Museum and Market

---

There were quiet heavy tropic showers when we got up to day so decided not to attempt the bush walk to Robert Louis Stevenson's tomb today.

Just to prove I am doing some work here we went to the Museum of Samoa which has some fragments of Lapita pottery from 3000 years ago and some 'plain pottery' dated 1000 years later. Lapita pottery was a definite decorated ceramic body were as the 'plain' pottery appeared not to have completed the change from clay to ceramic. It is also interesting to note that there were a number of large wooden vessels of a similar time but only a few fragments of ceramics, one could postulate that ceramics was never made here, It may have be brought with the original inhabitants and attempted again unsuccessfully 1000 years later,without a knowledge of the process and finally given up in favour of the relative ease of wood work.

Also in the Museum was a large section on the independence movement over the three administration. Interesting to note there doesn't seem to be a movement to re-amalgamate American Samoa and Samoa although they seem to have continued family ties between the two Island groups.

Following from here we went to the local market, where we got some fruit and local treats. Thought we would have to try the Keke Saina - like a large biscuit - I think probably made with significant amounts of eatable lard with a sweetish filing. Neither of us were able to eat more than a small part of one. The coconut shortbread was much better.

---