Etena (meaning "Eden") is a deserted village on Swains Island,

American Samoa American Samoa ( sm, Amerika Sāmoa, ; also ' or ') is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the island country of Samoa. Its location is centered on . It is east of the Internationa ...

Description and history

Etena is located on the south side of Swains Island about 0.75 miles east of the atoll's sole village and harbor,

Taulaga Taulaga is a deserted village on Swains Island, American Samoa (nearby Etena is also deserted). It had the majority of the island's population of 17, a church, a communications center, and a school. It was hit heavily by Cyclone Percy in 2005. ...

. It was constructed during the 19th century as the location for the "residency" of the island's European owners and "proprietors," the Jennings family. A four-bedroom, colonial-style residence was constructed there and occupied by family members for several years, but has since been abandoned and is now in a state of disrepair and largely overgrown by island vegetation. A nearby

graveyard A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

contains the remains of several early island residents. Etena is currently deserted, with all of Swains Islands's residents living in the main village and sole harbor,

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References

{{AmericanSamoa-geo-stub Populated places in American Samoa