Samoan Culture Samoan Culture Samoa is a traditional society with a distinctive Polynesian cultural heritage. Our wish to preserve this traditional lifestyle provides one of the most enticing principal attractions for tourists.
Traditional authority is vested in the matai, or chief, of the village.
Each extended family or aiga has at least one matai at its head, who is appointed by consensus of the aiga. Ownership of customary land is legally vested in the matai who directs the economic, social and political affairs of the aiga. There are over 362 villages in Samoa with a total of 18,000 matai. Citizens 21 years and over vote for 45 matai members of the Legislative Assembly in national elections, with a further two seats under the individual voters roll. Please consider this information as a guide only as facilities may have changed since.