Falefa

Major General George S. Richardson, Administrator of Samoa between 1923 and 1928. Falefā is located on the north eastern coast of Upolu island in Samoa. It was the ancient capital during the ('government') of (King) Fonoti after defeating his kin Va afusuaga Toleafoa and Samalaulu for control of Samoa. King Fonoti chose to rule from his new seat in Falefa, an honour remembered in its faalupega (Charter and Salutations) to this day. Falefa is headed by the descendants of its two founders – Moeono Falealoga (tulafale-alii or 'matua) and Leutele Leutogatui (matua-alii), the sons of Tui Atua Lemua iteleloloa and his wife, Leateafaiga. It is situated in the Anoama a 1 electoral constituency which itself is situated within the larger ancient political 'district' of Anoama a, a province of Atua. Atua is headed by the Tui Atua (sovereign of Atua), a title once held by the seer Tui Ātua Leutele (called Tui Atua Leutelelei ite) in the 10th century, during Samoa's period of antiquity. Since the 17th century, this mantle has been occupied mainly by one of the two Tama-a- aiga (maximal lineage chiefs) of Ātua's Salamasina line: Tupua Tamasese and Mata afa. Together with the village of Salani, Falefa is home to one of Samoa's main political families, (descendants of Fenunuivao, wife of King Muagututi a and mother of the first Tupua, Fuiavailili).…

Major General George S. Richardson, Administrator of Samoa between 1923 and 1928.]] Falefā is located on the north eastern coast of Upolu island in Samoa. It was the ancient capital during the ('government') of (King) Fonoti after defeating his kin Va afusuaga Toleafoa and Samalaulu for control of Samoa. King Fonoti chose to rule from his new seat in Falefa, an honour remembered in its faalupega (Charter and Salutations) to this day. Falefa is headed by the descendants of its two founders – Moeono Falealoga (tulafale-alii or 'matua) and Leutele Leutogatui (matua-alii), the sons of Tui Atua Lemua iteleloloa and his wife, Leateafaiga. It is situated in the Anoama a 1 electoral constituency which itself is situated within the larger ancient political 'district' of Anoama a, a province of Atua. Atua is headed by the Tui Atua (sovereign of Atua), a title once held by the seer Tui Ātua Leutele (called Tui Atua Leutelelei ite) in the 10th century, during Samoa's period of antiquity. Since the 17th century, this mantle has been occupied mainly by one of the two Tama-a- aiga (maximal lineage chiefs) of Ātua's Salamasina line: Tupua Tamasese and Mata afa. Together with the village of Salani, Falefa is home to one of Samoa's main political families, (descendants of Fenunuivao, wife of King Muagututi a and mother of the first Tupua, Fuiavailili). The family is led by Moe ono and Leutele of Falefa and Tofua iofo ia and Fuimaono of Salani, and is the custodian of the Tama-a- Āiga Tupua Tamasese title. Both the Tama-a- āiga Tupua Tamasese and pāpā Tui Atua royal titles are currently held by Samoa's former Prime Minister and Head of State, His Highness Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi.

Disputes over the Tupua Tamasese title

Falefa and the Tupua Tamasese have a long history, dating back to when the first Tupua was installed by his family at Falefa in c.1550. In terms of succession to the title, the family has been among the least controversial of all Tama a Āiga families. Family consensus decided successors rather than the court. However, these amicable relations were eventually fractured in 1965 when a major split appeared over the successor to Samoa's former co-Head of State Tupua Tamasese Mea ole, who died two years earlier. Two first cousins and sons of previous holders vied for the title and the family was forced to resort to the court for a settlement. The family had been unable to agree between two candidates, Lealofi IV, the son of assassinated Mau leader Tupua Tamasese Lealofi III, and Tufuga Efi, the son of Samoa's former co-Head of State Tupua Tamasese Mea ole. The two men were first cousins, and their fathers had both held the titles. After deliberations dissolved, both were subsequently installed at separate ceremonies by the different political families of Sā Tupua: Lealofi IV by Āiga Sā Fenunuivao of Falefa and Salani, and Tufuga Efi by Āiga o Mavaega (of Faleasi u and Asau in Savai i) and by a branch of Āiga Sā Tuala from Fasito outa. The latter's installation took Āiga Sā Fenunuivao by surprise and was immediately met with stern rejection. Both candidates were genealogically eligible, being descended from their common ancestor, Tupua Fuiavailili. However, Lealofi had the advantage of having the unanimous support of Āiga Sā Fenunuivao, the title's main political family, on the grounds that his father was older than Tufuga Efi's father and he himself was the elder candidate. The subsequent court battle saw a unanimous endorsement of Lealofi IV's appointment. However, Tufuga Efi's supporters returned to the court to press two more lines of argument. First they argued that the title should be appointed and conferred by the immediate heirs of recent holders. Āiga Sā Fenunuivao pointed out their right to step in and decide, especially seeing as there would inevitably be disagreement among descendants and pointing to the fact that Sā Fenunuivao were descendants themselves, a view also endorsed by the court. Second, Tufuga's supporters argued that the conjugate titles – Tupua and Tamasese – be split in two. They argued that the Tamasese name constituted a title in its own right and urged the court to award the Tupua title to Lealofi and the Tamasese title to Tufuga Efi. However, the court rejected this argument on the grounds that without Tupua, Tamasese could not be constituted as a title and that Tupua without Tamasese would disqualify Tupua from the rank of a Tama a Āiga. The court ruled in favour of Āiga Sā Fenunuivao's candidate, Lealofi IV. Tupua Tamasese Lealofi VI who would later go on to be elected Prime Minister of Samoa.

Maota o Alii

Leutele – Vai ili ili ma Fogāvaiuta Lealaisalanoa – Vaie e Alai asā – Gataivai ma Gataifusi Suluvave – Malae Luafalemana (Aloalii) – Taulupe

See also

Archaeology in Samoa

References

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1370256262 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.