Gagaemauga is a

district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

on the island of Savaii in

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...

. The district is situated on the central north side of Savaii. The name 'Gagaemauga' literally means "near side of the mountain", meaning the eastern side of the mountain chain running through the centre of Savaii Island. The traditional centre of the district is

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 ...

, where the district chiefs ( ''matai'') and orators meet at Vaituutuu malae. Like most villages in Samoa, the villages in Gagaemauga are situated by the sea although there are some settlements inland, including Patamea and Samalaeulu.

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 ...

(1817–1894), a missionary with 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 tradition, Reformed in outlook, with ...

, lived in

Matautu Matautu is the name of different villages in Samoa. Places named Matautu are found on the two largest islands, Upolu and Savaiʻi. Matautu, Upolu Island On Upolu island; *Matautu, a village located on the central north coast of the island to t ...

(1839–1879) and authored the first grammar and dictionary of the

Samoan language Samoan ( or , ) is a Polynesian languages, Polynesian language spoken by Samoans of the Samoan Islands. Administratively, the islands are split between the sovereign country of Samoa and the Unincorporated territories of the United States, Unit ...

, "A Grammar and Dictionary of the Samoan Language, with English and Samoan Vocabulary", which was first printed in 1862 at the Samoa Mission Press. The village of Saleaula maintains strong traditional connections with

Safotulafai 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 distr ...

to the east, through the paramount chiefly title of Letufuga. Safotulafai is the capital of the political district Fa'asaleleaga.

Exclaves on Upolu

Two small

exclave An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is s ...

s of Gaga'emauga district are situated on the island of

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 approximate ...

, following the resettlement of villages destroyed during volcanic eruptions of

Mt Matavanu Mount Matavanu is an active volcano on the island of Savaiʻi in Samoa. The volcano was formed during an eruption in 1905. Lava flows from the eruption covered a large area of land in the Gagaʻemauga district, leading to the relocation of severa ...

in the early 1900s. These exclaves are

Le'auva'a Le'auva'a ('the people from the boat') is a village on the island of Upolu in Samoa. The population is 3274. Although the village, with an area of 5.558 km2, is geographically located on Upolu, the village is politically (and historically) pa ...

and

Salamumu Salamumu is a village on the south west coast of Upolu island in Samoa. The village has two settlements, Salamumu Uta (population 338) and Salamumu Tai (population 33). The village's name is derived from the words ''sala'' (fire) and ''mumu'' (pu ...

villages which remain politically part of Savai'i despite their relocation.

Volcanic eruptions 1900s

The relocated villages of Gaga'emauga district on the main island Upolu was a result of 1905 - 1911 volcanic eruptions of

, situated about 11 km inland from

on the central north coast. Lava flows from eruptions destroyed villages in its path, including Saleaula and Salago villages, transforming the northern half of this district into lava fields which are still visible today, especially at Saleaula. The people of the affected areas were evacuated to Upolu, where they established the villages of

and

. Despite the move, they still retain their traditional links and ''fa'alupega'' (genealogy) affiliations to Gagaemauga. The names Leava'a and Salamumu denote the events of the 1905 Mt Matavanu eruption. In recent years, a few families have re-built houses on the lava fields where vegetation is still sparse.

Itu o Tane

Gaga'emauga and the neighbouring political district Gagaifomauga are together referred to as Itu-o-Tane, 'The Side of Men.' The term Itu-o-Tane originates from the bravery of this north coast side in war, and in particular the 1830 war with A'ana. In contrast, part of the island's south coast is known as Itu-o-Fafine, 'The Side of Women.'

Government administration

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the village of

Fagamalo Fagamalo is a village situated on the central north coast of Savai'i in Samoa. It is a sub-village or ''pito nu'u'' of the larger traditional village enclave of Matautu in the political district of Gaga'emauga. The population of the village is 383 ...

, a sub-village ''pito nu'u'' of the larger

village, had a wharf and anchorage and was the main government administrative centre on Savai'i. Fagamalo was also the home of the colonial resident commissioner of Savai'i when Allied forces were defending the South Pacific against Japan. In modern times, the government administration on Savai'i has moved to

Tuasivi Tuasivi is a village on the north east coast of Savai'i island in Samoa. The village is in the electoral district of Fa'asaleleaga and has a population of 193. Tuasivi is the main centre for government administration on Savai'i. There is a small ...

in the Fa'asaleleaga district, where there is a hospital, a police station, and judicial court offices.

Schools

Vaipouli College Vaipouli College is a secondary education, secondary school on Savai'i island in Samoa. The college is Mixed-sex education, co-educational, open to male and female students from Year 9 - 13. The college is also known as Salafai College, in refere ...

References

External links

Official Samoa Visitors Bureau website
{{Authority control Districts of Samoa