Op Ed: an Unincorporated and Unorganized U.S. Territory: is this What American Samoa Wants?

We should be very careful as we go into this process. America has not neclected us for so many years,yet we still want to maintain our identity. how do we equate the balance is something we will have to discuss thoroughly before we make that decision.

hi there,

i think 'perception' could help here in identifying each and every particle of what a samoan is these days simply because of our almost unremitting and nomadic dispersal. but as stated previously, we all have very differing views as to how our 'samoan' identity is perceived - not just internally, but externally, likewise. in the context of divergent lenses, as an inference on how our samoan culture is viewed, individually and collectively on an almost dualist and even antipodal identity, perhaps it's an issue of assimilation vs. accommodation. conceivably, it's within the context of 'time' management that one is able to differentiate and scrutinize between physical and mental manifestations as to how we process identity in the relational context of time. simply because within this framework, it is within the boundaries of time that correlate how one processes information within a juxtaposition of then (past) and now (present), an enduring identity crisis that brings us to the inevitable forefront of both, our alleged potential (future).

the interesting view of perception is the duality that is afforded within a fractional view of assimilation and accommodation. assimilation in its modernization roots, offers a 'meta-narrative' of how we fit into the world order of an overarching hegemonic narrative of the united states. the latter view is accommodative in that our schema, or 'process plant' incorporates what we've already learned into our already 'existing' knowledge-base, which are culturally and socially grounded. thusly, it accommodates existing views along with its archaic web of history and embraces it inclusively. this differentiates accommodative from assimilative theory in that accommodative adaptivity serves as a function of preserving history or historical elements usually lost to posterity, or its micro-narrative, a 'post-modernity' theory. this consequently, has roots within a 'post-modern' framework that incorporates narratives irrespective of its stature or importance - but of its existence, more importantly.

this is possibly why we have a disparity within our own social networks and community of practices, globally. in our collective diaspora, we have somehow left the remnants of the past within our aging culture, and in the thought-processes, left it behind and have affirmatively grasped onto the notion of, "what we know now is better than we don't know or did know." this assumes freedom of both, but moreover, presents the complications and intricacies of valuing one narrative over the other. is one more important than the other? thusly, should one be disregarded and forgotten over the other? when identity is mentioned, it provokes emotions tantamount to the very core of one's existence, insofar as one knows his or her identity as existence and as a consequence, there's an enduring struggle as to how we perceive ourselves through the intricate lens of time. what has time done to us as a people, as an identity? will we write our own narrative, or let it be written for us?
if time is malleable, how can it account for the many lost languages and cultures that have once graced the earth's surface but have all been silenced? are we destined for the same? hmm...

best,

namu

forgot my Arabic-Cherokee dictionary at the office

i won't hold that against you...

just come prepared next time, z=)

best,

namu

what has time done to us as a people, as an identity? will we write our own narrative, or let it be written for us?

Hello namu,
I just felt that changes shouldn't be forced upon us although we cannot stop it from happening. It should be a gradual process where people should debate and know first hand what is being adopted or introduced.
This citizenship status being introduced by the governor is something that will go against our land ownership and Chiefly title culture. Both two are crucial aspects of our identity as a people. Of course we cannot stop the inevitable from happening but we just don't want to become another example of Hawaii who had been forced to accept a foreign identity. We will expect changes to come because we had carefully examine its arrival..

p.s. excuse my swahili accent

typical SaHOMOz! trying to make something we all already know, sound smart and more than it really is. malie!! LOL

Poly KING wrote:

typical SaHOMOz! trying to make something we all already know, sound smart and more than it really is. malie!! LOL

This is above your capability Bolo King. if you can't converse in an intellectual manner then &%$#@ OFF

oops revealing my mongolian side

If American Samoa was smart they'll break away from the U.S. quick.

HapaHawaiianKid wrote:

If American Samoa was smart they'll break away from the U.S. quick.

Thank God our forefathers understand our identity as a people cannot be compromised and knew the value of association can benefit our people in both worlds

HapaHawaiianKid wrote:

If American Samoa was smart they'll break away from the U.S. quick.

that would be impossible... these beasts are enjoying the american foodstamp too much, to lose a good thing, LOL

Poly KING wrote:

<quoted text>that would be impossible... these beasts are enjoying the american foodstamp too much, to lose a good thing, LOL

You are mistaken …WE ARE AMERICANS….Has California decided to cut your unemployment check yet.

soia wrote:

<quoted text>You are mistaken …WE ARE AMERICANS….Has California decided to cut your unemployment check yet.

huh? i've never witnessed unemployment. you see, i can't stand watching these fat SaHOMO slobz drinking and eating their life away for free, while hardworking Tongans take any kind of work to make ends meet and take care of their families.

Tongans have pride and dignity. They refuse to ask Uncle Sam for money. On the other hand, SaHOMOz will milk any system that give hand outs. malo

Hardworking my ass. You're one of the many usi' slobs who's been fired for showing up for work all drunk from drinking kava all night. Just face it. You're in America to send a portion of your unemployment check back home because your unemployed pride and dignity in Tonga aint jack sh*t

soia wrote:

Hardworking my ass. You're one of the many usi' slobs who's been fired for showing up for work all drunk from drinking kava all night. Just face it. You're in America to send a portion of your unemployment check back home because your unemployed pride and dignity in Tonga aint jack sh*t

like i said. put the burger down, get off the stamps, and get a job. ya sweaty black chinkz!! lol

inform yourself what happened to hongkong, taiwan, tibet, mongolia

Poly KING wrote:

<quoted text>like i said. put the burger down, get off the stamps, and get a job. ya sweaty black chinkz!! lol

dont forget the remittance. Yo Mama back in the Tenga shack house is waiting for your share to fix the broken toilet.

hi there, soia...

thanks for the response,

i should have stated beforehand that my response was intended for the samoan news website. i wrote it there, but when i didn't see it posted, figured i'd post it here instead. but you're definitely right, in that these decisions are of no light matter, and have severe and lasting ramifications for us samoans collectively. my response wasn't to posit a reactionary answer, but to propose a framework for such answers to be thought in. conversely, more often than not, it's our own divisions and personal agendas that drive such public debates.

if we look at congressman faleomavaega's op ed, the deeper concern is in the "current" status of american samoa, of which citizenship status is just one of the many nebulous contentions. a. samoa is, for all intents and purposes, an unincorporated and unorganized possession of the united states. these words alone conjures up an image of apathy, indifference and lethargy. but more contentiously, we are more divided amongst ourselves to what these terms really mean. broken down to bare bones, these words manifest a culture and identity lost in its own translation.

as you state, a vetting process for critically examining these issues must be a collective referendum that is open and impartial. at the very least, however, this process must be conjoined by an informed and participatory citizenry. as such, the cultural and social mechanisms for this is often dislocated and disproportionate. so what does this mean in the larger context? the larger picture is that we will never have the social and cultural mechanisms to affect the collective if we don't start asking the hard questions now. but can we handle such tough investigations?

it is in these words alone, that gives us the ominous weight and gravity of the task before us. as an "unincorporated" and "unorganized" peoples, the stigmata of these words reverberates the reality of how we can't even come to a collective consensus of our own. we have left these words to decide for us, who we are, as a people's and as a culture. this, like congressman faleomavaega alludes, is where we must start digging for the answers in an attempt to identify with ourselves and our culture. if the consensus is that we are indeed an unincorporated and unorganized peoples, then we can relax and do no more. if, however, we want more, then the road must be paved by us.

best,

namu

ps: don't mind ki'o poly, he is quite content being the "token" ignorant and uneducated poly... lolz

Unincorporated and unorganized. I believe we cannot remove this status as long as we insist on keeping our land and title custom as is. The United States Constitution do not recognize title of nobility or any class system on its soil. How can we compromise the desire to remove our status from the United Nations list of colonized territories and at the same time hold on to our beloved relationship with the United States?
Is there a middle ground we can resolve this issue? My other question is If the majority of American Samoa's countrymen are satisfy with the status quo why do we need to have it fixed? Isn't our relationship with the United States an internal matter? I do believe there are some bits of details that needs to be reworded to strengthen our 100 plus years with the United States, but the first issue stated above will be a tough one.