Mau Movement In American Samoa

The Mau movement in American Samoa or American Samoa Mau (Samoan: ''O le Mau''), was an anti-colonial movement and an independence movement formed in American Sāmoa in the 1920s, which was suppressed by the United States. Established in late 1919 or early 1920, it aimed to challenge the overreach of the U.S. Navy's authority.

The Mau movement has also been known in American Sāmoa by several other names, including The Committee of Samoan Chiefs, The Samoan Movement, The Samoan Cause, The Samoan League, and The Committee of the Samoan League.

After revelations surfaced that U.S. officials had misappropriated public funds, prominent Samoan figures — supported by those who opposed the U.S. Navy's influence — mounted the widespread protest known as the Mau movement. They initiated a boycott of copra, a critical revenue source, effectively crippling the U.S. naval administration. In 1920, copra production dropped to half its 1919 level — a decline attributed to the boycott, which brought copra cutting, roadwork, and most commercial activities to a standstill.

Launched under the guidance of Mauga Moi Moi, the highest-ranking chief in Pago Pago, the movement took shape through his influential leadership. When Samuel Sailele Ripley returned to Leone in July 1920, he became the leader of the Mau movement. Following Mauga Moi Moi's death in 1935, Governor Otto Dowling asserted that the Mau movement had come to an end.

The movement originally took shape in Pago Pago, then evolved and moved its headquarters from Pago Pago to Leone, and eventually settled in Nuʻuuli. The leadership of the movement changed over time, featuring prominent figures such as Mauga Moi Moi from Pago Pago, Samuel Sailele Ripley from Leone, Magalei Siāsulu from Faleniu, and Chris Taliutafa Young, a descendant of Tui Manuʻa Matelita. Most of its followers were based in the Western District on Tutuila Island.

In the end, the Mau movement in American Sāmoa turned out to be less violent and extensive than the Mau movement in Western Sāmoa.

Origins

Opposition to colonial domination in Sāmoa predated 1920. Once the eastern islands came under U.S. authority, Samoans grappled with safeguarding their cultural, economic, and political autonomy. Moreover, disputes regarding fair wages for construction work played a significant role in igniting the Mau movement.

In 1902, discontent over the copra levy began among Tutuilans, especially in the Western District and Tuālāuta County — an area that would later play a pivotal role in the Mau movement. Seeking to quash this resistance, Governor Uriel Sebree imprisoned three local leaders and removed a Samoan judge who had lodged a formal complaint with the U.S. Navy. Sebree went on to characterize Samoans as “grown-up children who love form and ceremony.” By 1904, chiefs from both the Western and Eastern Districts met in official assemblies, urging the reduction of the copra tax and demanding accountability for how the funds were spent. Demonstrating unity, they undertook a ''malaga'' — traveling between Pago Pago and Leone — to collectively press their grievances.

Between June 1919 and November 1920, Governor Warren Terhune faced widespread disapproval, and his governing style and decisions significantly contributed to the emergence of the Mau movement.

Formation

In 1920, Mauga Moi Moi initiated the Mau movement. The movement began when Mauga Moi Moi raised concerns about the colony's financial management, disrespect towards chiefs, the disparity in pay between Fita Fita guards and U.S. naval personnel, the protection of Samoan women, and numerous other issues. Due to his vigorous opposition to the U.S. Navy and its administration, the movement was also referred to as “The Mauga’s Mau.”

In February 1920, Mauga Moi Moi's leadership ignited the Mau movement when he questioned A. M. Noble’s and Luther Cartwright’s suitability under U.S. Navy authority. Although Noble justified that year's six-cent-per-pound copra rate as the highest on record, Police Officer Ta‘amu voiced concerns that the inflated price suggested government misuse of Samoan resources. These suspicions hinted at inconsistencies stretching back to 1919 or earlier. Commandant Uriel Sebree had previously noted local mistrust of copra taxes, particularly when imposed by foreign administrators. Allegations arose that Noble spoke disparagingly about the Samoan people. Tensions escalated by February 1920, with Mauga demanding Noble's dismissal and even threatening force against him.

In June 1920, escalating tensions reached a peak at a '' fono'' meeting convened in Pago Pago. Chief Sātele Itulā and Mauga Moi Moi — both of whom had clashed with Noble — called into question how malaga funds were being used. Over several days, Samoans came by land and sea, some carrying weapons and others bringing ceremonial items like tapa cloth. Mauga declared that legislative power belonged exclusively to the Samoan chiefs, presenting a direct challenge to U.S. governance. Governor Warren Terhune tried unsuccessfully to ban all ''fono'' (assembly). Recognizing the seriousness of the confrontation, Noble viewed this moment as a defining act of collective Samoan defiance against American rule.

Key figures

Some key figures of the Mau movement in American Sāmoa were:

* Samuel Sailele Ripley, leader of the movement. Deported, barred and exiled from American Sāmoa due to his involvement in the Mau movement. He later became the mayor of Richmond, California.
* Mauga Moi Moi, Pago Pago’s highest-ranking chief. Spurred by Mauga Moi Moi, the Mau movement came into being under his leadership. After his passing in 1935, Governor Otto Dowling claimed this was the end of the Mau movement.
* Magalei Siāsulu of Faleniu, one of the Mau movement’s leaders.
* Chris Taliutafa Young, descendent of Tui Manu'a Matelita and one of the Mau movement’s leaders.
* Ned Ripley, brother of Samuel Sailele Ripley, organized Mau meetings.
* Nelesoni Tuitele of Leone, testified in favor of the Mau movement and sided with Samuel Sailele Ripley and Arthur A. Greene. Nelsoni read Greene’s anti-administration articles into the record of the Bingham Commission’s hearings.
* Chief Soliai of Nuʻuuli.
* Chief Galea'i of Fitiua.
* Creed H. Boucher, Lieutenant Commander, executive officer of Governor Warren Terhune. Supported the movement and was arrested and deported.
* Arthur C. Kail, replaced Creed H. Boucher and was supportive of the Mau movement. Found guilty of abetting Creed H. Boucher in activities, which “bordered on sedition”.
* Madge A. Ripley, wife of Samuel Sailele Ripley. Wrote letters to First Lady Florence Harding and addressed women's clubs and organizations in California, encouraging their members to protest the U.S. Naval Administration's actions in Sāmoa.
* C.S. Hannum, Madge A. Ripley's employer in California who functioned as the movement's legal counsel.
* Helen Wilson, sister of Samuel Sailele Ripley.
* Creagh, ex U.S. Navy trader who was believed by Governors Waldo A. Evans and E. T. Pollock to have instigated disorder.
* Chief Fanene of Pago Pago (Bull Foster), regarded as Sam Ripley’s right-hand man.
* Lemafa, Chief of Aunuʻu Island
* Grace Pepe Malemo Haleck, nurse.
* Arthur A. Greene, editor for the ''Honolulu Star-Bulletin''. Claimed the Mau movement invited him to be their legal counsel, but the U.S. Navy accused him of misinforming and misleading Samoans into unrest. After his deportation in November 1920, he wrote to Senator Reed Smoot and President Calvin Coolidge.
* High Chief Sātele Itulā of the Western District was removed from his role as district governor by Governor Warren Terhune. But he continued to arrange anti-U.S. Navy meetings in Nuʻuuli.
* Samuel Tulele Galea’i, committee chair for the Mau movement.
* The Samoan Civic Association (SCA) in Hawai’i supported the Mau movement.

Aims

Samoans sympathetic to the Mau movement often gathered to share their grievances and articulate a range of objectives intended to preserve their autonomy and challenge colonial policies. These aims included:

* Exposing financial exploitation.
* Restoring legislative authority to Samoan chiefs.
* Abolishing labor without compensation.
* Ending U.S. Navy rule and establishing a civilian government.
* Promoting cooperative governance between Samoans and Americans.
* Securing the release of imprisoned chiefs (the “ Faleniu conspirators”).
* Repealing contentious laws, including those banning interracial marriages and ''malagas'' (organized inter-village visits).
* Challenging the U.S. Navy's copra monopoly.
* Organizing a copra boycott, effectively disabling the revenue-dependent U.S. naval administration.
* Opposing the revocation of chiefly titles.
* Questioning the legitimacy of U.S. Navy authority in Sāmoa.
* Ending perceived American exploitation of Samoans.
* Resisting the deportation and exile of Mau leader Samuel Sailele Ripley.
* Safeguarding '' Faʻa Sāmoa'' — including chiefly ( matai) titles and ceremonial protocols — from external interference.
* Advocating for equal rights for both Samoans and Americans.
* Seeking unification of the Samoan Islands.
* Engaging in civil disobedience. In 1927, the Mau movement intensified its efforts by sending Governor Stephen Victor Graham a letter announcing that its members would no longer pay taxes until a civilian government—an outcome they strongly supported—was put in place. A number of matais were arrested for tax evasion.

U.S. response

In an effort to suppress the Mau movement, U.S. authorities adopted a containment strategy that involved co-opting certain Samoan leaders and employing various coercive measures. These tactics included the following:

* Arrests. The U.S. Navy administration apprehended multiple Mau supporters, including Samuel Tulele Galea‘i, Lieutenant Commander Creed Boucher, and 100 protestors in Pago Pago in 1922. Governor Waldo A. Evans also charged seventeen of the so-called “ Faleniu conspirators” with conspiracy and rebellion.
* Deportations. Several Mau advocates were exiled from American Sāmoa, notably Samuel Sailele Ripley, Madge A. Ripley, Arthur A. Greene, Gretchen Falke Greene, and Lieutenant Commander Creed Boucher.
* Restrictions on Travel to Western Sāmoa. To deter coordination with the Western Mau, American Samoans faced travel limitations and close surveillance. The 1903 Malaga Regulation prohibited parties of more than eight individuals from traveling from Tutuila to Upolu without prior authorization.
* Deployment of U.S. Armed Forces. In 1922, Governor E. T. Pollock dispatched a landing force from the U.S.S. ''Ontario'', comprising U.S. Marines, to suppress a protest in Pago Pago.
* Restrictions on Inter-Village Travel. Governor Henry Francis Bryan enacted a ban on ''malagas'' — organized travels between villages.
* Monitoring Public Gatherings. Governor Warren Terhune attempted to prohibit all '' fono'' (councils or assemblies).
* Removal of Chiefs from Office. Governor Warren Terhune dismissed Mauga Moi Moi and Sātele Itulā from their roles as district governors of the Western and Eastern districts and replaced them with new appointees.
* Targeting the Media. Governor Warren Terhune attributed the “virtual revolt” to a Honolulu-based newspaper. The United States Navy accused the editor of the ''Honolulu Star-Bulletin'' of inciting Samoans to protest and spreading misinformation.
* Imposing Martial Law: The U.S. Naval Administration imposed martial law in order to prevent a Mau uprising.
* Deployment of Fita Fita Guards. The U.S. Navy administration employed armed Fita Fita guards as a militia force to suppress dissent among Samoan chiefs.

In 1930, the United States sent a committee to American Sāmoa. Among its members were individuals from Hawai‘i who had previously played a significant role in the coup d'état against Queen Lili‘uokalani in the Kingdom of Hawai‘i. Their report, which favored the U.S. position, substantially influenced American policy in Sāmoa, leading to the decisive suppression of the Mau movement. As a result of the committee's actions, the Mau movement gradually lost momentum, though some tensions persisted.West, Francis James (1961). ''Political Advancement in the South Pacific: A Comparative Study of Colonial Practice in Fiji, Tahiti, and American Samoa''. Oxford University Press. Page 135. ISBN 9780598463326.

References

Separatism in Oceania
Community organizing
Nonviolence
Protest tactics

American Samoa
American Samoa