Tia Seu Lupe is a historical site at Fatuoaiga, American Samoa, which is maintained by the American Samoa Department of Parks and Recreation. The Tia Seu Lupe Historic Monument was dedicated by Governor

Peter Tali Coleman Peter Tali Coleman (December 8, 1919 – April 28, 1997) was an American Samoan politician and lawyer. Coleman was the first and only person of Samoan descent to be appointed Governor of American Samoa between 1956 and 1961, and later became ...

in May 1990. It is located on a 0.2 ha plot of land on the Tafuna Plain which has been leased by the

Government of American Samoa The government of American Samoa is defined under the Constitution of American Samoa. The United States Congress, in the Ratification Act of 1929, provided that until the Congress shall provide for the Government of the islands of American Samoa al ...

. The monument exhibits a stone structure which archeologists believe were platforms constructed for the chiefly sport of pigeon catching. The name "Tia Seu Lupe" literally means "earthen mound to catch pigeons". Tia Seu Lupe is located near the Holy Family Catholic Cathedral at

Ottoville Ottoville is a village in Putnam County, Ohio, in the United States. The population was 976 at the 2010 census. History The first plat at Ottoville was made in 1845 for John Otto Bredeick. The effort at first proved unsuccessful, and the town ...

, in a historical park adjacent to the Fatuoaiga Catholic Church Center. The restored pigeon-catching mound resembles in many ways that of the later

marae A ' (in New Zealand Māori, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian), ' (in Tongan), ' (in Marquesan) or ' (in Samoan) is a communal or sacred place that serves religious and social purposes in Polynesian societies. In all these languages, the term a ...

of Eastern Polynesia. It is the most accessible of American Samoa’s star mounds. Tia Seu Lupe has a viewing platform where visitors can observe the two distinct tiers of the ancient structure. It is located behind a statue of St. Mary near the Catholic cathedral at Fatuoaiga.Stanley, David (1999). ''Moon Handbooks Tonga-Samoa''. Moon Travel Guides. Page 177. . The historical park is located next to the only patch of lowland rainforest still found on

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 ...

.Stanley, David (1996). ''South Pacific Handbook''. David Stanley. Pages 412-413. .

References

{{American Samoa 1990 establishments in American Samoa Tafuna, American Samoa Tutuila