▁Park ▁of ▁American ▁Sam oa ▁in ▁T ut u ila . ▁The ▁belief ▁is ▁that ▁the ▁F lying ▁Fox ▁( a ▁type ▁of ▁bat ) ▁is ▁the ▁prote ctor ▁guard ian ▁of ▁the ▁forest , ▁and ▁its ▁people . ▁ ▁History ▁The ▁Pol yn es ians ▁first ▁reached ▁Sam oa ▁at ▁about ▁ 1 0 0 0   BC . ▁By ▁ 6 0 0   BC , ▁they ▁had ▁established ▁a ▁settlement ▁on ▁T uta ▁at ▁T ula . ▁They ▁built ▁up ▁a ▁settlement ▁at ▁T ula . ▁Over ▁the ▁centuries , ▁the ▁Sam o ans ▁kept ▁in ▁contact ▁with ▁the ▁neighbor ing ▁islands ▁of ▁Western ▁Pol yn esia , ▁T ong a ▁and ▁F iji . ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 7 2 2 , ▁Jacob ▁Rog ge ve en ▁became ▁the ▁first ▁European ▁to ▁visit ▁the ▁Man u ' a ▁islands ▁and ▁in ▁ 1 7 6 8 ▁the ▁islands ▁of ▁Sam oa ▁were ▁named ▁the ▁" N avigator ▁Islands " ▁by ▁Louis ▁Antoine ▁de ▁B oug ain ville ▁because ▁of ▁the ▁fact ▁that ▁the ▁island ers ▁used ▁can o es ▁off sh ore ▁to ▁catch ▁t una . ▁Wh al ers ▁and ▁Protest ant ▁mission aries ▁began ▁to ▁arrive ▁in ▁the ▁early ▁ 1 9 th ▁century , ▁particularly ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 8 3 0 s , ▁including ▁John ▁Williams ▁of ▁the ▁London ▁Mission ary ▁Society . ▁Ap ia , ▁rather ▁than ▁P ago ▁P ago ▁developed ▁as ▁a ▁trad ing ▁station . ▁Louis ▁de ▁Fre yc inet ▁arrived