Satupa'itea

Satupa'itea
—  District  —
Stone Methodist church, Satupa'itea circa 1908
Map of Samoa showing Satupa'itea district
Country  Samoa
District
Time zone -11

Satupa'itea is a large village district with four sub-villages on the south east coast of Savai'i Island in Samoa.

In the country's modern political divisions, Satupa'itea is also a Political District (Itumalo), one of 11 in the country, which now includes the traditional area of Salega.

Contents

Satupa'itea village enclave

The four villages in Satupa'itea village enclave are Moasula, Pitonu'u, Satufia and Vaega. The total population of Satupa'itea village enclave is 1799 (2006 Census).[1]

Satupa'itea Political District

In modern politics, Satupa'itea district incorporates the larger traditional area of Salega (population 3,461).[2]

Geographically, the district consists of two divisions separated by Palauli district.

The paramount chiefly title of the district is Tonumaipe'a, with special relevance in the Alataua sub-district (the western half of the district).

1800s Methodist mission

During the 19th century, Satupa'itea was an important stronghold for the early Methodist mission in Samoa. The English Methodist missionary George Brown (1835–1917) arrived in Samoa in 1860 and lived with his wife Lydia in Satupa'itea.[3] They lived in a bamboo hut for the first two years and later constructed a mission house. In 1863, Brown began to train teachers at Satupa'itea for the ministry.[4] The 'training' for the Methodist ministry was later established, in 1868, at Lufilufi on the north coast of Upolu island as the Piula Theological College.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Population and Housing Census Report 2006". Samoa Bureau of Statistics. July 2008. http://www.sbs.gov.ws/Portals/138/PDF/census%20survey/Table%202.%20Population%20byregion,%20faipule%20district%202006.pdf. Retrieved 16 December 2009. 
  2. ^ "Samoa Territorial Constituencies Act 1963". Pacific Islands Legal Information Institute. http://www.paclii.org/ws/legis/consol_act/tca1963317/. Retrieved 15 December 2009. 
  3. ^ "Pacific Island Culture and Society, Publisher's Note". Adam Matthew Publications. http://www.adam-matthew-publications.co.uk/digital_guides/pacific_island_culture/Publishers-Note.aspx. Retrieved 6 February 2010. 
  4. ^ Garrett, John (1982). To Live Among the Stars: Christian origins in Oceania. University of the South Pacific. p. 128. ISBN 2825406929. http://books.google.co.nz/books?id=b7HYexAnWCoC&pg=PA128&dq=Satupa'itea+Methodist&lr=&cd=1#v=onepage&q=Satupa'itea%20Methodist&f=false. Retrieved 6 February 2010.