Matautu
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Matautu is the name of different villages in
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); ...
. Places named Matautu are found on the two largest islands,
Upolu Upolu is an island in Samoa, formed by a massive basaltic shield volcano which rises from the seafloor of the western Pacific Ocean. The island is long and in area, making it the second largest of the Samoan Islands by area. With approxi ...
and Savaiʻi.


Matautu, Upolu Island

On
Upolu Upolu is an island in Samoa, formed by a massive basaltic shield volcano which rises from the seafloor of the western Pacific Ocean. The island is long and in area, making it the second largest of the Samoan Islands by area. With approxi ...
island; *Matautu, a village located on the central north coast of the island to the east of the capital
Apia Apia () is the capital and largest city of Samoa, as well as the nation's only city. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō'') of Tuamasaga. ...
. Apia Harbor, the country's main port is located in Matautu. The village has been subdivided into two parts. Matautu-tai (coastal) and Matautu-uta (inland). Matautu-tai is led by High Chief To'omalatai. Legend has it that wayfarers and travelers by sea must stop and give offerings to the To'omalatai before safe passage was allowed by Moaula the village guardian. Moaula is amongst the most revered spirits of Samoa. *
Matautu village (Lefaga) Matautu is a village in the large traditional settlement of Lefaga in Samoa. The village is situated on the south west coast of Upolu island and is part of the Lefaga ma Faleaseela Electoral Constituency (''Faipule District'') which forms part of ...
, a sub-village or ''pito-nu'u'' of
Lefaga Lefaga is a village district on the south west coast of the island of Upolu in Samoa. The American movie Return to Paradise (1953), starring Gary Cooper was filmed at Matautu village in Lefaga. The 50th anniversary celebrations of the making of th ...
, situated south west coast. The film location of
Return to Paradise (1953 film) ''Return to Paradise'' is an American South Seas adventure drama film released by United Artists in 1953. The film was directed by Mark Robson and starred Gary Cooper, Barry Jones and Roberta Haynes. It was based on a short story, "Mr. Morgan ...
starring
Gary Cooper Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901May 13, 1961) was an American actor known for his strong, quiet screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, a ...
.


Matautu, Savai'i Island

On the island of Savaiʻi, Matautu is a large village district on the central north coast in the electoral constituency of Gaga'emauga. Matautu is made up of smaller ''pito-nu'u'' villages including Fagamalo,
Avao Avao is a village on the north central coast of Savai'i island in Samoa. The village is part of the electoral constituency (''Faipule District'')of Gaga'emauga 2, which is included in the larger political district of Gaga'emauga. The population ...
, Lelepa, Safa'i and
Saleia Saleia is a village on the north central coast of Savai'i island in Samoa. The village is part of the electoral constituency (''Faipule District'') of Gaga'emauga 2 which forms part of the larger political district of Gaga'emauga. The population ...
. In more recent history Sato'alepai has become part of Matautu. Situated inland from Lelepa are
Vaipouli College Vaipouli College is a secondary school on Savai'i island in Samoa. The college is co-educational, open to male and female students from Year 9 - 13. The college is also known as Salafai College, in reference to Salafai, another name for the islan ...
and Itu-o-Tane High School. Matautu share strong kinship and cultural ties as well as natural resources including water which is piped from an inland river at Vaipouli. During the late 1800s and the colonial era of Samoa, Fagamalo, which had a wharf and anchorage, became the main government administration centre on Savai'i. The centre included a hospital, school and court houses. Tui Fiti a spirit deity in
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 ...
resides in a sacred grove ''vao sa'' in Fagamalo. The
Reverend George Pratt George Pratt (1817–1894) was a missionary with the London Missionary Society who lived in Samoa for forty years from 1839 to 1879, mostly on the island of Savai'i. Pratt was from Portsea, Portsmouth in England. He also served in Niue, the Loyalt ...
(1817–1894), a missionary of the
London Missionary Society The London Missionary Society was an interdenominational evangelical missionary society formed in England in 1795 at the instigation of Welsh Congregationalist minister Edward Williams. It was largely Reformed in outlook, with Congregational m ...
lived in Matautu for many years. Pratt authored the first Samoan English language dictionary ''A Grammar and Dictionary of the Samoan Language, with English and Samoan Vocabulary'', first printed in 1862. According to oral history, Matautu is the district which takes the lead in the attack during war. Matautu is also said to have been settled by
Fijians Fijians ( fj, iTaukei, lit=Owners (of the land)) are a nation and ethnic group native to Fiji, who speak Fijian and share a common history and culture. Fijians, or ''iTaukei'', are the major indigenous people of the Fiji Islands, and live i ...

Lagaga: a short history of Western Samoa By Malama Meleisea & Penelope Schoeffel Meleisea, p. 42
or people from a place called Fiti.


References

Populated places in Tuamasaga Gaga'emauga {{Samoa-geo-stub