THE SAMOAN SITUATION

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 952, 21 April 1930, Page 8

THE SAMOAN SITUATION

AWKWARD DEVELOPMENT THE NEW WOMEN’S MAU Special to THE SUN APIA. April 3. During the visit here of the Hon J. G. Cobbe a truce was proclaimed for the purpose of persuading the Mau to come in from the shelter of the ; bush and meet the Minister, lpj. ! mediately after his departure the | armistice ended, but the Samoan men had decided not to return to the jungle and protracted fonos to discus* past happenings and the future policy . were proceeding at the Mau head- ! quarters, Vaimoso, when the Administration decided on an immediate policy of compulsory “repatriation.” The Mau village was closely picketed and food supplies cut off Motor-lorries were requisitioned to disperse those natives whose home villages were in Upolo, and the s.s. Lady Roberts was commissioned to transport those belonging to Savaii. The ringleaders in Mau uniform who resisted the dispersal proceedings were arrested and gaoled, three temi porary gaols being arranged to meet i the emergency. A number of those distributed bv the motor service were found to hare I marched back to Apia in double quick time, and these, too, were taken into j custody. All Apia was again seething with unrest and uncertainty and it : was at this stage that an entirely new i element entered on the stormy stage |of our local comedy-drama. Without any warning the Samoan womenfolk began demonstrating and their numbers multiplied with amazing rapidity. Flaunting the Mau colours in the most provocative of purples and blues, with white borderings, feminine fashions in Apia now proclaim these the prevailing vogue and the men in khaki are finding the Samoan suffragette movement a ticklish one to handle. In ages past the Samoan woman has always been in the background in political matters. Ancient custom and social usage required that her voice be silent in the family, village or district councils. Man was the lord of the Samoan creation, at least in the presence of other men, no matter how strictly the mother’s tongue might rule the fale in the private family life. Now, however, a New Woman's Mau has risen, Amazon-like, to battle for women’s rights. The New Woman’s Mau movement is headed by the leading Samoan women. Many of them are well educated and speak three or four languages fluently. The Mau men are just as helpless to stay them as the Administration is and so far the authorities’ only weapon has been silence. But now the female Mau organisation is setting its house in order and, naturally, is persisting on being heard. They are parading the streets and “haunting” the harassed officials, the marines and military police. The “Mau Women of Samoa” organisation has drawn up a statement of the grounds for its being and outlining its demands. It is intended to have this manifesto circulated among the various women’s societies in New Zealand.