Safotulafai
Safotulafai | |
---|---|
Village District | |
Fa'asaleleaga | |
Time zone | -11 |
Safotulafai is a traditional village at the east end of
Safotulafai is the original 'Pule', which is why Savaii is called 'Pule' of Samoa. Years later, Safotulafai chose to divide the 'Pule' into six while reserving the right to be the 'Matua' of 'Pule'. Today, Safotulafai remains to be one of the traditional 'Pule' (customary authority) ruling districts of Savai'i. Chief (
History
In the early 1900s, during the time when the country was called German Samoa (1900 - 1914), this is also the place which saw the beginnings of the Mau, Samoa's independence movement.[1] This initial resistance movement against German colonial rule was called the Mau a Pule. It was led by well known orator Lauaki Namulauulu Mamoe from Satotulafai.[2] In 1909, Lauaki and other Mau a Pule supporters, including his younger brother who was also the holder of the 'Namulauulu' family chief title, bestowed by Namulauulu Lauaki at Falelatai, were trialed and exiled to Saipan by German Governor Wilhelm Solf. Some of the Mau a Pule died in exile.[3]
By the late 1920s, the Mau movement had gathered widespread national support under the New Zealand administration which followed from colonial rule by Germany.
In 1962, the country became the first Pacific nation to gain political independence, under its former name
Matai chief titles
Safotulafai has strong traditional connections with
See also
References
- ^ [1], Lagaga: a short history of Western Samoa by Malama Meleisea and Penelope Schoeffel Meleisea,p.117
- ^ [2], International Dictionary of Historic Places: Asia and Oceania by Trudy Ring, Robert M. Salkin, Paul E Schellinger, Sharon La Boda, p. 726
- ^ [3], An Account of Samoan History up to 1918, Chapter V, A Record of Events in Samoa since 1822 by Te'o Tuvale
- ^ Augustin Krämer. The Samoa Islands: An Outline of a Monograph With Particular Consideration of German Samoa. University of Hawaii Press. p. 55.