Education Podcasts

CONTENTS

1  Mythology and Modern Times

2   Villages and Society

3   Rainforests and Reefs of Tutuila

4   Origins of Polynesian Culture

5   Pacific Arts and Crafts

6   Polynesians: The World's Greatest Seafarers





The six audio podcasts are an informative introduction to Polynesian History, Culture, Ethnobotany, Science, Arts and Cosmology


Part 1: Tutuila; Mythology and Modern Times

Welcome to Tutuila, the main island of American Samoa in Polynesia's Samoan Archipelago. This six part audio tour introduces listeners to Tutuila's history, culture, environment and pre-contact beliefs and cosmology. The six part tour traces the voyaging past of Polynesia and outlines the close relationship of Austronesian peoples throughout the Pacific, Southeast Asia, Taiwan and the Asian mainland.
If you are coming to Tutuila you can download the audio tour podcasts and listen to them in your rental car or on a Tutuila bus ride. Part One of your podcast audio tour begins at the Market Place (Red Circle) in Fagatogo and ends when you drive around inner Pago Harbor and pass StarKist Samoa, the international home of Charlie Tuna.



Just hit the play button to begin your Audio Tour of Tutuila: Part 1.

Enjoy the tour, free!




Part 2: Villages and Society

Part two of the audio tour begins when you drive out of Pago Harbor. Tutuila's beautiful eastern district is a mix of traditional Samoan ocean side villages and dramatic, undisturbed rainforest covered hills and peaks. The podcast clearly describes traditional Samoan family and village social structures. The interaction of society and nature in buildings, food, clothing and medicine has been a staple of Samoan culture lasting four thousand years. For sociologists and anthropologists, the study of ethnobotany, or symbiosis with nature, defines the natural preservation of rainforest and ocean resources. The drive from Pago Harbor to the end of the eastern district main road and back to the market place will take about ninety minutes (red line on map)







Part 3: Rainforests and Reefs of Tutuila

Enjoy this, and other segments of your free audio tour of Tutuila in the islands of the Samoan archipelago.


The rainforests and reefs of Tutuila offer visitors the opportunity to experience first hand the beauty of nature in her fullest. The volcanic era of the Samoan Archipelago defined the diversity of the rainforest plantlife and reef aquatic forms by topography, soil types and humidty. This podcast explains the ancient formation and development of this wonderous environment. The drive from Pago Harbor to Vatia will take about 20 minutes. Stop at the scenic overlook and walk the National Park Service trail in the village. Enhance your rainforest knowledge by reading the informative signs along the way. Its free!








Part 4: The Origins of Polynesian Culture


There are plenty of ethnic, local or chain food restaurants in the Pago Bay area and the Nuuuli Shopping district. After the third or fourth track is a good time to find one.
Polynesian culture has its roots in Southeast Asian cosmology and nature spirit beliefs. Learn how the combination of voyaging and strict discipline of societal organization evolved into a four thousand year old culture.



Enjoy the beauty of a ocean reefside drive and the modern conveniences found in a small shopping mall.





Part 5: Pacific Arts and Crafts


Pacific Arts are symbols of rank, privilege, authority and achievement. The arts of Polynesia are sometimes seductive, romantic and sensual. Crafters are highly regarded in Polynesian culture. They build the boats, houses, icons and jewelry. This segment of the podcast audio tour explains the intricate relationship between the arts and social custom. Begin at sea level in the village of Leone. For hundreds of years Leone's crafters of stone tools exported their wares to every island in the vast Pacific. Scientific chemical analysis of chips from the local quarries bears out the evidence. Enjoy Tutuila's rugged west coast and quaint, traditional beach lined villages.







Pacific Artists from 32 island nations convened in Pago Pago, American Samoa for the 2009 Pacific Arts Festival. This slide show demonstrates the ancient and modern applications of natural fiber bark cloth.

Part 6: Polynesians; The World's Greatest Seafarers


The final stage of our audio journey is also the longest; almost twenty minutes. Here you will discover that Polynesian voyagers discovered ten million square miles of the Pacific in less than three thousand years. This amazing feat is accountable to superior knowledge of the seas. Moreover, the social structure of Polynesian culture imbued a belief and faith that human intercourse with nature is essential to a successful voyage. Today, as a global culture, we revisit that theme. The result: The practices of ancient voyagers send strong, intuitive messages that respect of nature is in itself a strategy for global survival. Enjoy the wild and beautiful north shore of Tutuila and imagine for yourself the adventure of setting out for new, unknown, unseen Pacific islands.







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