Samoan literature Samoan literature Samoan literature can be divided into oral (pre-colonial and post-colonial) and written literatures, in the Samoan language and in English or English translation, and is from the Samoa Islands of independent Samoa and American Samoa, and Samoan writers in diaspora. Samoan as a written language emerged after 1830 when Tahitian and English missionaries from the London Missionary Society, working with Samoan chiefly orators, developed a Latin script based Samoan written language. Before this, there were "logologo" (tapa signs) and "tatau" (tattoo signs) but no phonetic written form. Pre-colonial and post-colonial Samoan oral literature includes "solo" (poetic narratives), "fa'alupega"
Samoan proverbs Samoan proverbs Samoan proverbs form an important part of the traditions and culture of Samoa where oratory, poetry, metaphors and subtelty in language art forms are held in high esteem as a form of communication in ceremony and ritual of fa'a Samoa. The importance of oratory is reflected in Samoa's indigenous chiefly system, fa'a Matai, where titleholders are either "ali'i" or "orator" ("tulafale") status. These Samoan proverbs are taken from the first Samoan dictionary, "A grammar and dictionary of the Samoan language, with English and Samoan vocabulary," first published in 1862. The proverbs were collected and authored by Rev George