Vaisala (Samoa)
Encyclopedia
Vaisala is a small village on the northwest coast of Savai'i
island in Samoa
. The village lies within the political district of Vaisigano
.
It is located close to the coast in the northwestern corner of the island. To the west are the neighbouring villages of Auala
and Asau.
A significant family from Vaisala is the Va'ai family. Va'ai Kolone
, a matai
, was a Member of Parliament of the Vaisala area who became a Prime Minister of Samoa
twice in the 1980s. A progressive leader, he was also the founder the Human Rights Protection Party
which has since been the dominant party in Samoan politics and currently in power. Va'ai Kolone's father, a government clerk in the German
administration of Samoa during colonialism
, foresaw the importance of education and sent his own sons to boarding schools in the capital Apia.
The Vaisala Hotel situated at a white sandy beach is one of the largest hotels at the west end of Savai'i.
In 2009, the village council of chiefs banished their Member of Parliament for the Vaisigano No. 1 district, Va’ai Solia Papu Va’ai, over a domestic dispute. He was allowed to return a few months later following a presentation of gifts and reconciliation with the chiefs. In 2007, the same Member of Parliament had survived being shot by a gunman while attending a meeting in the village of Falealupo
.
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...
. The village lies within the political district of Vaisigano
Vaisigano
Vaisigano is a political district at the western tip of Savai'i island in Samoa. The capital of the district is Asau.This area is also referred to as 'Itu Asau' in the Samoan language.The population of Vaisigano is 6,643 ....
.
It is located close to the coast in the northwestern corner of the island. To the west are the neighbouring villages of Auala
Auala
Auala is a small village on the northwest coast of Savai'i island in Samoa. The village is in the electoral constituency of Vaisigano East which forms part of the larger political district of Vaisigano....
and Asau.
A significant family from Vaisala is the Va'ai family. Va'ai Kolone
Va'ai Kolone
Va'ai Kolone was a Prime Minister of Samoa and a founder of the Human Rights Protection Party in Samoa. He served as Prime Minister twice, first between 13 April and 18 September 1982, and then from 30 December 1985 until 8 April 1988...
, a 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...
, was a Member of Parliament of the Vaisala area who became a Prime Minister of Samoa
Prime Minister of Samoa
This is a list of Prime Ministers of Samoa from the establishment of that office in 1875 until the present day.-List of Prime Ministers of Samoa :-See also:*Samoa**Politics of Samoa...
twice in the 1980s. A progressive leader, he was also the founder the Human Rights Protection Party
Human Rights Protection Party
The Human Rights Protection Party is a Samoan political party. It has been the dominant party in Samoan politics since 1982.The party was co-founded in May 1979 by Va'ai Kolone and Tofilau Eti Alesana in opposition to the government of Tupuola Efi...
which has since been the dominant party in Samoan politics and currently in power. Va'ai Kolone's father, a government clerk in the German
German Samoa
German Samoa was a German protectorate from 1900 to 1914, consisting of the islands of Upolu, Savai'i, Apolima and Manono, now wholly within the independent state Samoa, formerly Western Samoa...
administration of Samoa during colonialism
Colonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
, foresaw the importance of education and sent his own sons to boarding schools in the capital Apia.
The Vaisala Hotel situated at a white sandy beach is one of the largest hotels at the west end of Savai'i.
In 2009, the village council of chiefs banished their Member of Parliament for the Vaisigano No. 1 district, Va’ai Solia Papu Va’ai, over a domestic dispute. He was allowed to return a few months later following a presentation of gifts and reconciliation with the chiefs. In 2007, the same Member of Parliament had survived being shot by a gunman while attending a meeting in the village of Falealupo
Falealupo
Falealupo is a village in Samoa situated at the west end of Savai'i island from the dateline. The village has two main settlements, Falealupo-Uta, situated inland by the main island highway and Falealupo-Tai, situated by the sea...
.
See also
- 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 - Politics of SamoaPolitics of SamoaPolitics of Samoa takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic state whereby the Prime Minister of Samoa is the head of government...
- Legislative Assembly of Samoa
- History of SamoaHistory of Samoa-Myths:According to legend, Samoa shares the common Polynesian ancestor of Tagaloa; according to many legends, Samoa was Tagaloa's first creation...
External references
- Samoa population census Retrieved 18 December 2009