Apia, Western Samoa

Today we toured Western Samoa, an independent country. Sharing a similar culture and history with American Samoa, this lovely island is stunningly beautiful and fascinating.  We travelled around the island passing through coastal villages and visiting beautiful waterfalls and tropical gardens. We learned that villages are comprised of several large extended families that share village property. The dead are buried in the front yard to stay close with the family. Both cannibalism and polygamy were practised here in the past.Only 10 percent of property on Samoa is privately owned. All the rest is shared village property or state owned.
One really unique aspect of this culture is the third gender. If a family had too many sons, they would raise one as a girl to assist with traditional female tasks. This tradition still continues in some families. These men then grow up to act and dress as women. They are known as Fa'afafine. Google it! Fascinating.