Mata o le Alelo
Encyclopedia
Mata o le Alelo is a village pool in Samoa
associated with the Polynesian
legend Sina and the Eel
.
Mata o le Alelo is in the small village of Matavai, in the village district Safune
on the central north coast of Savai'i
island in Samoa.
The pool is fed by a freshwater spring which flows out towards the sea. The underground spring discharges into a pool that is about 500mm above sea level. Water can be seen boiling up to the surface at one end of the pool.
The natural spring water flows out to a small body of water which flows out to the open ocean towards the west. Towards the north, from the far end of the pool and across the water is the southern side of the small village of Lefagaoali'i
situated on a spit of land. The small house beside the pool is looked after by the women of the village who look after the pool and visitors. Overnight stay in the house can be arranged with the village.
The pool is used for drinking water where it bubbles up at the nearer south end. Until recently, the pool was the main source of fresh water for the village. Water is now piped from a larger catchment inland. The far end of the pool which flows out to sea is where children bathe.
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...
associated with the Polynesian
Polynesian mythology
Polynesian mythology is the oral traditions of the people of Polynesia, a grouping of Central and South Pacific Ocean island archipelagos in the Polynesian triangle together with the scattered cultures known as the Polynesian outliers...
legend Sina and the Eel
Sina and the Eel
Sina and the Eel is a myth of origins in Samoan mythology which explains the origins of the first coconut tree.In the Samoan language the legend is called Sina ma le Tuna. Tuna is the Samoan word for 'eel'....
.
Mata o le Alelo is in the small village of Matavai, in the village district Safune
Safune
Safune is a traditional village district on the central north coast of Savai'i island in Samoa. It lies within the electoral constituency of Gaga'ifomauga. Safune is the birthplace of Mau leader Olaf Frederick Nelson and the filming location of Moana , one of the first documentaries made in the world...
on the central north coast of Savai'i
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.
The pool is fed by a freshwater spring which flows out towards the sea. The underground spring discharges into a pool that is about 500mm above sea level. Water can be seen boiling up to the surface at one end of the pool.
The natural spring water flows out to a small body of water which flows out to the open ocean towards the west. Towards the north, from the far end of the pool and across the water is the southern side of the small village of Lefagaoali'i
Lefagaoali'i
Lefagaoali'i is a village on the central north coast of Savai'i island in Samoa. The village is in the electoral district of Gagaifomauga.The settlement is situated on a thin spit of land with the ocean on the north side and an inland lake with mangroves on the south side which flows out to the...
situated on a spit of land. The small house beside the pool is looked after by the women of the village who look after the pool and visitors. Overnight stay in the house can be arranged with the village.
The pool is used for drinking water where it bubbles up at the nearer south end. Until recently, the pool was the main source of fresh water for the village. Water is now piped from a larger catchment inland. The far end of the pool which flows out to sea is where children bathe.