Covenant Keepers: A History of Samoan (LMS) Missionary Wives in the Western Pacific from 1839 to 1979

Abstract

From 1839 to 1979, a period spanning 140 years, more than 600 Samoan missionary couples were sent out by the London Missionary Society to spread the Gospel to islands of the western Pacific. Although much has been written about the work of Samoan missionary husbands in the evangelisation of the western Pacific, very little is known of Samoan wives. Of the 600 or more of them who accompanied their husbands, more than half of their names were not even documented in mission archives. Yet they were trained and were even expected to perform in the mission field. Rather than any actual analysis, perceptions of them today, as in the past, are based on pervasive stereotypes founded on gender and racial hierarchy that marginalise them. Samoan missionary wives however were far more than mere “helpmeets” or assistants to their husbands. Despite the challenges of mission work, they were a crucial part of the movement to evangelise islands and places in the western Pacific. Moreover, they were articulate in their work and deeply committed to mission endeavour. This thesis examines Samoan missionary wives as a distinct group. It attempts to analyse their social and cultural backgrounds, their lives and work in the mission field, and their interactions with the local people they encountered. It concludes by considering whether they had a distinctive impact that distinguished them in the project of evangelisation in the Pacific.