Classroom lesson Β· Sport Β· πŸ‡ΌπŸ‡Έ Samoa

Kirikiti β€” Samoan Cricket

Cricket, Samoan style β€” with a huge wooden bat and the whole village playing!

Photo Β· Wikimedia Commons

What is it?

Kirikiti is Samoa's own version of cricket, and it is one of the most joyful and noisy sports you will ever see! It arrived in Samoa when British missionaries brought cricket in the 1800s, but the Samoans made it completely their own. The bat is huge and three-sided like a club, the team can have as many players as the village wants, and there is singing and dancing throughout the match.

Tell me more

The kirikiti bat is a big difference from regular cricket β€” instead of a flat blade, it is a large triangular club, often beautifully carved from hardwood. It is heavy and powerful, designed for hitting the ball as far as possible. The ball is made from rubber, and there are no limits on how many players can be on each team β€” sometimes 20 or more players are on each side!

The fielding team doesn't stand still and wait β€” they sing, chant, and even dance while they are in the field. There is a team singer who leads chants to encourage the fielders and entertain the crowd. The whole thing feels more like a festival than a sports match, with food and community spirit all around.

Kirikiti matches traditionally take place between villages and can last for several days. They are a very important social event β€” a chance for communities to come together, celebrate, and compete in a friendly way. Matches often end with a shared meal and singing. It is sport and community celebration at the same time.

In the classroom

Walk your class through this in 15 minutes.

Talk together

Discussion prompts

  1. 01Samoans took cricket and changed the rules to suit themselves. Do you think that is a good thing? What does it say about creativity?
  2. 02Kirikiti combines sport with singing and dancing. Why might mixing these things together make a game more fun?
  3. 03What rules would you change about a sport you know to make it more fun or more fair?
Try this

Classroom activity

Invent your own version of a sport you know β€” just like Samoans reinvented cricket. Write out the new name, the new rules (at least five), what equipment you need, and how many players. Then draw the playing area with positions labelled.