The result of a decade of work collecting documents, interviews, and observations, the manuscript describes the operation of the modern day Samoan educational system against an historical background of three previous eras that reach back over 200 years to a time when Samoa was virtually unknown to the western world. The development of Samoan education over this period compares to the development of a river with a main stream and three successive tributaries. The main stream, described in Chapter 2 (Samoan Chiefs--1700s-1830), was the original Samoan way of life centered around a chieftan system. The first tributary, described in Chapter 3 (Missionaries--1830-1900), represents educational growth during the missionary era. The second tributary, described in Chapter 4 (Officers of the Navy--1900-1961), represents expansion of the school system under United States Navy administration following the period of political turmoil out of which American Samoa emerged. The third tributary, described in Chapter 5 (Videotapes--1961-1975), represents educational innovation via instructional television. Chapter 6 (In 1980--Future Prospects) gives a brief overview of the status of the educational system at the close of the 1970s, followed by a description of significant problems faced by the territory's educators at the outset of the 1980s. An extensive bibliography is included. (TRS)