Individual Land Tenure in American Samoa.

The land tenure system of the indigenous people of American Samoa has been protected by law, but is gradually being supplanted by private ownership. This change was produced by an interaction between courts attempting to mediate conflict and Samoans increasingly using land in their personal interests. Most land in American Samoa remains communal as the 20th century ends, yet individual ownership will become a significant option in the 21st century. For American Samoans, as for many Pacific Islanders, traditional land tenure provides stability in a fast-changing world. Yet even in countries wh...