Fiame Mata'afa Faumuina Mulinu’u II
Encyclopedia
Fiame Mata'afa Faumuina Mulinu’u II, C.B.E. (August 5, 1921 – May 20, 1975) was a paramount chief
and the first Prime Minister
of Samoa
. He was Prime Minister from October 1, 1959 until February 1970 and again from March 1973 until his death in 1975. He was bestowed the paramount matai
chief title of Mata'afa
in 1948, following the death of his father, Mata'afa Faumuina Fiame Mulinu'u I
, a leader of Samoa's pro-independent Mau movement
.
In 1957, he entered national politics in the general election from the electoral constituency of Lotofaga
in the Atua
district at the east end of Upolu
island.
The title Mata'afa is part of the Tama-a-Aiga ('Sons of the Families') a quartet of chief titles, which were of national Paramount rank at the time. The other three Tama-a-Aiga Paramount Chief titles are Malietoa
, Tupua and Tuimaleali'ifano.
His other names Fiame and Faumuina are also individual chief titles. As one individual can hold a number of different chief titles in Samoa, the exact order of an individual's 'names' can sometimes change. For example, he is referred to as Mata'afa Faumuina Fiame Mulinu'u II in Democracy and custom in Sāmoa: an uneasy alliance by Asofou Soʻo. Individual chief titles (i.e. Mata'afa, Fiame, Faumuina) are designated by consensus of extended families and kinship ties under Samoa's traditional 'matai' system, and in relation to a particular village or political district
.
A 'matai' title is collectively 'owned' by families through blood ties and kinship. The bestowal of a chief title upon an individual is done by traditional ceremony and ritual, marking the support and approval of an entire extended family and kin group for that person to take on the responsibilities of a leader of their family. Only 'matai,' those with chief titles can become a Member of Parliament in Samoan politics
. This still exists today.
The high ranking chief titles of Fiame Mata'afa Faumuina Mulinu'u II played an important part in his entrance into parliament on the cusp of Samoa's political independence where a European political system would exist alongside Samoa's traditional socio-political structures.
Apart from the paramount chief title Mata'afa, he was also a descendant from another high ranking Tama-a-Aiga title, Malietoa
, adding weight to his selection as the country's first prime minister. Mata'afa Iosefo
, a previous holder of the paramount chiefly title had played a key role in the rivalry for kingship of Samoa during the country's colonial era.
The word 'chief' in the Samoan language is 'matai' and chief names come first in Samoan naming conventions. Matai titles in Samoa can be bestowed upon women or men. The wives of the Tama-a-Aiga are referred to with the cultural honorific Masiofo.
(died 1948) who had great influence with the colonial administration and a president of the Mau movement
.
Fiame Mata'afa Faumuina Mulinu'u II was educated at the Marist Brothers school in Apia. He married Laulu Fetauimalemau Mata'afa
, a teacher educated in New Zealand
and who later became Samoa's High Commissioner (1993–1997) to New Zealand. After their marriage, Laulu was referred to as Masiofo. On his death in 1975, his wife ran for his vacant seat in the Lotofaga
Electoral Constituency. She won and entered parliament, under the chief title of Laulu, also bestowed from Lotofaga, becoming only the second woman in Samoa to become a Member of Parliament. His daughter Fiame Naomi Mata'afa
now holds the high chief of title Fiame and has been a Member of Parliament for many years, holding senior positions on cabinet.
He entered parliament in the 1957 general election under his title Fiame from the electoral constituency of Lotofaga. Afterwards, in the same year, he became Minister of Agriculture in the new Legislative Assembly of Samoa. In October 1959, he was elected by the legislative assembly as the first Prime Minister of Samoa. He was elected again at the general election in 1961.
At the time, "a substantial majority of members of the working committee on self-government, favoured 'a full-blooded' Samoan to be the country's first prime minister."
In 1960, he travelled to New York where he addressed the 4th Committee of the General Assembly. In the same year, he went to Buckingham Palace in the United Kingdom for his investure as Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.
At the formal independence ceremony on 1 January 1962 when Samoa officially gained political independence, Fiame Mata'afa Mulinu'u II lowered the New Zealand flag. At the 1964 and 1967 general elections, he was returned as Prime Minister, unopposed.
over nuclear tests in Tahiti
.
Paramount chief
A paramount chief is the highest-level traditional chief or political leader in a regional or local polity or country typically administered politically with a chief-based system. This definition is used occasionally in anthropological and archaeological theory to refer to the rulers of multiple...
and the first Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Samoa
This is a list of Prime Ministers of Samoa from the establishment of that office in 1875 until the present day.-List of Prime Ministers of Samoa :-See also:*Samoa**Politics of Samoa...
of 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...
. He was Prime Minister from October 1, 1959 until February 1970 and again from March 1973 until his death in 1975. He was bestowed the paramount matai
Fa'amatai
Fa'amatai is the chiefly system of Samoa, central to the organization of Samoan society.It is the traditional indigenous form of governance in the Samoa Islands, comprising American Samoa and the Independent State of Samoa...
chief title of Mata'afa
Mata'afa
Mata'afa is a high chief title in Samoa under the country's Matai system of socio-political governance where individuals are bestowed with family names...
in 1948, following the death of his father, Mata'afa Faumuina Fiame Mulinu'u I
Mata'afa Faumuina Fiame Mulinu'u I
Mata'afa Faumuina Fiame Mulinu'u I was a high chief of Samoa and a leader of the country's pro-independence Mau movement during the early 1900s...
, a leader of Samoa's pro-independent Mau movement
Mau movement
The Mau was a non-violent movement for Samoan independence from colonial rule during the early 1900s. The word 'Mau' means 'opinion' or 'testimony' denoting 'firm strength' in Samoan...
.
In 1957, he entered national politics in the general election from the electoral constituency of Lotofaga
Lotofaga
Lotofaga is a village on the south coast of Upolu island in Samoa. Lotofaga is also the name of the larger Lotofaga Electoral Constituency which includes Lotofaga village and two other villages, Vavau and Matatufu....
in the Atua
Atua (district)
Atua is the most ancient district of Samoa, now consisting of most of the eastern half of Upolu but also traditionally incorporates Tutuila and once all of Upolu and Savaii. The head of the district is the village of Lufilufi, in the western most part of Atua...
district at the east end 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...
island.
Paramount Chief & Titles
Mulinu'u II (first name) held a number of important chief titles in Samoa. His highest title was Mata'afa which made him one of the four most important Paramount Chiefs in the country.The title Mata'afa is part of the Tama-a-Aiga ('Sons of the Families') a quartet of chief titles, which were of national Paramount rank at the time. The other three Tama-a-Aiga Paramount Chief titles are Malietoa
Malietoa
Malietoa is a state dynasty and chiefly title in Samoa. Literally translated as "great warrior," the title's origin comes from the final words of the Tongan warriors as they were fleeing on the beach to their boats, "Malie To`a, Malie tau"....
, Tupua and Tuimaleali'ifano.
His other names Fiame and Faumuina are also individual chief titles. As one individual can hold a number of different chief titles in Samoa, the exact order of an individual's 'names' can sometimes change. For example, he is referred to as Mata'afa Faumuina Fiame Mulinu'u II in Democracy and custom in Sāmoa: an uneasy alliance by Asofou Soʻo. Individual chief titles (i.e. Mata'afa, Fiame, Faumuina) are designated by consensus of extended families and kinship ties under Samoa's traditional 'matai' system, and in relation to a particular village or political district
Districts of Samoa
Samoa is made up of eleven itūmālō . These are the traditional eleven districts that were established well before European arrival...
.
A 'matai' title is collectively 'owned' by families through blood ties and kinship. The bestowal of a chief title upon an individual is done by traditional ceremony and ritual, marking the support and approval of an entire extended family and kin group for that person to take on the responsibilities of a leader of their family. Only 'matai,' those with chief titles can become a Member of Parliament in Samoan politics
Politics of Samoa
Politics of Samoa takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic state whereby the Prime Minister of Samoa is the head of government...
. This still exists today.
The high ranking chief titles of Fiame Mata'afa Faumuina Mulinu'u II played an important part in his entrance into parliament on the cusp of Samoa's political independence where a European political system would exist alongside Samoa's traditional socio-political structures.
Apart from the paramount chief title Mata'afa, he was also a descendant from another high ranking Tama-a-Aiga title, Malietoa
Malietoa
Malietoa is a state dynasty and chiefly title in Samoa. Literally translated as "great warrior," the title's origin comes from the final words of the Tongan warriors as they were fleeing on the beach to their boats, "Malie To`a, Malie tau"....
, adding weight to his selection as the country's first prime minister. Mata'afa Iosefo
Mata'afa Iosefo
Mata'afa Iosefo was a Paramount Chief of Samoa who was one of the three rival candidates for the kingship of Samoa during colonialism...
, a previous holder of the paramount chiefly title had played a key role in the rivalry for kingship of Samoa during the country's colonial era.
The word 'chief' in the Samoan language is 'matai' and chief names come first in Samoan naming conventions. Matai titles in Samoa can be bestowed upon women or men. The wives of the Tama-a-Aiga are referred to with the cultural honorific Masiofo.
Personal life
Fiame Mata'afa Faumuina Mulinu'u II was the son of Paramount Chief Mata'afa Faumuina Fiame Mulinu'u IMata'afa Faumuina Fiame Mulinu'u I
Mata'afa Faumuina Fiame Mulinu'u I was a high chief of Samoa and a leader of the country's pro-independence Mau movement during the early 1900s...
(died 1948) who had great influence with the colonial administration and a president of the Mau movement
Mau movement
The Mau was a non-violent movement for Samoan independence from colonial rule during the early 1900s. The word 'Mau' means 'opinion' or 'testimony' denoting 'firm strength' in Samoan...
.
Fiame Mata'afa Faumuina Mulinu'u II was educated at the Marist Brothers school in Apia. He married Laulu Fetauimalemau Mata'afa
Laulu Fetauimalemau Mata'afa
Masiofo La'ulu Fetauimalemau Mata'afa also known as Fetaui Mata'afa was an ambassador and a Member of Parliament in Samoa. She was also the wife of Samoa's first Prime Minister Fiame Mata'afa Faumuina Mulinu’u II. Their daughter, Fiame Naomi Mata'afa is a matai high chief and Cabinet Minister in...
, a teacher educated in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and who later became Samoa's High Commissioner (1993–1997) to New Zealand. After their marriage, Laulu was referred to as Masiofo. On his death in 1975, his wife ran for his vacant seat in the Lotofaga
Lotofaga
Lotofaga is a village on the south coast of Upolu island in Samoa. Lotofaga is also the name of the larger Lotofaga Electoral Constituency which includes Lotofaga village and two other villages, Vavau and Matatufu....
Electoral Constituency. She won and entered parliament, under the chief title of Laulu, also bestowed from Lotofaga, becoming only the second woman in Samoa to become a Member of Parliament. His daughter Fiame Naomi Mata'afa
Fiame Naomi Mata'afa
Fiame Naomi Mata'afa is a Samoan high chief and a senior member of cabinet in Samoa. She is a Member of Parliament for the electoral constituency of Lotofaga in the political district of Atua. She is the current Minister of Women, Community & Social Development in Samoa...
now holds the high chief of title Fiame and has been a Member of Parliament for many years, holding senior positions on cabinet.
Politics
Fiame Mata'afa Mulinu'u II was one of the framers of the Constitution of Samoa and held a pivotal leadership role in Samoa's transition from colonial rule to political independence in 1962, in his dual roles as Prime Minister as well as a high ranked paramount chief. He was also part of the political family 'Aiga Sa Levalasi.'He entered parliament in the 1957 general election under his title Fiame from the electoral constituency of Lotofaga. Afterwards, in the same year, he became Minister of Agriculture in the new Legislative Assembly of Samoa. In October 1959, he was elected by the legislative assembly as the first Prime Minister of Samoa. He was elected again at the general election in 1961.
At the time, "a substantial majority of members of the working committee on self-government, favoured 'a full-blooded' Samoan to be the country's first prime minister."
In 1960, he travelled to New York where he addressed the 4th Committee of the General Assembly. In the same year, he went to Buckingham Palace in the United Kingdom for his investure as Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.
At the formal independence ceremony on 1 January 1962 when Samoa officially gained political independence, Fiame Mata'afa Mulinu'u II lowered the New Zealand flag. At the 1964 and 1967 general elections, he was returned as Prime Minister, unopposed.
Anti-nuclear protest to France
In 1963, the Prime Minister issued a protest to FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
over nuclear tests in Tahiti
Tahiti
Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of the Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is the economic, cultural and political centre of French Polynesia. The island was formed from volcanic activity and is high and mountainous...
.