The village of Masausi is a locality in the
Eastern District of
American Samoa
American Samoa is an Territories of the United States, unincorporated and unorganized territory of the United States located in the Polynesia region of the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific Ocean. Centered on , it is southeast of the island count ...
. Masausi is situated near the villages of
Sa'ilele and
Utuloa. The village is reached from a road in
Faga’itua. An archeoligcal site known as AS-23-7 is located at Masausi. Along the coast, between the
Vaipito and Panota Streams, Kirch and Hunt collected two artifacts. One was a butt of a roughly flaked, quadrangular adze.
The
Community-Based Fisheries Program (CFMP) was established in 2000 to empower villages in American Samoa to develop and implement their own marine protection policies. This initiative encourages local stewardship of marine resources, with several villages, including Masausi (home to the
Masausi Village Marine Protected Area), voluntarily participating in the program. By 2016, Village Marine Protected Areas (VMPAs) collectively encompassed approximately 25% of the coral reef areas in American Samoa.
History
In the late 19th century, a chief from Masausi sought to marry a woman from
Fagasā. When his proposal was turned down, he rallied a group of warriors from Masausi and launched an attack on Fagasā, burning down two traditional
fales. The Commandant responded by capturing and prosecuting the attackers. As a consequence, those convicted were sentenced to work on road construction, and individuals holding government positions were removed from their offices.
[Gray, John Alexander Clinton (1960). ''Amerika Samoa: A History of American Samoa and its United States Naval Administration''. ]United States Naval Institute
The United States Naval Institute (USNI) is a private non-profit military association that offers independent, nonpartisan forums for debate of national security issues. In addition to publishing magazines and books, the Naval Institute holds s ...
. Page 155. ISBN 9780870210747.
References
{{American Samoa
Tutuila
Villages in American Samoa