Auala
Encyclopedia
Auala is a small village on the northwest coast of Savai'i
island in Samoa
. The village is in the electoral constituency of Vaisigano East which forms part of the larger political district of Vaisigano
.
The village has a semi-subsistence economy and the people rely mainly on fishing, farming and remittances from family members working overseas or in Apia, the country's capital on the island of Upolu
.
Like most villages in Samoa, the people live in extended family groups with all land and natural resources belonging to the village as a whole under the government of the Village Council of Chiefs (fono). All the families are represented in the fono as well as the Women's Committee. There are six extended families made up of five families with tulafale oratory chiefly status and one of High Chief status. Auala's high chief title (matai) is Tapu which has been passed down by many generations. The other five family chiefly titles are Moe, Paiali'i, Sululoto, Matamea and Ta'avao.
Auala has two malae (open areas serving as the village ceremonial commons), Falefa'aea and Asoto'elau. There are two Taupou names in Auala, Filiamata and Meapua'a; these are the names given to the daughters of the high chief and they perform the Samoa 'ava ceremony
and Taualuga. There are two churches in the village which has a fairly small coastal frontage fringed by a reef.
The neighbouring villages are Vaisala
and Asau.
and up-to-date with the latest technologies in the world. Fair prices and a variety of services including,
internet, passport photos, family and group photos, colour printing, copying, scanning, phone, fax, webcam,
projector hire and CD burning give people access to a variety of services they previously would have had to
travel to the capital for.
Savai'i
Savaii is the largest and highest island in Samoa and the Samoa Islands chain. It is also the biggest landmass in Polynesia outside Hawaii and New Zealand. The island of Savai'i is also referred to by Samoans as Salafai, a classical Samoan term used in oratory and prose...
island in Samoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
. The village is in the electoral constituency of Vaisigano East which forms part of the larger political district of Vaisigano
Vaisigano
Vaisigano is a political district at the western tip of Savai'i island in Samoa. The capital of the district is Asau.This area is also referred to as 'Itu Asau' in the Samoan language.The population of Vaisigano is 6,643 ....
.
The village has a semi-subsistence economy and the people rely mainly on fishing, farming and remittances from family members working overseas or in Apia, the country's capital on the island of Upolu
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, in area, and is the second largest in geographic area as well as the most populated of the Samoan Islands. Upolu is situated to the east of...
.
Like most villages in Samoa, the people live in extended family groups with all land and natural resources belonging to the village as a whole under the government of the Village Council of Chiefs (fono). All the families are represented in the fono as well as the Women's Committee. There are six extended families made up of five families with tulafale oratory chiefly status and one of High Chief status. Auala's high chief title (matai) is Tapu which has been passed down by many generations. The other five family chiefly titles are Moe, Paiali'i, Sululoto, Matamea and Ta'avao.
Auala has two malae (open areas serving as the village ceremonial commons), Falefa'aea and Asoto'elau. There are two Taupou names in Auala, Filiamata and Meapua'a; these are the names given to the daughters of the high chief and they perform the Samoa 'ava ceremony
Samoa 'ava ceremony
The Ava Ceremony is one of the most important customs of the Samoa Islands involving a solemn ritual where a ceremonial beverage is shared to mark most important occasions in Samoan society. The Samoan word ava is a cognate of the Polynesian word kava associated with the kava cultures in Oceania...
and Taualuga. There are two churches in the village which has a fairly small coastal frontage fringed by a reef.
The neighbouring villages are Vaisala
Vaisala (Samoa)
Vaisala is a small village on the northwest coast of Savai'i island in Samoa. The village lies within the political district of Vaisigano.It is located close to the coast in the northwestern corner of the island. To the west are the neighbouring villages of Auala and Asau.A significant family from...
and Asau.
Marine Park
Auala bay is a conservation area with a turtle habitat which is being managed by the Auala Women's Committee.Communications
The committee also run a feso'ota'i centre (telecentre/ICT centre). This makes ICT available for people to keep in touchand up-to-date with the latest technologies in the world. Fair prices and a variety of services including,
internet, passport photos, family and group photos, colour printing, copying, scanning, phone, fax, webcam,
projector hire and CD burning give people access to a variety of services they previously would have had to
travel to the capital for.
External references
- http://docs.google.com/gview?a=v&q=cache:4EV6K8u03EoJ:www.spc.int/prism/Country/WS/stats/Products%26Services/Reports/PDF/PopCensus/Preliminary%2520Report/2006%2520Census.pdf+Samauga+village&hl=en&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESjUXLtGebImrywvVMue-j4XG9SKr3R2-zT2DCJc_6QxoUBbjPifxoG3JKatGzDMUwdGGbq_2WZwsYcZ-DBSoWvvCBozjCyzjdoLwbgb1oiW5e7X606Qi7P1OxotJaRfQDyv4VOm&sig=AFQjCNEWrRAJRVZx3W6fy8nMqMvr5N0zrQ2006 Samoa population census] Retrieved 20 November, 2009