Fitiuta, also known as Fiti'uta or Maia, is a village on the northeast coast of

Taʻū Taʻū is the largest island in the Manuʻa Islands and the easternmost volcanic island of the Samoan Islands. Taū is part of American Samoa. In the early 19th century, the island was sometimes called ''Opoun''. Taū is well known as the site ...

island, one of the

Manuʻa Islands The Manua Islands, or the Manua tele (Samoan: ''Manua tele''), in the Samoan Islands, consists of three main islands: Taū, Ofu and Olosega. The latter two are separated only by the shallow, 137-meter-wide Āsaga Strait, and are now connected b ...

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 ...

. According to the

2000 United States 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 ...

, Fitiuta had a population of 358, down from 454 in 1990. As of the

2010 United States 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 servi ...

, it had a population of 153. The village of Fitiuta is made up of two hamlets: Maia and Leusoali'i, the latter of which is the most eastern area on the island. Historically, they were classified as villages. The town has two shops, a hotel and a church, which was recently built.

Fitiuta Airport Fitiuta Airport is a public airport located in Fiti‘uta, a village on the island of Ta‘ū in American Samoa, an unincorporated territory of the United States. Fitiuta Airport replaced Tau Airport (located in the village of Tau), which was ...

is located in the town. The area is famed for its myths and legends. According to

Samoan mythology Samoan culture tells stories of many different deities. There were deities of the forest, the seas, rain, harvest, villages, and war. There were two types of deities, ''atua'', who had non-human origins, and ''aitu'', who were of human origin. Taga ...

, it was in a place called Saua in Fitiuta that the god

Tagaloa In Samoan mythology, Tagaloa (also known as Tagaloa-Lagi or Tagaloa, Lagi of the Heavens/Skies) is generally accepted as the supreme ruler,

decided to make the first human being and crown the first human king, the Tuimanu'a. It was also near this village that the first kava ceremony was performed.Holmes, Lowell D. (1974). ''Samoan Village''. Holt McDougal.

Etymology

According to legends, the village was originally known as Aga'e. The village was home to the first Samoan chief,

Tagaloa Ui In Samoan mythology, Tagaloa (also known as Tagaloa-Lagi or Tagaloa, Lagi of the Heavens/Skies) is generally accepted as the supreme ruler,

, in ancient times. He was a mortal descendant from the gods and his daughter, Sina, was known all over the

Samoan Islands The Samoan Islands ( sm, Motu o Sāmoa) are an archipelago covering in the central South Pacific, forming part of Polynesia and of the wider region of Oceania. Administratively, the archipelago comprises all of the Independent State of Samoa an ...

for her beauty. Tuifiti, the king of Fiji, traveled to Samoa and proposed to Sina. After some time in Fiji, Sina became lonely and the chief's eldest son, Taeotagaloa, traveled to Fiji in order to bring her home. The king was sad to see Queen Sina leave and made a request for her to rename her village “Fitiuta”, which means “Fiji in the Mountains.”

Geography

The village is located on the northeast coast of Ta‘ū Island. Fitiuta is one of three villages on Ta'ū Island. On both sides of the village are steep slopes with agricultural lands on their summits, owned by Fitiuta families and certain areas communally owned by Fitiuta village. A number of fruits are grown here, including breadfruit, banana, coconut, and some taro. The village of Fitiuta is made up of two hamlets: Maia and Leusoali'i. The two Fitiuta hamlets share the same schoolhouse, dispensary building, and church. It is directly north of the

National Park of American Samoa The National Park of American Samoa is a national park in the United States territory of American Samoa, distributed across three islands: Tutuila, Ofu, and Ta‘ū. The park preserves and protects coral reefs, tropical rainforests, fruit bats ...

. The climate is described as "a warm, tropical island surrounded by the South Pacific Ocean with temperatures moderated by southeast trade winds. It has humid days and nights and rainfall is abundant."

Notable people

Galea'i Peni Poumele Galea'i Peni Poumele (December 18, 1926 – July 27, 1992) was a Republican American Samoan politician and traditional leader. Poumele served as the fourth lieutenant governor of American Samoa from 1989 to 1992. He was the first Chairman of th ...

, former Lieutenant Governor of American Samoa

References

External links

National Park Service map of the Manu‘a Islands
showing location of Fiti‘uta on the island of Ta‘ū. Populated places in American Samoa {{AmericanSamoa-geo-stub