Poloa is a village in

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 International ...

. It is located at the west side of

Tutuila Tutuila is the main island of American Samoa (and its largest), and is part of the archipelago of Samoan Islands. It is the third largest island in the Samoan Islands chain of the Central Pacific. It is located roughly northeast of Brisbane, Au ...

in the Alataua District. The village has 193 residents in 2010. The main denominations in the area are

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

and

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

. Poloa has one elementary school. It is located in Lealataua County. According to history, Since American culture was introduced, many Poloa villagers worked at shipyards of Germans and Americans. Poloa is at the western terminus of

American Samoa Highway 001 There are three numbered territorial highways in the United States territory of American Samoa. These highways are often referred to as "ASXXX" (example: AS001 is American Samoa Highway 001). In addition to the three numbered routes, there are un ...

. It is situated on a narrow coastal plain on Tutuila Island's western tip, nine miles west of

Pago Pago Pago Pago ( ; Samoan: )Harris, Ann G. and Esther Tuttle (2004). ''Geology of National Parks''. Kendall Hunt. Page 604. . is the territorial capital of American Samoa. It is in Maoputasi County on Tutuila, which is American Samoa's main island. ...

. The village is made up of wood-frame homes and traditional fales. A school is located at the shoreline, approximately 700 ft. south of the village center. This elementary school has an enrollment of around 160 and also serves Poloa's neighboring villages. Due to the village's flatlands being ideal for development, the school was erected near the shore.

Etymology

The name ''Poloa'' denotes that once the sun sets over the horizon, it will immediately become dark, or Po-loa. The name originated from a premodern account of the travels of the legendary twins

Taema Taema is the name of a female figure referred to in different legends in Samoan mythology.
Samoa ...

and

Tilafaiga According to a legend in Samoan mythology Tilafaiga was one of the twin sisters who brought the art of ''tatau'' (Samoan tattoo) to Samoa from Fitiuta in Manu’a. Tilafaiga's twin sister's name is Taema. Tilafaiga and Taema can also be referred t ...

, in their search for Fututalie, a Samoan prince who lived in a village at Tutuila Island's western tip. A unique characteristic of this village they looked for was that the darkness descends as soon as the sun sets.

History

World War II

Due to its strategic location on the western tip of

Tutuila Island Tutuila is the main island of American Samoa (and its largest), and is part of the archipelago of Samoan Islands. It is the third largest island in the Samoan Islands chain of the Central Pacific. It is located roughly northeast of Brisbane, Au ...

, the land known as Sua in Poloa was utilized as a military station for about 2,000 U.S. Marines guarding the island against the Japanese fleets. World War II relics in town include pillbox forts and foot trails used by the Marines on the coastline. The military settlement brought about better roads and also a boost in the population of Alataua County. Three pillbox forts can be seen along the shore and an open tunnel can be seen at the entry to Poloa Village, known as ''Le Mafa''. The three pillbox forts were erected in order to protect the island from Japanese forces entering from the west. The Poloa Defensive Fortifications were listed on the

U.S. National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 2012, under the

U.S. Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government headquartered at the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is responsible for the mana ...

. After World War II, the fortifications became social gathering sites for local residents.

2009 tsunami

Almost every building in town was severely damaged by the

2009 tsunami The 2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami took place on 29 September 2009 in the southern Pacific Ocean adjacent to the Kermadec-Tonga subduction zone. The submarine earthquake occurred in an Extensional tectonics, extensional environment and had a ...

, including most houses and a church. Reconstruction work was carried out under the command of the

Federal Emergency Management Agency The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), initially created under President Jimmy Carter by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978 and implemented by two Exec ...

(FEMA). Two large tsunami waves struck the village. The first wave came from the north and the second wave from the northeast. The Matai saw the tsunami approaching and warned residents of the need to evacuate. Consequentially, almost all residents successfully escaped the tsunami. One victim was recorded in Poloa. Taputapu Elementary School and the Early Childhood Education Center were completely destroyed by the earthquake-triggered tsunami. Funding of $3 million from the Federal Emergency Management Administration was given the village to rebuild, but they refused to provide funding for the school to be rebuilt at its original site, due to the close proximity to the sea. The elementary school was, therefore, to be built to the north in Fagalii. It was the last to be rebuilt of five elementary schools in the territory destroyed by the tsunami.

Village relocation

In wake of the 2009 tsunami that claimed one life in the village, the government together with the

(FEMA) encouraged villagers to relocate and build their village on higher grounds within the village. Some families have complied, while others have stayed behind. With only the CCCAS church and a few houses left in Poloa-Lalo, most residents now live in Poloa-Luga.

Geography

Poloa is situated at the western end of

, around 19 miles from

. It takes about 30 minutes by car to travel from Fagatogo to Poloa. A half-moon bay outlines Poloa's coastline and sandy beaches. The steep forested mountains rise high on its northern boundaries. It is located on a mountain range and slopes of land that leads down to the coast. Villagers constructed their homes on mounds of land on the mountaintops and on the slopes and some flatlands. The public access road winds through Poloa from the open tunnel on the mountaintop and down to the low-lying lands of the village. The village is basically separated by mountain ridges and cliffs. The coastal-lying parts of town are known as Poloa-Lalo, while the sub-village situated on the mountaintop is known as Poloa-Luga.

Economy

The majority of employed villagers work with the Government of American Samoa, however, a small number of residents work for businesses in the private sector or at the ''

StarKist StarKist Tuna is a brand of tuna produced by StarKist Co., an American company formerly based in Pittsburgh's North Shore that is now wholly owned by Dongwon Industries of South Korea. It was purchased by Dongwon from the American food manufactur ...

'' Tuna Canneries in

Atu'u Atu'u is a village on Tutuila Island, American Samoa. It is located on the coast of Pago Pago Harbor, close to the capital, Pago Pago. Atu'u is the location of two tuna canneries, the main employers in American Samoa. According to business licen ...

. Others stay in the village throughout the year as fishermen and/or farmers as their ancestors. Chickens are raised openly, not in pens. Small farms for everyday use often include Puka and

Palagi Pālagi (pronounced – ''singular'' ) or papālagi (''plural'') is a term in Samoan culture of uncertain meaning, sometimes used to describe foreigners. Tent and Geraghty (2001) comment that the origin of the Western Polynesian ''Papālagi~Pāla ...

bananas. Many residents depend on the soil and ocean for most of their diet. Subsistence farming is very common and includes crops such as banana, taro, papaya, avocado, giant taro, yam, and vegetables. Raising pigs and chickens are common and is done through the traditional way of poultry farming.

Demographics

The population according to the

2010 U.S. Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...

was 193, compared to 203 at the

2000 U.S. Census The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 cen ...

. The reason for this recent drop was overseas migration to the mainland

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and

Western Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); a ...

. The number of residents as of 2018 is 250. Elementary school children enrolled in public school previously attended Taputapu Elementary School in Poloa, but in the wake of the

, children now attend Alataua Lua Elementary School in Nua. High school students attend

Leone High School Leone High School is a senior high school in Vailoatai and Leone, in the Western District, American Samoa. It is operated by the American Samoa Department of Education. It is the second-largest high school on Tutuila Island. It was opened in S ...

in Leone. There are two main churches in town:

Congregational Christian Church in American Samoa The Congregational Christian Church of American Samoa (CCCAS) or the "Ekalesia Faapotopotoga Kerisiano i Amerika Samoa" (EFKAS) is a theologically Calvinist and congregational denomination in American Samoa. It was established in 1980 with Galea'i ...

(CCCAS) and the Methodist church. A few residents worship at the

Seventh-day Adventist Church The Seventh-day Adventist Church is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sabbath, and ...

in Leone.Fai’ivae, Alex Godinet (2018). ''Ole Manuō o Tala Tu’u Ma Fisaga o Tala Ave''. Amerika Samoa Humanities Council. Pages 188-189. .

References

{{coord, 14, 19, 18, S, 170, 49, 58, W, type:city_region:US-AS, display=title Villages in American Samoa Tutuila