Documents last visited 8 January 2024
Constitution of Samoa 1960, as amended to 2020
Property, Inheritance and Land Tenure
- English(1) All land in Samoa is customary land, freehold land or public land.
(2) Customary land means land held from Samoa in accordance with Samoan custom and usage and with the law relating to Samoan custom and usage.
(3) Freehold land means land held from Samoa for an estate in fee simple.
… (Art. 101) - Samoan(1) O eleele uma i Samoa o eleele tau le aganuu, eleele umia saoloto (fanua na faatauina mai), po o eleele tau le Malo.
(2) O eleele tau le aganuu o lona uiga o eleele e umia mai ia Samoa e talafeagai ai ma aganuu faa-Samoa ma lo latou faaaogaina ma e tusa ai ma le tulafono e uiga i aganuu faa-Samoa ma lo latou faaaogaina.
(3) O eleele e umia saoloto o lona uiga o eleele e umia mai ia Samoa mo se fanua na faatauina mai.
… (Mataupu 101)
Property, Inheritance and Land Tenure
- EnglishIt shall not be lawful or competent for any person to make any alienation or disposition of customary land or of any interest in customary land, whether by way of sale, mortgage or otherwise howsoever, nor shall customary land or any interest therein be capable of being taken in execution or be assets for the payment of the debts of any person on his decease or insolvency:
PROVIDED THAT an Act of Parliament may authorise:
(a) the granting of a lease or licence of any customary land or of any interest therein;
(b) the taking of any customary land or any interest therein for public purposes. (Art. 102) - SamoanO le a le tusa ai ma le tulafono po o le le mafai e so o se tagata ona faaliliueseina atu po o le aveesea mai ia te ia o eleele tau le aganuu po o se itu e tau atu ai i eleele tau le aganuu, i se auala o le faatau atu, lisi, laisene, mokesi, po o se tasi lava faiga, o le a le mafaia lava se eleele tau le aganuu po o se itu e tau i ai ona avea i le faamaapeina po o le fai ma mea e totogiina ai ni aitalafu a so o se tagata ina ua maliu po o le le mafai ona togia o aitalafu:
VAGANA AI ONA UA FAAPEA, o se Tulafono a le Palemene e mafai ona faatagaina:
(a) le tuuina atu o se lisi po o se laisene o so o se eleele faale-aganuu po o so o se itu e tau atu i ai i lea eleele;
(e) le aveina o so o se eleele faale-aganuu po o le tau i ai i lea eleele mo galuega tau le Malo. (Mataupu 102)
Property, Inheritance and Land Tenure
- English
(1) There shall be a Land and Titles Court comprising of:
(a) Land and Titles First Court;
(b) Land and Titles High Court; and
(c) Land and Titles Court of Appeal and Review,
and all appointments and with such jurisdiction in relation to matai title and customary lands provided in this 'Part IX Land and Titles Court' of the Constitution, or an Act of Parliament.
(2) The Courts in this Part IX Land and Titles Court has special jurisdiction, it governs a legal system different and separate from that of the Civil and Criminal Courts in Part VI; and has special individual jurisdiction over the subject of Samoan customs and usages in relation to matai titles and customary lands.
(3) All persons are entitled to the protection of their custom rights the subject of the jurisdiction of the courts in this Part. (Art. 104) - Samoan
(1) O le a i ai se Faamasinoga o Fanua ma Suafa e aofia ai:
(a) Faamasinoga Muamua o Fanua ma Suafa;
(b) Faamasinoga Maualuga o Fanua ma Suafa; ma le
(c) Faamasinoga o Talosaga ma Iloiloga o Fanua ma Suafa,
ma tofiga ma lana puleaga faatatau i mataupu e faasino i suafa matai ma eleele faa-le-aganuu ua aiaia i lenei 'Vaega IX Faamasinoga o Fanua ma Suafa' o le Faavae, po o se Tulafono a le Palemene.
(2) O Faamasinoga i lenei Vaega IX Faamasinoga o Fanua ma Suafa, e i ai puleaga faapitoa, na te puleaina se faiga faaletulafono ese ma e tu ese mai i Faamasinoga o Mataupu Tau le Va o Tagata ma Solitulafono o i ai i le Vaega VI; ma e i ai le puleaga toatasi faapitoa i mataupu tau i tu ma aganuu faa-Samoa ma Jo latou faaaogaina e faatatau i suafa matai ma eleele faa-le-aganuu.
(3) E agavaa tagata uma i le puipuiga o a latou aia tatau i aganuu faa-Samoa, o le mataupu autu o le puleaga a Faamasinoga i lenei Vaega. (Mataupu 104)
Property, Inheritance and Land Tenure
- English…
(2) Subject to the provisions of clause (3), land which immediately before Independence Day is, under the provisions of the Samoa Act 1921, Samoan land, European land or Crown land shall, on and after Independence Day, be held, under the provisions of this Constitution, as customary land, freehold land or public land, respectively.
(3) All land in Samoa which immediately before Independence Day is vested in the Crown in right of the Government of New Zealand shall, on Independence Day, become freehold land held by Her Majesty the Queen in right of the Government of New Zealand for an estate in fee simple. (Art. 123) - Samoan…
(2) Vagana ua tusa ai ma aiaiga o le fuaiupu (3), o eleele ia, e tusa ai ma aiaiga o le Tulafono Faavae o Samoa 1921, o eleele tau Samoa, eleele tau papalagi po o eleele tau le Malo o le a taofia e tusa ai ma aiaiga o lenei Faavae, i le Aso o le Tutoatasi ma ona tua atu, e avea o eleele tau le aganuu, eleele taofia saoloto po o eleele tau le malo e pei ona faasolo ai.
(3) O eleele uma i Samoa la ia na tuuina atu i le Tupu i le aia tatau a le Malo o Niu Sila i luma tonu mai o le Aso o le Tutoatasi o le a avea ma eleele e taofia saoloto i le Aso o le Tutoatasi e Lana Maiesetete le Tupu Tamaitai i le aia tatau a le Malo o Niu Sila mo se eleele e taofia saoloto. (Mataupu 123)
1
Constitution of the Independent State of Samoa 1960, as amended to 2019 (English), available in HeinOnline World Constitutions Illustrated Library (2024); Amendment to the Constitution 2020 (English), available in HeinOnline World Constitutions Illustrated Library (2024).
2
Constitution of the Independent State of Samoa 1960, as amended to 2019 (Samoan), available in HeinOnline World Constitutions Illustrated Library (2024); Amendment to the Constitution 2020 (Samoan), available in HeinOnline World Constitutions Illustrated Library (2024).