American Samoa § 17.0501 - Purpose and policy.

§ 17.0501. Purpose and policy.

The Legislature finds that: (1) Samoan art, culture and traditions have contributed greatly to the artistic and cultural richness of the Samoan people; (2) Samoan art and culture occupy a unique position in Samoan history as being our only native art form and cultural heritage; (3) the enhancement and preservation of Samoan native art, culture and traditions has a fundamental positive influence on Samoans everywhere; (4) although the encouragement and support of Samoan arts and crafts are primarily a matter for private initiatives, it is critically imperative that the American Samoa Government also establish as a matter of law, the need to provide for a national institute whereby specific programs are organized to produce needed results for the preservation and enhancement of the Samoan language, a comprehensive Samoan-English dictionary, and the transformation of English words into te Samoan language; (5) it is appropriate and necessary for the American Samoa Government to support research and scholarship in Samoan art, culture and traditions and to complement programs for the advancement of such art, culture and traditions by private and public agencies and organizations; (6) current initiatives in the area of Samoan cultural arts and traditions are fragmented and inadequate; and (7) in order to coordinate efforts to preserve, support, revitalize, and disseminate Samoan art, culture and tradition it is therefore necessary for the American Samoa Government to establish a Samoan cultural arts academy for that purpose.