Music

Samoan music is a complex blend of cultures and traditions, with pre- and post-European influences. Popular traditions such as rap and hip hop have been incorporated into Samoan music since American colonization. With the introduction of Christianity, particularly after the arrival of LMS missionaries in 1830, Western evangelical hymnody and popular music, particularly North American popular music, had a significant influence on Samoan music. Later on, modern pop and rock have a sizable following in Samoa, as do several indigenous bands that have abandoned most elements of Samoan traditional music, though there are still folk performers.

A fala, a rolled-up mat beaten with sticks, was a traditional Samoan musical instrument. It is an idiophone that was frequently used to accompany choral singing. A soundingboard was sometimes used to accompany the solo recitation of poetry. To signal, a conch shell was blown. A jaw harp, a raft panpipe, and a nose-blown flute provided entertainment for small groups and individuals in private.

Samoan wooden slit drums and variants have been used for over a thousand years throughout Samoa. These wooden drums can be used to call village meetings, in times of war and peace, to accompany songs/chants and dance, and to signal long distances in inter-island naval warfare. In recent times, they have primarily been used for calling chiefly and royal ceremonies, as well as modern religious practices.