churches
World Council of Churches
The World Council of Churches is a worldwide fellowship of 349 global, regional and sub-regional, national and local churches seeking unity, a common witness and Christian service. It is a Christian ecumenical organization that is based in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland...
and the online encyclopedia Encarta
Encarta
Microsoft Encarta was a digital multimedia encyclopedia published by Microsoft Corporation from 1993 to 2009. , the complete English version, Encarta Premium, consisted of more than 62,000 articles, numerous photos and illustrations, music clips, videos, interactive contents, timelines, maps and...
was 2% of the nation - some 3600 people - and the only non-Christian community of any number. There are, however, some reports of oppression of the community.
The Samoan Bahá'í Charitable Trust for Social and Economic Development produced Samoa's first television series dedicated to a healthy diet, "O le Kuka Samoa," on 16 October 2000 with Samoan comedian Sumeo, alias "O le King Kuka," and was aimed at rejuvenating Samoan cultural food practices to help provide better nutrition as well as reliance on local resources. The Bahá'í community also maintains five Bahá'í pre-schools across all the islands of Samoa, gains converts, attracts skilled professionals, and a national youth committee is coordinating volunteer youth to come and serve in the Samoan Bahá'í community.
50th Anniversary
Representatives of the National Assemblies of Australia, the Cook IslandsCook Islands
The Cook Islands is a self-governing parliamentary democracy in the South Pacific Ocean in free association with New Zealand...
, Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, and Tonga
Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...
as well as other dignitaries of the religion and Bahá'ís from the islands of Savai'i and Upolu
Upolu
Upolu is an island in Samoa, formed by a massive basaltic shield volcano which rises from the seafloor of the western Pacific Ocean. The island is long, in area, and is the second largest in geographic area as well as the most populated of the Samoan Islands. Upolu is situated to the east of...
and Bahá'í members of the royal family - King Malietoa Tanumafili II of Samoa and daughter Susuga To'oa Tosi Malietoa - attended the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Bahá'ís Faith in Samoa in 2004 along with various members of the government of Samoa who highlighted many of the services the Bahá'ís have given to the general community.
Head of State Malietoa Tanumafili II of Samoa
On the passing of Head of State Malietoa Tanumafili II of Samoa in 2007, the international governing body of the Bahá'ís, the Universal House of JusticeUniversal House of Justice
The Universal House of Justice is the supreme governing institution of the Bahá'í Faith. It is a legislative institution with the authority to supplement and apply the laws of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, and exercises a judicial function as the highest appellate institution in the...
wrote: "His service to the people of Samoa as Head of State was distinguished by the high principles, genuine compassion and personal humility that characterized the constancy of his concern for the welfare of all. As the first reigning sovereign to accept the Message of Bahá'u'lláh
Bahá'u'lláh
Bahá'u'lláh , born ' , was the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. He claimed to be the prophetic fulfilment of Bábism, a 19th-century outgrowth of Shí‘ism, but in a broader sense claimed to be a messenger from God referring to the fulfilment of the eschatological expectations of Islam, Christianity, and...
, he set a record that will forever illumine the annals of our Faith, one that future generations will increasingly extol. His great interest for well-nigh four decades in the Faith's progress was reflected in the enthusiastic affirmation of his belief whenever the opportunity presented itself and in the abiding joy with which he regarded the construction in 1984 of the Mother Temple of the Pacific Islands in Samoa...."