Moving to American Samoa

**ChenPengFi** · Posted On: 5/17/2011 12:10pm

Originally Posted by DdlR

They do indeed, but unfortunately martial arts were among the many cultural artifacts discouraged by Christian missionaries in Samoa back in the 19th century. I asked about this when I lived in New Zealand (which has a significant Samoan population) and the impression was that if any traditional Samoan martial arts did still exist, they were kept well off the radar.

This is likely to be the case. Additionally one can expect to do nothing on Sundays; some villages have been known to levy fines for leisure activities on Sundays.
Sounds like a cool station Muerteds, i have many friends and family in NOAA.
Enjoy your stay there, the Samoan people are incredibly gracious hosts.
You will eat well at any gathering.
The community is very tightly woven, keep that in mind as it can play out in many ways.
If faced with any "interpersonal problem solving," it's best to use the community to your advantage.

A slap from a Samoan woman is teh D34dly dim mak!!1!!, you have been warned.

**W. Rabbit** · Posted On: 5/17/2011 12:16pm

Originally Posted by DdlR

Maori martial arts, on the other hand, have been experiencing a renaissance since the 1970s. There was even a reality TV show based on Te Mau Taiaha (Maori stick fighting) a few years

An episode of "Deadliest Warrior" was Maori vs. Shaolin.

Deadliest Warrior: The Aftermath - Shaolin Monk vs. Maori Warrior

not that I put any credence in that show whatsoever....Shaolin wins because of Zen, shuang gou (double hooked swords), and computer guessing.

**Sri Hanuman** · Posted On: 5/17/2011 1:18pm

Sorry for the potential derail, but I saw that episode, and was wondering if there is any solid evidence linking hooked swords directly to Shaolin. So far, I can't think of anything...

**W. Rabbit** · Posted On: 5/17/2011 2:01pm

Originally Posted by Sri Hanuman

Sorry for the potential derail, but I saw that episode, and was wondering if there is any solid evidence linking hooked swords directly to Shaolin. So far, I can't think of anything...

All I know is the weapon is supposedly not used in the Chinese military and was civilian. I know it's taught in some styles commonly (bagua) but not all (e.g. hung ga). It's very possible it's just another weapon that got swept up in Shaolin myth, I suppose.

**Muerteds** · Posted On: 5/17/2011 2:07pm

Originally Posted by ChenPengFi

This is likely to be the case. Additionally one can expect to do nothing on Sundays; some villages have been known to levy fines for leisure activities on Sundays.
Sounds like a cool station Muerteds, i have many friends and family in NOAA.
Enjoy your stay there, the Samoan people are incredibly gracious hosts.
You will eat well at any gathering.
The community is very tightly woven, keep that in mind as it can play out in many ways.
If faced with any "interpersonal problem solving," it's best to use the community to your advantage.

A slap from a Samoan woman is teh D34dly dim mak!!1!!, you have been warned.

I've heard much the same, aside from the slap. I shall do my best to avoid one :). That, and I'm a Federal employee- I don't work on Sundays unless I have to. Maybe I can get a Dungeons & Dragons game going in the air conditioning. Either way, I think island life will be good again.

**Sri Hanuman** · Posted On: 5/17/2011 3:37pm

Originally Posted by W. Rabbit

It's very possible it's just another weapon that got swept up in Shaolin myth, I suppose.

That would be my guess.
Following the fall of the Ming, this became a common trend :/

**Muerteds** · Posted On: 7/22/2011 11:15am

I tried to update this thing yesterday, and Bullshido took a big ol' crap on the effort and lost it- so here goes again:

I have just got word from HQ that a certain little bean-counting sumbitch has tanked my tour in American Samoa. On the up side, I will be stationed in Hawaii, instead. I'll be on Oahu, where all the cool stuff is happening, anyways. I'll be able to keep improving my danzan ryu jujitsu with the AJI guys who believe randori is part and parcel of training. Woot.

Anyways, I'll keep any updates forthcoming for you Hawaiian Bullies.

**ChenPengFi** · Posted On: 7/30/2011 5:36pm

Ahh, bummer.
But otoh cool you're coming here!
Let me know if there's anything i can do to make your transition easier.
There's tons of MA schools here. I'm not in the city but even here, within a short distance there are 4 BJJ schools, 4 Judo, 3 TKD, several Kung Fu, i think 3 Kempo, a few Karate, at least one Escrima, one fencing... You get the idea.
If you're planning on doing any surfing or fishing i might be able to help you out.
Have you been here before?