A beach fale is a simple thatched hut in the

architecture of Samoa The architecture of Samoa is characterised by openness, with the design mirroring the culture and life of the Samoan people who inhabit the Samoa Islands.

. Beach fales are also common in other parts of

Polynesia Polynesia () "many" and νῆσος () "island"), to, Polinisia; mi, Porinihia; haw, Polenekia; fj, Polinisia; sm, Polenisia; rar, Porinetia; ty, Pōrīnetia; tvl, Polenisia; tkl, Polenihia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of ...

. They have become popular in tourism as a low budget accommodation situated by the coast, built with a few posts, no walls and a thatched roof with a round or oval shape. The word (pronounced fah-leh) is the Samoan word for any type of building. A similar word is used in other

Polynesian language The Polynesian languages form a genealogical group of languages, itself part of the Oceanic branch of the Austronesian family. There are 38 Polynesian languages, representing 7 percent of the 522 Oceanic languages, and 3 percent of the Austron ...

s, for example ''

whare A wharenui (; literally "large house") is a communal house of the Māori people of New Zealand, generally situated as the focal point of a ''marae''. Wharenui are usually called meeting houses in New Zealand English, or simply called ''whare'' ( ...

'' in the

Māori language Māori (), or ('the Māori language'), also known as ('the language'), is an Eastern Polynesian language spoken by the Māori people, the indigenous population of mainland New Zealand. Closely related to Cook Islands Māori, Tuamotuan, and ...

. In the

Samoan language Samoan ( or ; ) is a Polynesian language spoken by Samoans of the Samoan Islands. Administratively, the islands are split between the sovereign country of Samoa and the United States territory of American Samoa. It is an official language, alon ...

, these simple huts are called . They are common in villages where they provide extra storage or space for

dragon boat A dragon boat is a human-powered watercraft originating from the Pearl River Delta region of China's southern Guangdong Province. These were made of teak, but in other parts of China, different kinds of wood are used. It is one of a family of t ...

s. Beach fale are usually located around the coast in villages. In Samoa, renting out a beach fale to visitors is a common means for providing extra income for families.Samoa Tourism Authority, How Stuff Works, http://travel.howstuffworks.com/american-samoa-national-park-ga2.htm

Gallery

File:Fale on Manono Island.jpg, beach fale on

Manono Island Manono is an island of Samoa, situated in the Apolima Strait between the main islands of Savai'i and Upolu, 3.4 km west-northwest off Lefatu Cape, the westernmost point of Upolu. There are four villages on the island with a total population ...

File:Beach fale interior - Samoa 2009.jpg, Interior of a beach fale File:Beach fale Samoa 2009.jpg File:Samoa Savaii Falealupo Beach1.JPG, Looking out from a beach fale File:Falealupo Beach Fale Accommodation, Savai'i, Samoa, Polynesia.JPG, Beach fale

Falealupo Falealupo is a village in Samoa situated at the west end of Savai'i island from the International Date Line used until 29 December 2011. The village has two main settlements, Falealupo-Uta, situated inland by the main island highway and Falealu ...

, Savai'i island

Fale tele

Samoan fale, Lelepa village, Savaii, Samoa 2009

In comparison to beach fale, this is a large traditional Samoan house, ''fale tele'' which serves as a meeting house or guest house.

References

External links

Samoa Tourism Authority
Beach houses House types Huts Pavilions Thatched buildings Samoan culture American Samoan culture Samoan words and phrases {{AmericanSamoa-stub