Focuses on Samoans in Los Angeles to highlight ways that kinship patterns influence cultural adaptation. Finds that the traditional descent corporate group has changed to quasi-kin organization within the migrant community and that because of this, Samoan migrants are relatively less motivated to assimilate into mainstream society. (GC)

Until recently, the educational system has resisted orientation toward change and has represented traditionally enculturated values and cultural stability. Current perspectives, however, indicate that formal schooling is a prominent factor in societal modernization and individual modernity. Exemplifying this aspect of education is the experience…

Examines acculturation patterns in the language of Samoans in San Francisco. (AM)

The movement of American Samoans to Hawaii and the U.S. mainland is characterized both by one-way permanent migration and by temporary, circular mobility through Samoa, New Zealand, and the United States. American Samoans have developed adaptive strategies for the urban environment, transforming four traditional social structures for use in the…

A study of the adjustment of migrant American Samoan families in five gateway cities (Honolulu, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle) was done with the objectives of learning about the transition experiences of the families, gaining information about the human services provided in these cities, and providing background cultural…

The impact of the western educational model and the use of English on the language and traditional behaviors of young people in American Samoa was studied. Results from a 1973 study were compared with results collected in 1987 using the same instrument to measure changes in language and culture-related behaviors. A survey of nearly 190 American…