Lauaki Namulauulu Mamoe

Last updated December 11, 2024

Lauaki Namulau'ulu Mamoe (died 14 December 1915) (also known as Lauati) was a renowned orator chief and the first leader of the Mau, a resistance movement in Samoa during colonialism.^[1] Mamoe was exiled to Saipan in 1909. He died in 1915 as he was taken back to Samoa.

He was from Safotulafai, the capital of Fa'asaleleaga political district on the island of Savai'i.^[2] The family matai chief title Namulau'ulu was from Safotulafai and the other chief title Lauaki came from Tonga.^[3] Mamoe was the first of his family to hold both the Namulauulu and the Lauaki titles, inherited through good service from the true heirs of the Namulauulu family. Uncertain of the outcome of his trial under German rule, he decided to bestow the title 'Namulauulu' on his younger brother, Pulali, who was also exiled and died before being allowed to return to Samoa.namulauululaki was the leader of the mau a pule and also the mau a Samoa in 1803

Le Mau o Pule

The resistance movement led by Lauaki on Savai'i was called Mau a Pule (1908) which later grew into the national Mau movement.^[4] The Mau a Pule represented chiefs protesting against losing their traditional Samoan authority under the colonial administration headed by German Governor Wilhelm Solf. The Mau a Pule represented traditional Samoa with none or little European influence in its methods or organisation.^[5] Lauati depended on the chiefly elite of Savai'i to organise Mau a Pule support.

Pule is the traditional designation given to the Chiefs who represent the big island of Savaii and who were affiliated with the Sa Malietoa royal family. Lauaki Namulau'ulu held the position of high talking chief for Pule when the traditional power brokers of Samoa met to determine matters of national importance. Samoa's main traditional power brokers were Pule and Tumua. Tumua being the Main Chiefs who are from the island of Upolu and who supported the royal families of Tama Aiga. Upolu is the second largest island in the Samoan archipelago. The competition and rivalry between these two powerful traditional cadres of chieftains fueled the dynamics of Samoa's traditional political structure.

Lauaki and his followers were not ready to concede their authority as the decision makers for Samoa to a foreign power. This was the impetus for the Mau a Pule movement which sought to retain the authority of the Traditional political structure which was based on thousands of years of historical events, cultural designations and achievements. This indigenous structure in Lauaki's opinion, as well as many other Samoan Chiefs including Mata'afa Iosefo, who fought against foreign interference with Samoan traditional authority, was too deeply entrenched in Samoa's cultural structure, thus it was unacceptable to Lauaki for Samoans to live in a world where the Samoan way was relegated to irrelevancy.

Exile

In the first months of 1909, Governor Solf called in the military to quash Lauaki and the Mau a Pule on Savai'i. Four warships and troops from the East Asia Squadron arrived. The warships cordoned off Savai'i from Upolu.^[1]

On 1 April 1909 Lauaki surrendered with other Safotulafai chiefs and Mau a Pule supporters. They were arrested and trialed.^[6] On 19 April 1909, Lauaki and 71 members of the Mau a Pule^[7] were exiled to Saipan (German colony) in the Mariana Islands aboard the ship SMS Jaguar. The other Mau a Pule leaders included I'iga Pisa, Asiata Tautoloa, Leiataua Mana, Namulauulu Pulali, Tuilagi Letasi.

Among the exiles were women and children including Lauaki's wife Sivaotele and their only child, Tivoli. Lauaki never saw Samoa again and many of those banished died in exile. Years later, some of the exiles returned to Samoa.^[8]

On 18 December 1915, some of those banished returned from Saipan. They were Leiataua Mana, Taupau Pauesi, Tagaloa and Malaeulu. The bones of Asiata Taetoloa, Tevaga, Letasi, Tuilagi and members of their families who had died in Saipan were also brought back.

Lauki's younger brother died in Saipan.^[9]

While some of the exiles had returned to Samoa carrying the bones of those that had died on Saipan, Lauaki had fallen ill and had been forced to stop with his family on Tarawa island in the Gilbert Islands. Namulauulu Lauaki was the first Samoan to show nationalism, patriotic and loyal feeling for his country Samoa.

Death

On 15 January 1916, Sivaotele, Lauaki's wife, and their son arrived back in Samoa aboard the steamer Atua. They brought the news that Lauaki had died at 10pm on 14 December 1915^[10] on Tarawa.^[11]

Legacy

After Lauaki's death and by the late 1920s, the Mau movement had gathered widespread support in Samoa. One of the Mau leaders in the 1920s was Olaf Frederick Nelson, a merchant born in Safune to a Samoan mother and Swedish father. Nelson was also exiled from Samoa.

Samoa gained political independence in 1962.

Related Research Articles

Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, consisting of two main islands ; two smaller, inhabited islands ; and several smaller, uninhabited islands, including the Aleipata Islands. Samoa is located 64 km (40 mi) west of American Samoa, 889 km (552 mi) northeast of Tonga, 1,152 km (716 mi) northeast of Fiji, 483 km (300 mi) east of Wallis and Futuna, 1,151 km (715 mi) southeast of Tuvalu, 519 km (322 mi) south of Tokelau, 4,190 km (2,600 mi) southwest of Hawaii, and 610 km (380 mi) northwest of Niue. The capital and largest city is Apia. The Lapita people discovered and settled the Samoan Islands around 3,500 years ago. They developed a Samoan language and Samoan cultural identity.

The Samoan Islands were first settled some 3,500 years ago as part of the Austronesian expansion. Both Samoa's early history and its more recent history are strongly connected to the histories of Tonga and Fiji, nearby islands with which Samoa has long had genealogical links as well as shared cultural traditions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">German Samoa</span> German colony in Oceania (1900–1920)

German Samoa was a German protectorate from 1900 to 1920, consisting of the islands of Upolu, Savai'i, Apolima and Manono, now wholly within the Independent State of Samoa, formerly Western Samoa. Samoa was the last German colonial acquisition in the Pacific basin, received following the Tripartite Convention signed at Washington on 2 December 1899 with ratifications exchanged on 16 February 1900. It was the only German colony in the Pacific, aside from the Jiaozhou Bay Leased Territory in China, that was administered separately from German New Guinea.

The Mau was a non-violent movement for Samoan independence from colonial rule during the first half of the 20th century. Mau means 'resolute' or 'resolved' in the sense of 'opinion', 'unwavering', 'to be decided', or 'testimony'; also denoting 'firm strength' in Samoan. The motto for the Mau were the words Samoa mo Samoa. Similarly in Hawaiian Mau means to strive or persevere, and is often linked with Hawaiian poetry relating to independence and sovereignty struggles.

Savaiʻi is the largest and highest island both in Samoa and in the Samoan Islands chain. The island is also the sixth largest in Polynesia, behind the three main islands of New Zealand and the Hawaiian Islands of Hawaii and Maui. While it is larger than the second main island, Upolu, it is significantly less populated.

Aʻana is a district of Samoa. It is on the western third of Upolu island, with a small exclave surrounded by Aiga-i-le-Tai. It has an area of 193 km² and a population of 23,265. The main centre is Leulumoega.

Gagaʻemauga is a district on the island of Savaiʻi in Samoa. The district is situated on the central north side of Savaiʻi. The name 'Gagaʻemauga' literally means "near side of the mountain", meaning the eastern side of the mountain chain running through the centre of Savaiʻi Island.

Tuamāsaga is a district of Samoa, with a population of 95,907. This makes it the most populous district in Samoa. The geographic area of Tuamasaga covers the central part of Upolu island, and includes the capital, Apia.

Faʻasaleleaga is a district of Samoa situated on the eastern side of Savaiʻi island. It has a population of 13,566.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malietoa Tanumafili I</span> Malietoa

Susuga Malietoa Tanumafili I was the Malietoa in Samoa from 1898 until his death in 1939. After the death of his father, Malietoa Laupepa, who was recognized as king of Samoa by many Western countries, Tanumafili was immediately crowned, with Tupua Tamasese Lealofi I serving as vice-king. Tanumafili was backed by the United States and United Kingdom, however Germany supported rebel chief Mata‘afa Iosefo who was eyeing the throne. The battle between the two made up the Second Samoan Civil War and in the end caused the Tripartite Convention that split the islands. After the war, Malietoa pursued education in Fiji and then came back to Samoa, where he was appointed as an advisor.

Le Susuga Malietoa Talavou Tonumaipeʻa was installed as "King" of Samoa to the western world on August 28, 1879, until his death on November 9, 1880. Since Malietoa Talavou's half brother's death, Malietoa Moli in 1860, ongoing wars due to power and authority struggle between Talavou and Laupepa over the next Malietoa title holder and the gaining of support by the districts of Samoa. Family rivalry existed as did a 30-year age difference drew a wedge between Malietoa Laupepa and Malietoa Talavou. They were known to be longtime rivals over the Malietoa title.

Matautu is the name of different villages in Samoa. Places named Matautu are found on the two largest islands, Upolu and Savaiʻi.

Safotulafai is a traditional village at the east end of Savai'i island with historical and political significance in Samoa's history. It is the traditional center of the island of Savaii, now became the center of Fa'asaleleaga political district.

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Thomas Andrew was a New Zealand photographer who lived in Samoa from 1891 until his death in 1939.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fatausi</span> Village in Safotulafai, Samoa

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References

1 2 , International Dictionary of Historic Places: Asia and Oceania by Trudy Ring, Robert M. Salkin, Paul E Schellinger, Sharon La Boda, p. 726
↑ , An Account of Samoan History up to 1918, Chapter V, A Record of Events in Samoa since 1822 by Te'o Tuvale
↑ , Collections, Te Papa National Museum of NZ
↑ "Mau a Pule – Samoan political movement".
↑ Guardians of the West by Albert Wendt, p.29. Retrieved 31 October 2009
↑ , Protest and Dissent in the Colonial Pacific by Peter J. Hempenstall & Noel Rutherford, p. 28
↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 February 2009. Retrieved 7 March 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
↑ From An Account of Samoan History up to 1918 by Samoan historian Teo Tuvale.
↑ Guardians of the West by Albert Wendt, p.28. Retrieved 31 October 2009
↑ , An Account of Samoan History up to 1918 by Te'o Tuvale, p. 99
↑ "Tapuitea, Vol. II, No. 27, 20 November 2007, Government of American Samoa" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 May 2008. Retrieved 24 September 2013.

External links

NZ Electronic Text Centre: "An Account of Samoa History up to 1918" by Te'o Tuvale

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[test-1] 1 2 , International Dictionary of Historic Places: Asia and Oceania by Trudy Ring, Robert M. Salkin, Paul E Schellinger, Sharon La Boda, p. 726

[2] , An Account of Samoan History up to 1918, Chapter V, A Record of Events in Samoa since 1822 by Te'o Tuvale

[3] , Collections, Te Papa National Museum of NZ

[4] "Mau a Pule – Samoan political movement".

[5] Guardians of the West by Albert Wendt, p.29. Retrieved 31 October 2009

[6] , Protest and Dissent in the Colonial Pacific by Peter J. Hempenstall & Noel Rutherford, p. 28

[7] "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 February 2009. Retrieved 7 March 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[8] From An Account of Samoan History up to 1918 by Samoan historian Teo Tuvale.

[9] Guardians of the West by Albert Wendt, p.28. Retrieved 31 October 2009

[10] , An Account of Samoan History up to 1918 by Te'o Tuvale, p. 99

[11] "Tapuitea, Vol. II, No. 27, 20 November 2007, Government of American Samoa" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 May 2008. Retrieved 24 September 2013.

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