Pacific Islander American
Encyclopedia
Pacific Islander
Americans, also known as Oceanian Americans, are residents of the United States with original ancestry from Oceania
. They represent the smallest racial group
counted in the United States census of 2000. They numbered 874,000 people or 0.3 percent of the United States population. They are most concentrated in Hawaii
, Alaska
and the West Coast
, specifically California
and Utah
, although they are to be found in other Western US States as well.
and Māori, the natives of New Zealand, as part of the Pacific Islander race.
This includes Indigenous Australians
, Polynesians
, Melanesians
and Micronesians.
was mayor of Honolulu from January 2, 2005 to July 20, 2010. Mufi Hanneman is a German and Samoan American who was originally a history teacher.
. Other Pacific Islander American professional wrestlers include Samoa Joe
, Solofa Fatu
and the late Rodney Anoa'i
, better known as "Yokozuna"Anoa'i family
. Lilo Pelekai and Nani Pelekai are Native Hawaiian Americans in the Disney show called Lilo & Stitch
. Pacific Islander Americans portrayed two major supporting characters on the CBS
television series Hawaii Five-O
—Native Hawaiian Zulu
as Kono Kalakaua and Samoan American Al Harrington
as Det. Ben Kokua. Also, Hawaiian-American Jason Momoa
plays Ronon Dex
on the popular science-fiction TV show Stargate Atlantis
.
Zina Pistor was the first Samoan American in the Miss USA Pageant, as Miss California 1985. The LA Times praised her business sense for owning a frozen yogurt store at 21, which she built into a franchise after graduating with honors from USC's Entrepreneur Program, where her business plan won 1st place. As Director of Creative Affairs for Morgan Freeman's production company, Zina produced charity events for children such as "An Evening of Holiday Stories with Morgan Freeman and Friends" to benefit Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw's Children's Action Network. As an actress, Zina has worked with Gene Hackman, Holly Hunter and many others. She currently dedicates her time to her children's schools and she and her husband, Peter, are actively involved in an NGO called Seacology, which provides eco-exchanges for Pacific islanders (i.e., For protecting a local reef, Seacology will build a preschool.)
Vili Fualaau is a Samoan American who made headlines with his controversial relationship with Mary Kay Letourneau
.
Taylor Vaifanua (from Hurricane, Utah
) is a Samoan American high school student/singer who made to the Top 36 of the reality TV show American Idol
.
The most famous stage character is Bloody Mary (South Pacific)
of the South Pacific
musical and movie. She is a souvenir trader to US sailors stationed in the Pacific Theater of World War II. Though originally cast as Juanita Hall
, an African American
, she is often also cast as an Asian or Pacific Islander American in newer local productions.
: Peter Tuipulotu
, Reno Mahe
, Vai Sikahema
, Nuu Faaola
, Jesse Sapolu
, Troy Polamalu
, Pisa Tinoisamoa
, brothers Ma'ake
and Chris Kemoeatu
, Mosi Tatupu
and his son Lofa
, Manu Tuiasosopo
and his sons Marques
and Zach, Junior Seau
, Rey Maualuga
, and Mike Iupati are current or former professional football players. Ken Niumatalolo
, a Samoan American who was named after the 2007 regular season
as the new head coach of Navy
, is believed to be the first Pacific Islander American to head a major college program.
Naomi Mulitauaopele is the first full-blooded Samoan female athlete to play for both American women's professional basketball leagues, the ABL and the WNBA. In college, she competed for Stanford University and appeared in 3 NCAA Championship Tournaments. As a freshman, she was named to the All-Pac 10 team and was named to the West Regional team as a sophomore. Professionally, she was selected by the Seattle "Reign" for the 1998-99 ABL season and then selected as a 1st-Round draft pick for the Utah "Starzz" for the WNBA's 2000 season. During her off-seasons, she competed in professional leagues located in Istanbul, Turkey and Puchon, Korea. Now she is the founder of her own management company, Write Records Management, which focuses on helping other Pacific Islanders achieve their own professional goals as well. She is married to Solomona Tagaleo'o Sr. and they have a son, Solomona Tagaleo'o Jr.
Many Pacific Islander Americans also play the most popular sport of their homeland, rugby union
and rugby league
, and have a strong influence in US rugby- see Rugby league in the United States
or Rugby union in the United States
, with many going on to represent the USA, including David Niu
(rugby league and rugby union), Andrew Suniula
(rugby league and rugby union), Siose Muliumu
(rugby league), Salesi Sika
(rugby union), Vahafolau Esikia
(rugby union), Fifita Mounga
(rugby union), Vaka Manupuna
(rugby league), Thretton Palamo
(the youngest player ever in the Rugby Union World Cup), Albert Tuipulotu
(rugby union), and Vaea Anitoni (the all-time leader in tries
for the USA national team
).
Pacific Islanders are also represented in sumo wrestling. Akebono Taro
is a famous sumo-wrestling Yokozuna of Native Hawaiian ancestry.
Diving
great Greg Louganis
, although often identified with his adoptive Greek-American heritage, is of Samoan and Swedish ancestry.
descent.
Large subcategories of Polynesian Americans include Native Hawaiians and Samoan Americans. In addition there are smaller communities of Tongan Americans (link: Culture and diaspora of Tonga) and Māori Americans.
or the American territory
of American Samoa
. Samoan American is a subcategory of Polynesian American. About 65,000 people live on American Samoa, while the US census in 2000 and 2008 has found 4 times the number of Samoan Americans live in the mainland USA.
California has the most Samoans; concentrations live in Los Angeles
, Carson
, Cerritos
, East Palo Alto
, Long Beach
, Oceanside
, San Jose
, San Francisco
and Upland
. In 2000, there were more than 50,000 Samoans in Los Angeles County alone — about equal to the entire population of American Samoa. In other states, many Samoans live in Las Vegas
, Salt Lake City
, Portland (Oregon)
, Seattle
, Phoenix
, Houston
, Kansas City
, Anchorage, Alaska
, and in the state of Hawaii
.
Since the end of World War II, persons born in American Samoa are United States national
s, but not United States citizens. (This is the only circumstance under which an individual would be one and not the other.) For this reason, Samoans can move to Hawaii or the mainland United States and obtain citizenship comparatively easily. Like Hawaiian Americans, the Samoans arrived in the mainland in the 20th century as agricultural laborers and factory workers.
areas such as Los Angeles and Oakland, California
; American Samoans like African American
have built up a reputation for themselves of being highly skilled dancers and athletes. This stereotyping based on physicality put pressure on Samoan communities in the United States because of nervous law enforcement officials who would frequently assault the Samoan men and women. Despite this racial stereotyping, dance was a way through which young Samoans could gain respect and earn social status. It acted as a diasporic currency where dance styles and mastery of hip hop breakdancing skills of locking
, and popping
signified a connection of this community which was assumed to be 'foreign' with its fellow Americans.
While women were mostly restrained from their expression of hip hop dance, many Samoan men became professional dancers and entered the American music industry. Suga Pop, and Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E.
are examples of this.
The involvement of Samoans in street dance and hip hop music in America has impacted the Samoan cultural production in other places where Samoans have settled. A transmission of culture between the American Samoan community and its Pacific origin (i.e. New Zealand, Hawaii
) took place. This resulted in a mimicking of not only music and dance styles but of the fashion of American hip hop as well. Samoan dance crews copied the popping and locking dance forms while wearing Adidas track suits- a style very commonly associated with Queens based hip hop group Run DMC. As a result of the American Samoan community's rising recognition, performers such as Snoop Dogg
and Lord Tariq have collaborated with various American-based Samoan and Pacific artists.
The Los Angeles Metropolitan Area
and San Diego, California
area as well the San Francisco Bay Area
is home to large Polynesian, Micronesian and Melanesian populations relocated to the mainland USA since the end of World War II.
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islander , is a geographic term to describe the indigenous inhabitants of any of the three major sub-regions of Oceania: Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia.According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, these three regions, together with their islands consist of:Polynesia:...
Americans, also known as Oceanian Americans, are residents of the United States with original ancestry from Oceania
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
. They represent the smallest racial group
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
counted in the United States census of 2000. They numbered 874,000 people or 0.3 percent of the United States population. They are most concentrated in 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...
, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
and the West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
, specifically California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, although they are to be found in other Western US States as well.
Definition
In the 2000–2010 U.S. Census the term "'Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander' refers to people having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Tonga, Samoa or other Pacific Islands. ... They are of Polynesian, Micronesian and Melanesian cultural backgrounds." The US Census counts Indigenous AustraliansIndigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
and Māori, the natives of New Zealand, as part of the Pacific Islander race.
This includes Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
, Polynesians
Polynesians
The Polynesian peoples is a grouping of various ethnic groups that speak Polynesian languages, a branch of the Oceanic languages within the Austronesian languages, and inhabit Polynesia. They number approximately 1,500,000 people...
, Melanesians
Melanesians
Melanesians are an ethnic group in Melanesia. The original inhabitants of the group of islands now named Melanesia were likely the ancestors of the present-day Papuan-speaking people...
and Micronesians.
In politics
Mufi HannemannMufi Hannemann
Muliufi Francis "Mufi" Hannemann is an American politician. He is the former Mayor of Honolulu. Hannemann has served as a special assistant in Washington, D.C., with the Department of the Interior, where he was selected for a White House fellowship in the Reagan administration under Vice President...
was mayor of Honolulu from January 2, 2005 to July 20, 2010. Mufi Hanneman is a German and Samoan American who was originally a history teacher.
Media
Pacific Islander Americans have media portrayal mostly as professional wrestlers, but are also portrayed as regular people. Dwayne Johnson, also known as "The Rock", with a Samoan mother and a Black Canadian father, has been the most notable Pacific Islander American professional wrestler, branching out into movies like the The Scorpion KingThe Scorpion King
The Scorpion King is a 2002 American action film directed by Chuck Russell, starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Kelly Hu, Grant Heslov, and Michael Clarke Duncan...
. Other Pacific Islander American professional wrestlers include Samoa Joe
Samoa Joe
Nuufolau Joel "Joe" Seanoa is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Samoa Joe. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling....
, Solofa Fatu
Solofa Fatu
Solofa F. Fatu, Jr. is an American professional wrestler, best known under the ring name Rikishi.-The Samoan Swat Team:...
and the late Rodney Anoa'i
Rodney Anoa'i
Rodney Agatupu Anoa'i was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his time with the World Wrestling Federation where he wrestled under the ring name Yokozuna. The term yokozuna refers to the highest rank in professional sumo wrestling in Japan...
, better known as "Yokozuna"Anoa'i family
Anoa'i family
The Anoa'i family, originating from American Samoa, is a family of professional wrestlers. Family members have comprised several tag teams and stables within a variety of promotions.-Family members:...
. Lilo Pelekai and Nani Pelekai are Native Hawaiian Americans in the Disney show called Lilo & Stitch
Lilo & Stitch
This article is about the movie. For the television series, see Lilo & Stitch: The Series.Lilo & Stitch is a 2002 American animated feature produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released on June 21, 2002...
. Pacific Islander Americans portrayed two major supporting characters on the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
television series Hawaii Five-O
Hawaii Five-O
Hawaii Five-O is an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productions and Leonard Freeman. Set in Hawaii, the show originally aired for twelve seasons from 1968 to 1980, and continues in reruns. The show featured a fictional state police unit run by Detective Steve McGarrett,...
—Native Hawaiian Zulu
Gilbert Lani Kauhi
Gilbert Francis Lani Damian Kauhi , also known by the stage names Zulu and Zoulou, was an American actor and comedian. He is remembered largely for his portrayal of "Kono Kalakaua" on the long-running television program Hawaii Five-O.-Career:Kauhi was born in Hilo on the "Big Island" of Hawaii...
as Kono Kalakaua and Samoan American Al Harrington
Al Harrington (actor)
Al Harrington is an American television actor. He is best known as his role as "Det. Ben Kokua" on the CBS television series Hawaii Five-O, He had previously appeared in five episodes of the series as other characters Al Harrington (born Tausau Ta'a on December 12, 1935 in Pago Pago, American...
as Det. Ben Kokua. Also, Hawaiian-American Jason Momoa
Jason Momoa
Jason Momoa is an American actor and model.He is known for his role as Ronon Dex on military science fiction television series Stargate: Atlantis . Most recently, he became recognized for his role as the title character in the sword and sorcery film Conan the Barbarian...
plays Ronon Dex
Ronon Dex
Ronon Dex is a fictional character in the science fiction television series Stargate Atlantis. Played by Jason Momoa, he is a Satedan, a civilization from the Pegasus Galaxy who had a technological level comparable to Earth in the mid-20th century but met the fate of all advanced civilizations in...
on the popular science-fiction TV show Stargate Atlantis
Stargate Atlantis
Stargate Atlantis is a Canadian-American adventure and military science fiction television series and part of MGM's Stargate franchise. The show was created by Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper as a spin-off series of Stargate SG-1, which was created by Wright and Jonathan Glassner and was itself...
.
Zina Pistor was the first Samoan American in the Miss USA Pageant, as Miss California 1985. The LA Times praised her business sense for owning a frozen yogurt store at 21, which she built into a franchise after graduating with honors from USC's Entrepreneur Program, where her business plan won 1st place. As Director of Creative Affairs for Morgan Freeman's production company, Zina produced charity events for children such as "An Evening of Holiday Stories with Morgan Freeman and Friends" to benefit Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw's Children's Action Network. As an actress, Zina has worked with Gene Hackman, Holly Hunter and many others. She currently dedicates her time to her children's schools and she and her husband, Peter, are actively involved in an NGO called Seacology, which provides eco-exchanges for Pacific islanders (i.e., For protecting a local reef, Seacology will build a preschool.)
Vili Fualaau is a Samoan American who made headlines with his controversial relationship with Mary Kay Letourneau
Mary Kay Letourneau
Mary Kay Fualaau , formerly known as Mary Kay Letourneau, is an American schoolteacher who was imprisoned from 1997 to 2004 for having sexual intercourse with her 13-year-old student, Vili Fualaau. She gave birth to two of Fualaau's children while incarcerated...
.
Taylor Vaifanua (from Hurricane, Utah
Hurricane, Utah
Hurricane is a city in Washington County, Utah. Its population was 13,748 at the 2010 U.S. Census. Along with several other areas of southwestern Utah, the Hurricane area has seen a large population growth since the 1970s, and it has blended in with neighboring city of St...
) is a Samoan American high school student/singer who made to the Top 36 of the reality TV show American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
.
The most famous stage character is Bloody Mary (South Pacific)
Bloody Mary (South Pacific)
Bloody Mary is a character in the book Tales of the South Pacific by James Michener, which was made into the musical South Pacific by Rodgers and Hammerstein, and later into a film in 1958....
of the South Pacific
South Pacific (musical)
South Pacific is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and book by Hammerstein and Joshua Logan. The story draws from James A. Michener's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1947 book Tales of the South Pacific, weaving together characters and elements from several of its...
musical and movie. She is a souvenir trader to US sailors stationed in the Pacific Theater of World War II. Though originally cast as Juanita Hall
Juanita Hall
Juanita Hall was an American musical theatre and film actress. She is remembered for her roles in the original stage and screen versions of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals South Pacific as Bloody Mary and Flower Drum Song as Auntie Liang.-Biography:Born in Keyport, New Jersey, Hall received...
, an African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
, she is often also cast as an Asian or Pacific Islander American in newer local productions.
Sports
Pacific Islander Americans are well represented in American footballAmerican football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
: Peter Tuipulotu
Peter Tuipulotu
Peter Tuipulotu was a Canadian and American football player. He played as a running back at Brigham Young University from 1988 to 1991. He played one season for the San Diego Chargers in 1992, and two for the Baltimore Stallions of the Canadian Football League, from 1994 to 1995...
, Reno Mahe
Reno Mahe
Sateki Reno Mahe, Jr. is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2003. He played college football at BYU.-Early life:...
, Vai Sikahema
Vai Sikahema
Vai S. Sikahema is a Tongan former American football player. The first Tongan ever to play in the National Football League , he played running back and kickoff returner in the league for eight seasons, from 1986 to 1993. He played college football for the Brigham Young University Cougars, and was...
, Nuu Faaola
Nuu Faaola
Nu'u Fa'aola is a former running back of Samoan ancestry who played in the National Football League from 1986 to 1989. He played for the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins primarily on special teams after playing collegiately at the University of Hawaii...
, Jesse Sapolu
Jesse Sapolu
Manase Jesse Sapolu Manase Jesse Sapolu Manase Jesse Sapolu (born March 10, 1961, Apia, Western Samoa, is a former football player in the National Football League. Sapolu played both center and offensive guard, and spent his entire career in a San Francisco 49ers uniform....
, Troy Polamalu
Troy Polamalu
Troy Aumua Polamalu is an American football strong safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Steelers. He played college football at the University of Southern California.-High school:Troy Polamalu graduated...
, Pisa Tinoisamoa
Pisa Tinoisamoa
-St. Louis Rams:Tinoisamoa was drafted out of the University of Hawaii by the St. Louis Rams in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft. On July 24, 2003, Tinoisamoa signed a four-year $2.90 million contract with the Rams....
, brothers Ma'ake
Ma'ake Kemoeatu
Ma'ake Tu'amelie Kemoeatu is Tongan professional American football defensive tackle who is a free agent. He was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2002. He played college football for the University of Utah Utes....
and Chris Kemoeatu
Chris Kemoeatu
Uikelotu Christopher "Chris" Kemoeatu is a Tongan professional American football player who is currently a guard for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League . He played college football for the University of Utah Utes, and was drafted by the Steelers in the sixth round of the 2005...
, Mosi Tatupu
Mosi Tatupu
Mosiula Faasuka Tatupu was a National Football League special teamer and running back who during a fifteen year professional career played for the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams. His tenure with the Patriots lasted from 1978 to 1990...
and his son Lofa
Lofa Tatupu
-Seattle Seahawks:Tatupu quickly established himself as one of the top defensive players in the league as a rookie in 2005, in which he was named to the Pro Bowl, while leading the NFC Champion Seahawks in tackles, with 104, en route to their first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history...
, Manu Tuiasosopo
Manu Tuiasosopo
Manu'ula Asovalu Tuiasosopo is a former NFL defensive lineman. He is the father of Leslie Tuiasosopo, Marques Tuiasosopo, Zach Tuiasosopo, Matt Tuiasosopo and Ashley Tuiasosopo. He attended St. Anthony High School and UCLA....
and his sons Marques
Marques Tuiasosopo
Marques Tavita Tuiasosopo is a former American football quarterback who is currently a strength coach for the University of Washington football team. He was drafted in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders...
and Zach, Junior Seau
Junior Seau
Tiaina Baul "Junior" Seau is a former American football linebacker. He was drafted fifth overall by the San Diego Chargers during the 1990 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Southern California and was the progenitor of the "NFL-USC linebacker".A ten-time All-Pro and...
, Rey Maualuga
Rey Maualuga
Rey Maualuga is an American football linebacker for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Bengals in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft...
, and Mike Iupati are current or former professional football players. Ken Niumatalolo
Ken Niumatalolo
Ken Niumatalolo is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head football coach at the United States Naval Academy, a position he has held since the 2007 season. Niumatalolo played college football at the University of Hawaii. As a quarterback he led the then-Rainbows...
, a Samoan American who was named after the 2007 regular season
2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on August 30, 2007, progressed through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in New Orleans, Louisiana on January 7, 2008, where the top...
as the new head coach of Navy
Navy Midshipmen football
The Navy Midshipmen football team represents the United States Naval Academy in NCAA Division I-A college football. They are a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision independent school and coached by Ken Niumatalolo since December 2007...
, is believed to be the first Pacific Islander American to head a major college program.
Naomi Mulitauaopele is the first full-blooded Samoan female athlete to play for both American women's professional basketball leagues, the ABL and the WNBA. In college, she competed for Stanford University and appeared in 3 NCAA Championship Tournaments. As a freshman, she was named to the All-Pac 10 team and was named to the West Regional team as a sophomore. Professionally, she was selected by the Seattle "Reign" for the 1998-99 ABL season and then selected as a 1st-Round draft pick for the Utah "Starzz" for the WNBA's 2000 season. During her off-seasons, she competed in professional leagues located in Istanbul, Turkey and Puchon, Korea. Now she is the founder of her own management company, Write Records Management, which focuses on helping other Pacific Islanders achieve their own professional goals as well. She is married to Solomona Tagaleo'o Sr. and they have a son, Solomona Tagaleo'o Jr.
Many Pacific Islander Americans also play the most popular sport of their homeland, rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
and rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
, and have a strong influence in US rugby- see Rugby league in the United States
Rugby league in the United States
Rugby league football is a participation and spectator sport in the United States. Historically rugby league has been less popular in the United States than rugby union and domestic sports such as baseball, American football, basketball, and ice hockey, but the establishment of a national team and...
or Rugby union in the United States
Rugby union in the United States
Rugby union in the United States is a growing national sport. It is played at the youth, high school, club, semi-professional, and international levels. The United States is a Tier 2 rugby nation, as defined by the International Rugby Board, which means that it is not currently competitive at the...
, with many going on to represent the USA, including David Niu
David Niu
David Niumataiwalu, better known as David Niu , is an Australian-American rugby league and rugby union administrator, coach, and former player...
(rugby league and rugby union), Andrew Suniula
Andrew Suniula
Andrew Suniula is an American Samoan rugby union player for the Cornish Pirates in the RFU Championship. He previously played for the Chicago Griffins and rugby league football for the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles in the National Rugby League. His position is at wing/centre/second row. He has...
(rugby league and rugby union), Siose Muliumu
Siose Muliumu
Siose Muliumu is a New Zealand rugby league player who played professionally for Whitehaven RLFC and later represented the United States.-Early years:...
(rugby league), Salesi Sika
Salesi Sika
Salesi Sika is an American rugby union player and plays as a wing or centre for Castres Olympique. He is Mormon.He is a member of the United States national rugby union team and participated with the squad at the 2007 Rugby World Cup.-References:...
(rugby union), Vahafolau Esikia
Vahafolau Esikia
Vahafolau Esikia is an American rugby union centre. He is a member of the United States national rugby union team and participated with the squad at the 2007 Rugby World Cup.-References:...
(rugby union), Fifita Mounga
Fifita Mounga
Fifita Mounga is an American rugby union back row forward. He is a member of the United States national rugby union team and participated with the squad at the 2007 Rugby World Cup.-References:...
(rugby union), Vaka Manupuna
Vaka Manupuna
Vaka Manupuna is an American football defensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Washington Redskins as an undrafted free agent in 2006...
(rugby league), Thretton Palamo
Thretton Palamo
Thretton Palamo is an American rugby union player of Samoan origin who plays as a centre or fly-half. He is the youngest ever player to have made an appearance at the Rugby World Cup...
(the youngest player ever in the Rugby Union World Cup), Albert Tuipulotu
Albert Tuipulotu
Albert Tuipulotu is an American rugby union centre. He is a member of the United States national rugby union team and participated with the squad at the 2007 Rugby World Cup.-References:...
(rugby union), and Vaea Anitoni (the all-time leader in tries
Try
A try is the major way of scoring points in rugby league and rugby union football. A try is scored by grounding the ball in the opposition's in-goal area...
for the USA national team
United States national rugby union team
USA Rugby's men's national rugby union team, nicknamed the Eagles, represents the United States in the sport of rugby union. The Eagles are currently ranked 17th by the IRB World Rankings. Their highest ranking was from November 2, 2006 – September 10, 2007 at the 14th position...
).
Pacific Islanders are also represented in sumo wrestling. Akebono Taro
Akebono Taro
is a retired American born-Japanese sumo wrestler from Waimānalo, Hawaii. Joining the professional sport in Japan in 1988, he was trained by pioneering Hawaiian sumo wrestler Takamiyama and rose swiftly up the rankings, reaching the top division in 1990...
is a famous sumo-wrestling Yokozuna of Native Hawaiian ancestry.
Diving
Diving
Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
great Greg Louganis
Greg Louganis
Gregory "Greg" Efthimios Louganis is an American Olympic diver and author.He received the James E. Sullivan Award from the Amateur Athletic Union in 1984 as the most outstanding amateur athlete in the United States....
, although often identified with his adoptive Greek-American heritage, is of Samoan and Swedish ancestry.
Population
| Ancestry | 1990 | 1990% of US population | 2000 | 2000% of US population | Percent change from 1990 to 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
  ChamorroChamorros The Chamorro people, or Chamoru people, are the indigenous peoples of the Mariana Islands, which include the American territory of Guam and the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Micronesia. Today, significant Chamoru populations also exist in several U.S. states... |
negligible (no data) | negligible (no data) | 177,000 | 0.06% | negligible (no data) |
| Polynesian | negligible (no data) | negligible (no data) | 616,162 | 0.2% | negligible (no data) |
| TOTAL | negligible (no data) | negligible (no data) | 793,162 | 0.3% | negligible (no data) |
Polynesian Americans
Polynesian Americans are Americans of PolynesianPolynesians
The Polynesian peoples is a grouping of various ethnic groups that speak Polynesian languages, a branch of the Oceanic languages within the Austronesian languages, and inhabit Polynesia. They number approximately 1,500,000 people...
descent.
Large subcategories of Polynesian Americans include Native Hawaiians and Samoan Americans. In addition there are smaller communities of Tongan Americans (link: Culture and diaspora of Tonga) and Māori Americans.
| Ancestry | 1990 | 1990% of US population | 2000 | 2000% of US population | Percent change from 1990 to 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Native Hawaiian |
negligible (no data) | negligible (no data) | 401,162 | 0.13% | negligible (no data) |
  Samoan |
negligible (no data) | negligible (no data) | 215,000 | 0.07% | negligible (no data) |
| TOTAL | negligible (no data) | negligible (no data) | 616,162 | 0.2% | negligible (no data) |
Samoan Americans
A Samoan American is an Samoan who is of ethnic American descent and may be from either the independent nation SamoaSamoa
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...
or the American territory
Insular area
An insular area is a United States territory, that is neither a part of one of the fifty U.S. states nor the District of Columbia, the federal district of the United States...
of American Samoa
American Samoa
American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the sovereign state of Samoa...
. Samoan American is a subcategory of Polynesian American. About 65,000 people live on American Samoa, while the US census in 2000 and 2008 has found 4 times the number of Samoan Americans live in the mainland USA.
California has the most Samoans; concentrations live in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, Carson
Carson, California
Carson is a city in Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, Carson had a total population of 91,714. Located south of downtown Los Angeles and approximately 14 miles away from the Los Angeles International Airport, it is known as a suburb of the city....
, Cerritos
Cerritos, California
Cerritos is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, and is one of several cities that constitute the Gateway Cities of southeast Los Angeles County. It was incorporated on April 24, 1956...
, East Palo Alto
East Palo Alto, California
East Palo Alto is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States.-Overview:As of the 2010 census, the population of East Palo Alto was 28,155. It is situated on the San Francisco Peninsula, roughly halfway between the cities of San Francisco and San Jose...
, Long Beach
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
, Oceanside
Oceanside, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Oceanside had a population of 167,086. The population density was 3,961.8 people per square mile...
, San Jose
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
, San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
and Upland
Upland, California
Upland is a city in San Bernardino County, California, located at an elevation of 1,242 feet . As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 73,732, up from 68,393 at the 2000 census. It was incorporated on May 15, 1906, after previously being named North Ontario.-History and culture:Upland...
. In 2000, there were more than 50,000 Samoans in Los Angeles County alone — about equal to the entire population of American Samoa. In other states, many Samoans live in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
, Portland (Oregon)
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost major city in the United States...
, and in the state of 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...
.
Since the end of World War II, persons born in American Samoa are United States national
Nationality
Nationality is membership of a nation or sovereign state, usually determined by their citizenship, but sometimes by ethnicity or place of residence, or based on their sense of national identity....
s, but not United States citizens. (This is the only circumstance under which an individual would be one and not the other.) For this reason, Samoans can move to Hawaii or the mainland United States and obtain citizenship comparatively easily. Like Hawaiian Americans, the Samoans arrived in the mainland in the 20th century as agricultural laborers and factory workers.
Culture
As a result of the rise of Samoan communities in highly concentrated hip hopHip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
areas such as Los Angeles and Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
; American Samoans like African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
have built up a reputation for themselves of being highly skilled dancers and athletes. This stereotyping based on physicality put pressure on Samoan communities in the United States because of nervous law enforcement officials who would frequently assault the Samoan men and women. Despite this racial stereotyping, dance was a way through which young Samoans could gain respect and earn social status. It acted as a diasporic currency where dance styles and mastery of hip hop breakdancing skills of locking
Locking (dance)
Locking is a style of funk dance, which is today also associated with hip hop. The name is based on the concept of locking movements, which basically means freezing from a fast movement and "locking" in a certain position, holding that position for a short while and then continuing in the same...
, and popping
Popping
Popping is a street dance and one of the original funk styles that came from California during the 1960s-70s. It is based on the technique of quickly contracting and relaxing muscles to cause a jerk in the dancer's body, referred to as a pop or a hit...
signified a connection of this community which was assumed to be 'foreign' with its fellow Americans.
While women were mostly restrained from their expression of hip hop dance, many Samoan men became professional dancers and entered the American music industry. Suga Pop, and Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E.
Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E.
Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. are a hip hop group from Carson, California, composed of the Devoux brothers Paul, Ted, Donald, Roscoe, Danny, and David. Their family is from Samoa. They first began playing music in their father's Baptist church. Before anyone else arrived, they would play P-Funk and experiment...
are examples of this.
The involvement of Samoans in street dance and hip hop music in America has impacted the Samoan cultural production in other places where Samoans have settled. A transmission of culture between the American Samoan community and its Pacific origin (i.e. New Zealand, 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...
) took place. This resulted in a mimicking of not only music and dance styles but of the fashion of American hip hop as well. Samoan dance crews copied the popping and locking dance forms while wearing Adidas track suits- a style very commonly associated with Queens based hip hop group Run DMC. As a result of the American Samoan community's rising recognition, performers such as Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
and Lord Tariq have collaborated with various American-based Samoan and Pacific artists.
See also
- Pacific Island Migration and Pacific Island American Identities
The Los Angeles Metropolitan Area
Los Angeles Metropolitan Area
The Los Angeles metropolitan area, also known as Metropolitan Los Angeles or the Southland, is the 13th largest metropolitan area in the world and the second-largest metropolitan area in the United States....
and San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
area as well the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
is home to large Polynesian, Micronesian and Melanesian populations relocated to the mainland USA since the end of World War II.