Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — American Samoa’s Jean P. Haydon Museum in Fagatogo is facing a— horrendous tragedy — many of its cultural artifacts are damaged and may be beyond repair, due to termite infestation and a lack of care and maintenance, as seen in these photos.

Some of the art stacked and piled up at the museum. [photo: AT]

And it’s “because it (the museum) doesn’t have funding and personnel, ” according to Ms Mary Taufetee, Assistant Chief Executive Director for the Arts Council of American Samoa in a brief interview with Samoa News.  

Samoa News was told that the Arts Council of American Samoa is housed in the same building as the museum, and that’s how the bills for maintenance and caring are being paid. 

However, “the Museum doesn’t have any funding at all, and there are so many things that are tied together here, it needs to be untangled,” she said.

Ms Taufetee wants to get things moving but she can’t just go ahead and do it because the Museum has a Board.

Ms Mary Taufetee, Assistant Chief Executive Director for the Arts Council of American Samoa [photo: AT]

The Board, Ms Taufetee says, according to the law, comprises members that the Governor of American Samoa appoints.

She thinks the current board has been there for about ten years, and the Museum must have a director of its own as well.

On the other hand, the Arts Council is an organized entity, with its own bylaws, director and assistant, as well as a board or council, and as a result its personnel are caring for the Museum on a daily basis, she says. 

Intricately carved canoe that has been riddled by termites. [photo: AT]

But as we noted, all of the contents inside the Museum need a good caring hand, including the copies of different style canoes on display that are being eaten by termites.