The title Tui Manuʻa was the title of the ruler or paramount chief of the Manuʻa Islands in present-day American Samoa .
40-512: Tui Manuʻa Elisara (died 2 July 1909) was the last Tui Manu'a titleholder in Manu'a , which is now part of the U.S. Territory of American Samoa . Elisala was the son of Tui Manuʻa Alalamua whose genealogy descended from the Sa Tagaloa. Tui Manu'a Elisara was born on the island of Ta'u as the second son of Tui Manu'a Alaalamua and Sofe, a daughter of Matiu of Ta'u island. Tui Manu'a Alalamua (of one of
80-588: A Lapita site at Mulifanua wharf on Upolu island. In 1768, the eastern islands were visited by the French explorer Bougainville , who named them the Navigator Islands . That name was used by missionaries until about 1845, and in official European dispatches until about 1870. Politically , the Samoan Islands are divided into two jurisdictions: In the late 19th century, competition for political control of
120-663: A fifteen-year break, the office was revived in 1924 when Chris Taliutafa Young , a member of the Male line of the Anoalo clan of Lalopu'a from the Tui Manu'a family and the brother of Tui Manu'a Matelita who reigned between 1890 and 1895, was named Tui Manu'a by the general assembly of the Faletolu and Anoalo . American officials were worried that the Manu'ans were restoring a "king" who would cause trouble for
160-883: A west to east direction. The islands of Manono, Apolima and Nuʻulopa lie in the Apolima Strait between Upolu and Savaiʻi. The four small, uninhabited islands – Nuʻutele, Nuʻulua, Namua and Fanuatapu – are situated off the east coast of Upolu and comprise the Aleipata Islands . The islands are approximately 800 km (500 mi) from Fiji , 530 km (330 mi) from Tonga , 2,900 km (1,800 mi) from New Zealand , and 4,000 km (2,500 mi) from Hawaii , U.S. The islands lie between 13° and 14° south latitude and 169° and 173° west longitude, and span an area of about 480 km (300 mi) from west to east. The larger islands are volcanic in origin, mountainous, and covered in tropical moist forest. Some of
200-462: Is exceeded only by the two substantially larger main islands of New Zealand Te Waipounamu and Te Ika-a-Māui as well as Rakiura , and the two main islands of Fiji and the Hawaiian islands of Hawaiʻi and Maui . The island of Upolu has more inhabitants than the island of Savai'i does. The next largest island is Tutuila , where the city and harbor of Pago Pago (with a population of 3,519 in 1990)
240-642: Is geographically distant from the Samoan archipelago. In 1892, the Samoan islands shifted to the eastern side of the International Date Line . The ruler Malietoa Laupepa issued a proclamation that Monday, July 4 would occur twice, giving an extra day in July 1892. This change, which occurred on the American Independence Day , was likely due to increasing trade with Americans. The islands would be on
280-459: Is located. Tutuila is much smaller than Upolu and Savai‘i, at 136.2 km (52.6 sq mi) in area, but it is the largest island in American Samoa. The highest point on Tutuila is Matafao Peak. Smaller islands in the archipelago include the three islets ( Manono Island , Apolima and Nu'ulopa ) located in the Apolima Strait between Savai'i and Upolu; the four Aleipata Islands off
320-629: The Congregationalist minister of Fitiuta. When the Faletolu (chiefly assembly) of Ta'u approached Elisara about taking the Tui Manu'a throne the request was initially denied on the grounds of his ministry. However, when the Berlin Act placed the Manu'a islands under the protection of the United States, he was petitioned zealously by the people of Manu'a. He accepted the leadership role and was bestowed
360-515: The American takeover in the early 20th century. Traditional oral literature of Samoa and Tonga speaks of a widespread Polynesian network or confederacy (or "empire") that was prehistorically ruled by the successive Tui Manu'a dynasties. Manu'an genealogies and religious oral literature also suggest that the Tui Manu'a had long been one of the most prestigious and powerful paramounts of the Pacific and
400-603: The Avaloa clan) was named as an obvious contender although Elisara himself refused the title in lieu of his religious calling. The other two claimants were Taofi (Also from the female branch of the larger Anoalo clan called the Falesoā clan of the Tui Manu'a family) and a young woman named Matelita (a descendant of Tui Manu'a Taliutafa Tupolo, son of Tui Manu'a Moaatoa of the Lalopu'a clan of the larger Anoalo clan). With Elisara temporarily out of
440-521: The Samoa island chain, creating an enigma for scientists. For one thing, Savai'i , the most western of the Samoa island chain, and Ta'u Island , the most eastern, both erupted in the last century. For another thing, the subaerial rock samples initially collected from Savai'i, the westernmost of the islands, are too young by several million years to fit the classic hotspot model of age progression in an island chain. These facts led some scientists to suggest that
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#1732859315841480-462: The Samoa islands are inconsistent with this theory. The classic hotspot model (based mostly on studies of the Hawaii hotspot ) predicts that, if plate movement over a hotspot is what created a volcanic island chain, then the farther away from the hotspot the islands and seamounts in the chain are, the older they will prove to be. Some of the evidence is inconsistent with this explanation for the creation of
520-466: The Samoa islands were not formed by the hotspot plume. One possible explanation for the inconsistency of the data with the hotspot formation theory is the fact that the island chain lies just north of the Tonga Trench . An alternative theory is that the islands were formed by magma seeping through cracks in stressed fracture zones. However, in 2005, an international team found new evidence that supports
560-468: The Samoan Islands is approximately 250,000. The inhabitants have in common the Samoan language , a culture known as fa'a Samoa , and an indigenous form of governance called fa'amatai . Samoans are one of the largest Polynesian populations in the world, and most are of exclusively Samoan ancestry. The oldest known evidence of human activity in the Samoan Islands dates to around 1050 BCE. It comes from
600-460: The Tui Manu'a dynasty grew through its success in obtaining control over the oceanic trade of currency goods such as finely woven ceremonial mats, whale ivory " tabua ", obsidian and basalt tools, chiefly red feathers, and seashells reserved for royalty (such as polished nautilus and the egg cowry ). Eventually, the maritime empire began to decline and a new empire rose from the South. In 950 AD,
640-502: The Tui Manu'a, one off the coast of Ta'u, called the "Trial of the Ipu". On 6 July 1904 Tui Manu'a Elisara officially ceded the islands of Manu'a to the United States through the signing of the Treaty of Cession of Manu'a . He was relegated the office of Governor of Manu'a for the term of life and the understanding that the Tui Manu'a title would follow him to the grave. He died on 1 April 1909. After
680-467: The United States possession now called American Samoa . The presidency of the United States, and the military authorities of the US Navy, supplanted the native administrative role of the Tui Manu'a, through the arrests of chiefs of the Tui Manu'a and two trials of the Tui Manu'a, one on an American warship off the coast of Ta'u, called the "Trial of the Ipu". On 6 July 1904 Tui Manu'a Elisala officially ceded
720-650: The activity of the Samoa hotspot at the eastern end of the Samoa Islands. In theory, that hotspot was created by the movement of the Pacific tectonic plate over a 'fixed' deep and narrow mantle plume spewing up through the Earth's crust. One piece of evidence that this activity may have created the islands is that they generally lie in a straight east-to-west line, and the plate is moving from east to west. However, some characteristics of
760-461: The administration. Governor Edward Stanley Kellogg opposed the bestowal and had the new Tui Manu'a brought to Tutuila where he was prevented from exercising the powers of his office. The Governor did not recognise the title on the basis that a monarchy was incompatible within the framework of the Constitution of the United States , and the previous Tui Manu'a had pledged to be the last person to hold
800-410: The brother of Tui Manu'a Matelita who reigned between 1890 and 1895, was named Tui Manu'a by the general assembly of the Faletolu and Anoalo . American officials were worried that the Manu'ans were restoring a "king" who would cause trouble for the administration. Governor Edward Stanley Kellogg opposed the bestowal and had the new Tui Manu'a brought to Tutuila where he was prevented from exercising
840-566: The central South Pacific , forming part of Polynesia and of the wider region of Oceania . Administratively , the archipelago comprises all of the Independent State of Samoa and most of American Samoa (apart from Swains Island , which is geographically part of the Tokelau Islands ). The land masses of the two Samoan jurisdictions are separated by 64 km (40 mi; 35 nmi) of ocean at their closest points. The population of
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#1732859315841880-586: The early Tongan kings and thus were never occupied by the Tongans, allowing for it to remain under Tui Manu'a rule. By the time of the tenth Tu’i Tonga Momo, and his successor, Tuʻitātui, the Tu'i Tonga's empire had grown to include much of the former domains of the Tui Fiti and Tui Manu'a. The expulsion of the Tongans in the 13th century from neighbouring Upolu and Savaii would not lead to the islands returning to Tui Manu'a but to
920-427: The eastern end of Upolu ( Nu'utele , Nu'ulua , Namua , and Fanuatapu ); and Nu‘usafe‘e. Aunu'u is a small island off the eastern end of Tutuila. To the east of Tutuila, the Manu'a group comprises Ofu, Olosega , and Ta’u . An uninhabited coral atoll, Rose Atoll , is the southernmost point in the territory of the United States. Another coral atoll, Swains Island , is within the territory of American Samoa but
960-483: The female branches of the larger Anoalo clan called the Avaloa clan in the Tui Manu'a family) was the successor of Tui Manu'a Tauveve, also from the Falesoā clan. Shortly after the death of Tui Manu'a Alalamua a vigorous debate ensued among potential heirs. From the three main branches of the Tui Manu'a family, three candidates emerged from each clan as each endorsed by their own branches of the Tui Manu'a family and their political allies: Alaalamua's own son, Elisara (from
1000-431: The first Tu'i Tonga 'Aho'eitu started to expand his rule outside of Tonga. Samoa's Savaii, Upolu and Tutuila islands were to eventually succumb to Tongan rule, and would remain part of the empire for almost 400 years. However, as the ancestral homeland of the Tu'i Tonga dynasty and the abode of deities such as Tagaloa 'Eitumatupu'a, Tonga Fusifonua, and Tavatavaimanuka, the Manu'a islands of Samoa were considered sacred by
1040-441: The first Tui Manu'a was a direct descendant of the Samoan supreme god, Tagaloa . In Samoan lore, the islands of Manu'a (Ofu, Olosega, and Ta'u) are always the first lands to be created or drawn from the sea; consequently the Tui Manu'a is the first human ruler mentioned. This "senior" ranking of the Tui Manu'a title continues to be esteemed and acknowledged by Samoans despite the fact that the title itself has not been occupied since
1080-406: The first pre-eminent ruler of all Samoa. Oral history suggests that the Tui Manu'a kings governed a confederacy of far-flung islands which included Fiji , Tonga as well as smaller western Pacific chiefdoms and Polynesian outliers such as Uvea , Futuna , Tokelau , and Tuvalu . Commerce and exchange routes between the western Polynesian societies is well documented and it is speculated that
1120-443: The hotspot model. They gathered additional samples from Savai'i – submarine samples from the deep flanks and rifts of the island. Tests found that these samples are much older than the previously collected samples: They are about five million years old, an age that fits the hotspot model. The 2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami killed more than 170 people in the Samoa Islands and Tonga . The M8.1 submarine earthquake took place in
1160-747: The islands between the United States , Germany , and the United Kingdom resulted in the December 1899 Tripartite Convention , which formally partitioned the Samoan archipelago into a German colony ( German Samoa ) in the western half and a United States territory (American Samoa) in the eastern half. New Zealand began occupying the western islands in World War I, while they were still a German colony and continued as an occupying force until 1920. Then, from 1920 until Samoa's independence in 1962, New Zealand governed
1200-489: The islands in that group under a League of Nations Class C Mandate from 1920 to 1946, and as a United Nations Trust Territory from 1946 to 1962. The force that eventually led to the political independence of the western islands in 1962 was the pro-independence Mau movement , which gained popularity across the area. The eastern islands remain a political territory of the United States. The Samoan Islands has total of 18 islands spread 3,030 km (1,170 sq mi) in
1240-412: The islands of Manu'a to the United States through the signing of the Treaty of Cession of Manu'a . He was relegated the office of Governor of Manu'a for the term of life and the understanding that the Tui Manu'a title would follow him to the grave. He died on 2 July 1909. After a fifteen-year break, the office was revived in 1924 when Chris Young , a member of the Anoalo clan of the Tui Manu'a family and
Tui Manuʻa Elisala - Misplaced Pages Continue
1280-410: The paramount title of Tui Manu'a on the island of Ta'u on 25 October 1899. The Manu'a islands were grouped with Tutuila and Aunu'u as the United States possession now called American Samoa . The presidency of the United States, and the military authorities of the US Navy, supplanted the native administrative role of the Tui Manu'a, through the arrests of his talking chiefs and eventually two trials of
1320-479: The powers of his office. The Governor did not recognise the title on the basis that a monarchy was incompatible within the framework of the Constitution of the United States , stating that the previous Tui Manu'a had pledged under duress to be the last person to hold the title. The descendants of Tui Manu'a are numerous. Samoan Islands The Samoan Islands ( Samoan : Motu o Sāmoa ) are an archipelago covering 3,030 km (1,170 sq mi) in
1360-470: The region at 06:48:11 local time on September 29, 2009 (17:48:11 UTC , September 29), followed by smaller aftershocks. It was the largest earthquake of 2009. The Vailulu'u Seamount , an active submerged volcano, lies 45 km (28 mi) east of Ta'u in American Samoa . It was discovered in 1975 and has since been studied by an international team of scientists, contributing towards understanding of
1400-643: The rise of a new dominant polity in the western isles: the Malietoa, whose feats in liberating Samoa from the Tongan occupants led to the establishment of a new political order in Upolu and Savaii which remained unchallenged for nearly 300 years. Although the Tui Manu'a would never again regain rulership of the surrounding islands, it is permanently held in high esteem as the progenitor of the great Samoan and Tongan lineages. The Manu'a islands were grouped with Tutuila and Aunu'u as
1440-511: The same day as the United States. By 2011, the government of independent Samoa decided to shift back to the western side in order to have the same day as Australia and New Zealand. Being one day behind these countries, Samoa's primary trading partners, left only four business days in a week. The shift was implemented by skipping Friday, December 30; workers were paid for this "missed" day. Neighboring Tokelau shifted as well on this day. The volcanic Samoa island chain may have been formed by
1480-619: The smaller islands are coral atolls with black sand beaches. The highest point in Samoa is Mt. Silisili , on the island of Savai'i . At 1,858 m (6,096 ft), it is also one of the highest peaks in Polynesia. The highest peak in American Samoa is on Ta’u , Lata Mountain , at 966 m (3,169 ft). Upolu and Savai'i in Samoa are among the largest of the Polynesian islands, at 1,718 km (663 sq mi) and 1,125 km (434 sq mi), respectively, Their size
1520-412: The succession, Taofi remained as one of the lesser direct heir and his party named him Tui Manu'a. Matelita's party, however, was able to amass even more support for her campaign (mainly through her male-side lineage of the Lalopu'a clan of the Tui Manu'a family and Eastern and Western Samoan relatives of her half-caste father Arthur Stephen "Pa'u" Young); Makerita capitulated to her sovereignty and she held
1560-618: The title until her death in 1895 which is shrouded in suspicion. After Tui Manuʻa Makeritas death, the Faletolu requested that Elisara Alaalamua take the title, in 1899 chiefly assembly of the Faletolu and Anoalo appointed the title to one of the female branches the Avaloa clan from Alaalamua's line by persuading Elisara to take the throne. Tui Manu’a Elisara Alalamua attended the London Missionary Society seminary in Malua on 'Upolu island and returned to his native village where he served as
1600-503: The title. Tui Manu%27a The Tuʻi Manuʻa Confederacy , or Samoan Empire , are descriptions sometimes given to Samoan expansionism and projected hegemony in Oceania which began with the founding of the Tui Manu'a title. Traditional oral literature of Samoa and Manu'a talks of a widespread Polynesian network or confederacy (or "empire"). The Tui Manu'a is the oldest title of Ancient Samoa. According to Samoan oral histories,
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