Matautu is the name of different villages 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 ...

. 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 approximate ...

and

Savaiʻi Savaii is the largest and highest island both in Samoa and in the Samoan Islands chain. The island is also the sixth largest in Polynesia, behind the three main islands of New Zealand and the Hawaiian Islands of Island of Hawaii, Hawaii and ...

Matautu, Upolu Island

island; *Matautu, a village located on the central north coast of the island to the east of the capital

Apia Apia () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Samoa. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō'') of Tuamasaga. The Apia Urban A ...

. 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 film), Return to Paradise (1953), starring Gary Cooper was filmed at Matautu village (Lefaga), Matautu village in Lefa ...

, 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, silent screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, ...

Matautu, Savai'i Island

On the island of

, 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, Lelepa, Safa'i and Saleia. In more recent history Satoʻalepai has become part of Matautu. Situated inland from Lelepa are

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 ...

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. Ta ...

resides in a sacred grove ''vao sa'' in Fagamalo. The Reverend George Pratt (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 tradition, Reformed in outlook, with ...

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 () are a nation and ethnic group Indigenous peoples of Oceania, native to Fiji, who speak Fijian language, Fijian and English language, English and share a common history and culture. Fijians, or ''iTaukei'', are the major indigenous ...

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