Lotofaga
Encyclopedia
Lotofaga is a village on the south coast of Upolu
island in Samoa
. Lotofaga is also the name of the larger Lotofaga Electoral Constituency (Faipule District) which includes Lotofaga village and two other villages, Vavau
and Matatufu
.
The villages and Lotofaga Electoral Constistuency all come within the larger political district of Atua
.
The population of Lotofaga village is 1,089 (2006 Census).
The population of Lotofaga Electoral Constituency is 1,865 (2006 Census).
(August 5, 1921 – May 20, 1975), a paramount chief
entered politics at the 1957 general election from the Lotofaga Electoral Constituency. The high chief title Fiame is from Lotofaga. His wife was Laulu Fetauimalemau Mata'afa
, who was bestowed the chief title of Laulu, also from Lotofaga. At her husband's death in 1975, Laulu Featauimalemau Mata'afa entered politics, winning the Lotofaga seat in the same year and becoming only the second woman in Samoa to become a Member of Parliament. Their daughter, Fiame Naomi Mata'afa
, a high chief with the Fiame chief title once held by her father, has been the Member of Parliament for Lotofaga constituency for many years and is a senior member of Cabinet in the Legislative Assembly of Samoa.
investigating the early settlement of the Pacific Islands
uncovered a prehistoric settlement inland from Lotofaga in an area marked Tafagamanu Sand. The date obtained from the cultural deposit was 735 plus or minus 85 years BP. Tafagamanu Sand is a geological name given to beach and beach ridge deposits of carbonate sand occurring up to 2 m or more above sea level.
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...
. Lotofaga is also the name of the larger Lotofaga Electoral Constituency (Faipule District) which includes Lotofaga village and two other villages, Vavau
Vavau, Samoa
Vavau is a small village on south east end of Upolu island in Samoa.The village is part of Lotofaga Electoral Constituency which is within the larger political district of Atua.The population is 356 ....
and Matatufu
Matatufu
Matatufu is a small village on south east end of Upolu island in Samoa.The village is part of Lotofaga Electoral Constituency which is within the larger political district of Atua.The population is 420 ....
.
The villages and Lotofaga Electoral Constistuency all come within the larger political district of 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...
.
The population of Lotofaga village is 1,089 (2006 Census).
The population of Lotofaga Electoral Constituency is 1,865 (2006 Census).
Politics
The first Prime Minister of Samoa Fiame Mata'afa Faumuina Mulinu’u IIFiame Mata'afa Faumuina Mulinu’u II
Fiame Mata'afa Faumuina Mulinu’u II, C.B.E. 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...
(August 5, 1921 – May 20, 1975), a paramount chief
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...
entered politics at the 1957 general election from the Lotofaga Electoral Constituency. The high chief title Fiame is from Lotofaga. His wife was 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...
, who was bestowed the chief title of Laulu, also from Lotofaga. At her husband's death in 1975, Laulu Featauimalemau Mata'afa entered politics, winning the Lotofaga seat in the same year and becoming only the second woman in Samoa to become a Member of Parliament. Their 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...
, a high chief with the Fiame chief title once held by her father, has been the Member of Parliament for Lotofaga constituency for many years and is a senior member of Cabinet in the Legislative Assembly of Samoa.
Archaeology
During the 1960s, archaeologistsArchaeology in Samoa
Archaeology of Samoa began with the first systematic survey of archaeological remains on Savai'i island by Jack Golson in 1957. Since then, surveys and studies in the rest of Samoa have uncovered major findings of settlements, stone and earth mounds including star mounds, Lapita pottery remains and...
investigating the early settlement of the Pacific Islands
Pacific Islands
The Pacific Islands comprise 20,000 to 30,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean. The islands are also sometimes collectively called Oceania, although Oceania is sometimes defined as also including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago....
uncovered a prehistoric settlement inland from Lotofaga in an area marked Tafagamanu Sand. The date obtained from the cultural deposit was 735 plus or minus 85 years BP. Tafagamanu Sand is a geological name given to beach and beach ridge deposits of carbonate sand occurring up to 2 m or more above sea level.