Maritime Heritage Program
Maritime-Related National Parks in American Samoa
- Welcome to the heart of the South Pacific, to a world of sights, sounds, and experiences that you will find in no other national park in the United States. The Samoan culture is Polynesia's oldest. We believe the first people of the Samoan Islands came by sea from southwest Asia some 3,000 years ago. Over the centuries, distinct cultural traits emerged that we now call fa'asamoa. From Samoa, seafaring explorers and settlers journeyed to other Polynesian island groups hundreds of miles away.