Introduction
The sovereign kingdom of the Manu’a Islands, under the authority of the paramount chief Tui-Manu’a, faced opposition from the United States and Mormon missionaries in the early 1900s. As a committed member of the London Missionary Society (L.M.S.), Tui-Manu’a Elisara closed off the islands of Manu’a to any other form of worship, including old gods, Methodists, Catholics, and Mormons. Once the islands became a part of the American empire, Samoan chiefly authority would conflict with the newly enforced laws of America (Gray 1980). Since the eastern islands became an official U.S. territory in April 1900, Mormon missionaries claimed that the United States Constitution and religious freedoms would apply throughout the empire, including its colonies. Within a few years after succession, Samoan chiefly authority in what became known as American Samoa diminished under U.S. laws. This paper offers a glimpse into the complex relationship of Samoan chiefly authority, U.S. laws, and the introduction of Mormonism into the Manu’a Islands.
