A fatupaepae is a matriarchal senior figure in the culture of

Tokelau Tokelau (; ; known previously as the Union Islands, and, until 1976, known officially as the Tokelau Islands) is a dependent territory of New Zealand in the southern Pacific Ocean. It consists of three tropical coral atolls: Atafu, Nukunonu, a ...

. Fatupaepae groups are village-level

women's organizations This is a list of women's organizations ordered by geography. International * Alliance of Pan American Round Tables – founded 1916 to foster women's relationships throughout the Americas * Arab Feminist Union – founded 1945 * Associated Cou ...

, with one such group in each atoll of the island territory:

Atafu Atafu, formerly known as the Duke of York Group, is a group of 52 coral islets within Tokelau in the south Pacific Ocean, north of Samoa. With a land area of , it is the smallest of the three islands that constitute Tokelau. It is an atoll and su ...

Nukunonu Nukunonu is the largest atoll within Tokelau, a dependency of New Zealand, in the south Pacific Ocean. It comprises 30 islets surrounding a central lagoon, with about of land area and a lagoon surface area of . Motuhaga is the only islet that ...

, and Fakafo. According to the Tokelauan government, the title "Fatupaepae" can be literally translated as "Sacred Being," signifying "a mother or a young lady, who has clearly understood that she is the cornerstone of the family, village and nation and has been taught about her responsibilities as a Fatupaepae." They are viewed as the "foundation stone" of their homestead. Historically, these women bore responsibility for equally and fairly distributing resources among their community, and played a central role in decision-making. The Fatupaepae groups, which evolved from colonial-era Women's Committees, promote economic development and other opportunities for women, among other issues. Their members have expressed concerns around women's health and their access to business and government on the islands. The groups from the three villages come together to work collaboratively on women's issues. In 2004, 30 representatives from the Fatupaepae gathered as the Tokelau National Women's Council to discuss how to address shared concerns, which led to the development of the National Policy for Women of Tokelau. A Fatupaepae representative from each atoll serves on the territory's governing

General Fono The General Fono is the parliament of Tokelau. It has 20 members (15 before 2008), representing the 3 atolls. Elections are held every three years. Tokelau is a de facto non-partisan democracy since both village and Fono elections are made witho ...

.{{Cite web , title=HOW TOKELAU IS GOVERNED , url=https://www.tokelau.org.nz/About+Us/Government/HOW+TOKELAU+IS+GOVERNED.html , access-date=2022-11-10 , website=Government of Tokelau

References

Tokelauan culture Organisations based in Tokelau Women's organizations based in Oceania Women in Oceania