When were the Samoan islands first settled by Polynesians?

The Samoan islands were first settled by Polynesians approximately 1000 BCE. These settlers, who were part of the Lapita culture, arrived in the archipelago via outrigger canoes, likely originating from Tonga.123

Evidence for this early settlement is provided by Lapita pottery shards discovered in the Mulifanua Lagoon on the island of Upolu. By about 200 CE, local pottery manufacturing had ceased, and the islands had become a central hub for the further settlement of eastern Polynesia.14