The museum is located in Apia and is housed in the oldest building on the island, which is a former German colonial school.[1] The museum is funded by the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture and is the only government-funded museum dedicated to Samoan culture. The museum had been part of the Ministry of Youth, Sports & Culture, until 1999, when government departments were reorganised. As of 2015, the museum had three members of staff.[2]
Collections and research
Falemataaga - Museum of Samoa
The museum's collection consists of over three hundred objects, which reflect the four strands of the museum's work: Pacific island cultures; Samoan prehistory; Samoan culture; the environment.[2] Objects include: taxidermy, tattoo equipment, prehistoric pottery, amongst others.[3] As a legacy of colonial occupation of Pacific lands subsequent fascination with their cultures,[4] important Samoan objects and archival materials are held in overseas collections, including: the British Museum;[5]Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences;[6]Hearst Museum of Anthropology;[7] the Metropolitan Museum of Art;[8]Te Papa;[9] the Field Museum, and many others.[10]
The museum also hosts temporary exhibitions on its site, as well as touring displays to more remote areas of the country.[2] In 2013 an exhibition of photographs reflecting German colonial life, entitled 'To Walk Under Palm Trees – The Germans in Samoa' was extremely popular.[11][12] In 2015 the Auckland War Memorial Museum donated the exhibition Entangled Islands: Sāmoa, New Zealand and the First World War to the museum for display.[13] In 2020 the museum held an exhibition at the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture, which highlighted Samoa's journey to independence in 1962.[14]
The museum also collaborates on international research projects. During 2013 it worked with the American Museum of Natural History to explore sustainable building techniques in relation to the climate crisis.[15] In 2002 they began a collaboration with Uppsala University to investigate the archaeology and heritage management of the prehistoric Pulemelei mound.[16]