Sili
Encyclopedia
Sili is a village on the south side of Savai'i
island in Samoa
. Sili is situated inland, unlike most villages in Samoa which are settlements by the sea. The village lies within the electoral constituency of Palauli
.
The people of Sili rely on subsistence agriculture for their livelihood. Due to its location away from the coast, fishing has minimal impact on the village economy. The Sili river, like most natural resources and land in Samoa, is situated on traditional land owned by the village. The river has cultural and historical significance for the people. Traditional knowledge and conservation is a key factor in village governance. Organic farming is used for all crops and the use of pesticides and chemicals are banned.
In recent years, Sili rejected a scheme by the government of Samoa to build a hydroelectric plant on village land due to environmental and cultural factors. The hydro project had received backing from the Asian Development Bank
(ADB) which had been assisting the Samoan government and its Electric Power Corporation (EPC) to make high priority investment in renewable energy project. The ADB had given the government US$0.3million towards the hydro project in 2003. Village chiefs (matai) claimed the scheme would pollute their water and ruin the environment.
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
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...
. Sili is situated inland, unlike most villages in Samoa which are settlements by the sea. The village lies within the electoral constituency of Palauli
Palauli
Palauli is a district and village of Samoa, with a population of 8,984. It consists of two sections on the southern side of Savai'i...
.
The people of Sili rely on subsistence agriculture for their livelihood. Due to its location away from the coast, fishing has minimal impact on the village economy. The Sili river, like most natural resources and land in Samoa, is situated on traditional land owned by the village. The river has cultural and historical significance for the people. Traditional knowledge and conservation is a key factor in village governance. Organic farming is used for all crops and the use of pesticides and chemicals are banned.
In recent years, Sili rejected a scheme by the government of Samoa to build a hydroelectric plant on village land due to environmental and cultural factors. The hydro project had received backing from the Asian Development Bank
Asian Development Bank
The Asian Development Bank is a regional development bank established on 22 August 1966 to facilitate economic development of countries in Asia...
(ADB) which had been assisting the Samoan government and its Electric Power Corporation (EPC) to make high priority investment in renewable energy project. The ADB had given the government US$0.3million towards the hydro project in 2003. Village chiefs (matai) claimed the scheme would pollute their water and ruin the environment.