The Governor's Ball

We were invited to a soirée at the Governor's Mansion the day after we arrived in Pago Pago.  The mansion was originally built for the naval governor in 1902 and was recently restored to the exact specifications of the original design.  It is a spectacular residence sitting atop the hill with a panoramic view of the harbor entrance.  We were treated to a wonderful tour of the property by the Governor and First Lady who explained the history and significance of many of the pieces that have been amassed over the past 100 years of Samoan history.

After the tour we were invited to an outdoor Fale (a structure similar to but much larger than a gazebo with roof but no walls) where a sumptuous feast awaited.  Meat roasted on a slowly turning spit as several men in native dress prepared a traditional appetizer.  Several roasted breadfruits were mashed to a pulp using a large wooden bowl and a green papaya as mortar and pestle.  As the breadfruit became the constancy of mashed potatoes, coconut milk was added to a depression in the center of the mash.  Hot rocks were brought from a nearby fire and, while they were held over the breadfruit using wooden tongs, raw sugar was poured over them.  As the sugar hit the smoldering rocks it caramelized and dripped into the breadfruit and coconut milk.

After the demonstration we all sat down to the feast with more dishes than I can describe filled with delicious preparations of meat, fish, taro, breadfruit, and more.  It was some of the most delicious food I have had in a long, long time.

As dinner drew to a close the Governor took to the stage and made several heart-felt and genuine speeches thanking us for the work we have been doing and for the many hours that go into producing the data that go into the monitoring reports and other publications they use to make various management decisions.  Governor Tulafono has lead the way in this regard, using much of the data collected over the past five years to support a variety of management decisions including the suspension of fishing for all large-bodied reef fishes in American Samoan waters.  Decisions like these will go a long way to insure that the children of American Samoa will be able to enjoy the same reefs and waters we see here today.  We thanked Governor Tulafono for his generous hospitality and the time he spent with us on the Hi'ialakai.  And with that ... the dancing began.

(In all of these pictures the gentleman in the green and yellow short-sleeve shirt is Togiola Tulafono, Governor of American Samoa.)