Ninth International Conference on Sport & Society

Abstract

This work helps to fill a historiographical void. Fautasi (long boats) are seldom mentioned in accounts of American Samoa. Attention to fautasi reminds us there is more to Samoan sport than the “Football Island” image presented by Western media.From the boat’s inception in the late 1890s, fautasi use was restricted and controlled by western imperialists. As military governors of American Samoa, US Navy regulations made the boat’s use for inter-island transportation unviable, leaving racing as their sole use. Despite this hindrance, faster race times, improved designs, and regular island-wide competition sustained fautasi races throughout the twentieth century. The sport has remained popular amidst the rise of American Football and the attractive possibility for economic gain, educational opportunity, and transnational migration it provides to youth. A comparison of fautasi and football today reveals a challenge facing contemporary Samoan society – one that pits cultural tradition against Western opportunities I argue the growth of fautasi into a modern sport has kept the cultural tradition alive across a century of Western influence. This paper employs Allen Guttman’s definition of modern sport. Sources include newspaper records, oral interviews, a review of the limited scholarly literature, and my personal experience with fautasi and football on island.