Safotulafai is a traditional village at the east end of Savai'i island with historical and political significance in Samoa's history. It is the traditional center of the island of Savaii, now became the center of Fa'asaleleaga political district. 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 ( ''matai'') council meetings are held at Fuifatu malae. Safotulafai is the village name with its sub-villages: Tuasivi, Fogapoa, Fatausi, Fuifatu, Fusi, and Eveeve.

History

In the early 1900s, during the time when the country was called

German Samoa German Samoa (german: Deutsch-Samoa) was a German protectorate from 1900 to 1920, consisting of the islands of Upolu, Savai'i, Apolima and Manono, now wholly within the independent state of Samoa, formerly ''Western Samoa''. Samoa was the last ...

(1900 - 1914), this is also the place which saw the beginnings of the Mau, Samoa's independence movement. This initial resistance movement against German colonial rule was called the ''Mau a Pule''. It was led by well known orator

Lauaki Namulauulu Mamoe Lauaki Namulau'ulu Mamoe (died 14 December 1915) (also known as Lauati) was a renowned orator chief and the first leader of the Mau, a resistance movement in Samoa during colonialism. Mamoe was exiled to Saipan in 1909. He died in 1915 as he was ...

from Satotulafai. 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 Saipan ( ch, Sa’ipan, cal, Seipél, formerly in es, Saipán, and in ja, 彩帆島, Saipan-tō) is the largest island of the Northern Mariana Islands, a Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), commonwealth of the United States in the western Pa ...

by German Governor

Wilhelm Solf Wilhelm Heinrich Solf (5 October 1862 – 6 February 1936) was a German scholar, diplomat, jurist and statesman. Early life Solf was born into a wealthy and liberal family in Berlin. He attended secondary schools in Anklam, western Pomerania, an ...

. Some of the ''Mau a Pule'' died in exile. By the late 1920s, the Mau movement had gathered widespread national support under the

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

administration which followed from colonial rule by

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. In 1962, the country became the first Pacific nation to gain political independence, under its former name

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 ...

which formally changed to

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 Island, Manono an ...

in 1997.

''Matai'' chief titles

Safotulafai has strong traditional connections with

Saleaula Sale'aula is a village on the central north coast of Savai'i island in Samoa and is the traditional center of the Gaga'emauga political district. Chief council meetings are held at Vaitu’utu’u malae in the village. The village has a populati ...

on the central north coast, through the paramount chiefly title ( ''matai'') of Letufuga. Safotulafai is always consulted by the village of Malie (

Tuamasaga Tuamāsaga is a district of Samoa, with a population (2016 Census) of 95,907. The geographic area of Tuamasaga covers the central part of Upolu island. History & Politics Malie & the Malietoa The paramount ''matai'' title of Tuamasaga is the M ...

district) in conjunction with

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 ...

(

Aiga-i-le-Tai Aiga-i-le-Tai is a district of Samoa which includes the small islands of Manono, Apolima and tiny uninhabited Nu'ulopa lying in the Apolima Strait between the country's two main islands of Upolu and Savai'i. The district includes part of the ma ...

district), in the election of

Malietoa Mālietoa ( ''Mālietoa'') is a state dynasty and one of the four paramount chiefly titles of Samoa. It is the titular head of one of the two great royal families of Samoa: Sā Malietoa. Literally translated as "great warrior", the title's orig ...

title-holders.

References

{{Fa'asaleleaga Populated places in Fa'asaleleaga

History

''Matai'' chief titles

See also

References