Uafato
Encyclopedia
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 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...
with national and global significance as a unique cultural and conservation area.
It is within the political district of Va'a-o-Fonoti
Va'a-o-Fonoti
Va'a-o-Fonoti is a district on the north east coast of Upolu Island in Samoa, with a population of 1,666, making it the least populated district in the country....
and is also part of a conservation zone called the Uafato Conservation Area. The village is one of nine small village settlements situated at Fagaloa Bay
Fagaloa Bay
Fagaloa Bay is located on the north eastern coast of Upolu island in Samoa. The area is a significant region of conservation and culture. The bay is situated within the political district of Va'a-o-Fonoti....
, a site of natural beauty with significant cultural value and bio-diversity. It is surrounded by the Uafato Tiavea Conservation Zone
Fagaloa Bay - Uafato Tiavea Conservation Zone
The Fagaloa Bay – Uafato Tiavea Conservation Zone is located in the Va'a-o-Fonoti District of Samoa, on eastern Upolu Island.- Description :The site is a nexus of sorts between the natural and cultural worlds: the largest tropical rain forest on any Pacific island with unique flora and fauna...
with lush rainforest, rugged topography, waterfalls and coral reefs.
Village
Fa'a Samoa
Fa'a Samoa means literally The Samoan Way which describes the socio-political and cultural way of life for the people of the Samoan Islands....
, the 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...
chiefly system and va tapu'ia interaction with their natural environment. The rainforest remains an important economic base for the local people. The forests surrounding the village contains one of the largest remaining stands of a native hardwood tree ifilele (Intsia bijuga) with many uses in Samoan culture including housebuilding
Architecture of Samoa
The architecture of Samoa is characterised by openness, with the design mirroring the culture and life of the Samoan people who inhabit the Samoa Islands. Architectural concepts are incorporated into Samoan proverbs, oratory and metaphors, as well as linking to other art forms in Samoa, such as...
and carving.
The village is a centre for traditional woodcarving where visitors can watch carvers making kava
Kava
Kava or kava-kava is a crop of the western Pacific....
bowls, war clubs and other local crafts. Like women in most villages in Samoa, the women of Uafato weave finely woven mats, fans and handicrafts which are an important source of income for their families. The reputation of the local woodcarvers has grown over the last two decades and the carvers of Uafato supply the craft markets in the capital Apia. Most of the techniques used in crafting the traditional artwork is much the same as they were prior to western contact.
The village is an hour and a half from the country's capital Apia and a visit can be undertaken in a day. There are beach fale
Beach fale
Beach fale is a modern term for a simple thatched hut in Samoa. They are also common in other parts of Polynesia. They have become popular in tourism as low budget accommodation situated by the coast, built with a few posts, no walls and a thatched roof with a round or oval shape.The word fale is...
accommodation where visitors may stay overnight or for day trips.
Uafato Conservation Area
The conservation area is ancestral land owned by the families of Uafato. The conservation zone includes the village and Fagaloa Bay and approximately 1,300 hectares of forestlands. Fauna includes two varieties of bat and 22 bird species including the endangered Tooth-billed PigeonTooth-billed Pigeon
The Tooth-billed Pigeon also known as Samoan Pigeon, is a medium-sized, approximately 34 cm long, dark pigeon with reddish feet and bare skin around eye. The underparts, head and neck are blackish with a slight blue-green iridescence, and the tail, wings-coverts and tertials are chestnut,...
(Didunculus strigirostris), also known as Samoan Pigeon which are confined to undisturbed forests. It is the national bird of Samoa and is called the Manumea. The initiative for a conservation area came from the chiefs and the village following cyclones in 1991 which destroyed much of the village. The council of chiefs approached a private environmental group, O Le Siosiomaga Society, for assistance. A year later, the Uafato Conservation Area was established with funding from the Pacific Regional Environment Programme
Pacific Regional Environment Programme
The Pacific Regional Environment Programme is an intergovernmental organisation charged with promoting cooperation, supporting protection and improvement of the Pacific islands environment, and ensuring its sustainable development...
(formerly SPREP).
Alaifue Lisale died in 2010, and Vaisa Laumea 66 years old was named the High Chief of Uafato at Christmas 2009.
Mythology
- There are different stories for the origins of the name Uafato. One story tells of the name originating from the stacking of humans to build Lufasiaitu's house made of 100 human poles. One human was made to stand on the neck (ua) of the other to make one pole. Thus, the origin of the chiefly title 'Faleselau' (faleArchitecture of SamoaThe architecture of Samoa is characterised by openness, with the design mirroring the culture and life of the Samoan people who inhabit the Samoa Islands. Architectural concepts are incorporated into Samoan proverbs, oratory and metaphors, as well as linking to other art forms in Samoa, such as...
meaning house, selau - hundred) which bears reference to the hundred poles of Lufasiaitu's house. - Another story relates that the supreme god TagaloaTagaloaIn Samoan mythology, Tagaloa is generally accepted as the supreme ruler, the creator of the universe, the chief of all gods and the progenitor of other gods and humans. Tagaloa dwelt in space and made the Heavens , the sky, the land, the seas, the fresh water, the trees and the people...
lived in the ninth heaven above Uafato village.
See also
- Fagaloa Bay – Uafato Tiavea Conservation Zone
- List of birds of Samoa
- Samoan plant namesSamoan plant namesThese are some Samoan plant names in alphabetical order in the Samoan language and their corresponding descriptions in English. Many are used in traditional medicines in the Samoa Islands comprising Samoa and American Samoa.-See also:...
- Samoan languageSamoan languageSamoan Samoan Samoan (Gagana Sāmoa, is the language of the Samoan Islands, comprising the independent country of Samoa and the United States territory of American Samoa. It is an official language—alongside English—in both jurisdictions. Samoan, a Polynesian language, is the first language for most...
- Fa'amataiFa'amataiFa'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...
, chiefly system of governance in the Samoa Islands - Central Savai'i RainforestCentral Savai'i RainforestThe Samoan tropical moist forests are a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion in the Samoan Islands. They cover an area of .The Central Savai'i Rainforest, comprising an area of 72,699 hectares on the island of Savai'i in the Samoan Islands, is the largest continuous patch of rainforest in...
, largest continuous patch of rainforest in PolynesiaPolynesiaPolynesia is a subregion of Oceania, made up of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are termed Polynesians and they share many similar traits including language, culture and beliefs...