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Overview
This photograph depicts soldiers marching east down Beach Road toward Tivoli Wharf in Apia, Samoa (rifles placed on their shoulders). Samoan soldiers appear in the front left of the image, with European soldiers in formation behind them. British and American flags are visible in the centre of the image.
Malietoa Tanumafili I
The soldiers are escorting Malietoa Tanumafili I (1880-1939) who was the son of a leading title holder Malietoa Laupepa and his wife Sisavai'i. He was invested with the paramount Malietoa title in 1898 and went on to become one of the leaders in the Mau a Pule resistance movement by 1908.
Fautua
On the death of Mata'afa Iosefo in 1912 the position of Ali'i Sili (paramount chief) was abolished and Malietoa Tanumafili was appointed by the German governor Solf as joint Fautua (high advisor) with Tupua Tamasese Lealofi. Tanumafili was a supporter of the Toeai'na club which was "a commercial and political club composed of leading chiefs from every district"(1) and attended the meetings of the citizens committee which later became the Mau movement, but he sided with the New Zealand administration and did not support the Mau.
Last King of Samoa
In 1928, Malietoa was one of the two Samoans on the first Legistlative Council which included Samoan members. In 1931, he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. When he died in 1939 he had held a paramount Samoan title for 41 years and was the last proclaimed King of Samoa.
Thomas Andrew: Photographer of Samoa
This image is part of a large collection of photographs taken by Thomas Andrew, a New Zealander who lived in Samoa from 1891 to 1939. Andrew is best known for his studio portraits, but he ventured well beyond that controlled environment. He photographed political events, recorded daily life, and shot idyllic scenes for the tourist market, as his diverse portfolio reveals.
References
(1) Boyd, M. (1968). The military administration of Western Samoa, 1914–1919. The New Zealand Journal of History, 2, 148-164.
Pacific Islands Monthly 'Last King of Samoa Death of High Chief Malietoa Tanumafili, O.B.E' Vol. X, No. 1 (Aug. 15, 1939) p.29