| Official Name: | Falealupo |
| Settlement Type: | Village & Electoral Constituency |
| Pushpin Map: | Samoa |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | |
| Subdivision Name: |  Samoa |
| Subdivision Type1: | District |
| Subdivision Name1: | Vaisigano |
| Population As Of: | 2016 |
| Population Total: | 545 |
| Timezone: | +13 |
| Coordinates: | -13.5025°N -172.7897°W |
| Footnotes: | Falealupo-uta (inland) & Falealupo-tai (coast) |
Falealupo is a village in Samoa situated at the west end of Savai'i island 20miles from the International Date Line used until 29 December 2011.[1] The village has two main settlements, Falealupo-Uta, situated inland by the main island highway and Falealupo-Tai, situated by the sea. The road to the coastal settlement is about 9 km, most of it unsealed, from the main highway. The village's population is 545.[2]
Due to its location in the west of the country, and because Samoa was just to the east of the International Date Line,[3] Falealupo has been described as "the last village in the world to see the sunset of each day". This has now changed, as the Samoan government has moved the International Date Line east of the country in 2011.[4]
Families have moved inland for the convenience of living by the main road near public transport, as well as the extensive damage to the coastal village from cyclones in the early 1990s, which left behind old church ruins along the coast. There are rock pools, caves, and sandy beaches in the area. Falealupo-Uta has small shops and facilities for Western Union money transfer while there are beach fale accommodation and a shop at Falealupo-tai.
The settlement is part of Falealupo Electoral Constituency (Faipule District) which forms part of the larger political district of Vaisigano.[5]
Roman Catholic Cardinal Pio Taofinu'u (1923–2006), the first Polynesian bishop and cardinal, was born in Falealupo and attended the village school.[6]
Falealupo is mentioned in different myths and legends in Samoan mythology.
In the sea at the farthest point of the peninsula, the Fafā-o-Sauali’i, an outcropping of volcanic rocks, is said in legend to be the gateway to the underworld Pulotu, where aitu, the spirits of deceased persons, reside.[7]
The ruler of Pulotu is Saveasi'uleo, the father of Nafanua, a goddess of war from Falealupo. Another legend tells that Nafanua's mother is Tilafaiga, who brought the art of Samoan tattoo with her sister Taema from Fiti. The village is also associated with the legend of Moso.
Nafanua, the goddess of war, fertility, and tattooing, is revered as the protector of her home village of Falealupo in Samoa.
The History of the TātauIt is believed that the tatau, a traditional form of Samoan tattooing, was introduced to Samoa in the village of Falealupo. The origins of the tatau in Falealupo are steeped in legends and stories, passed down through generations of Samoans. The tatau was introduced to Samoa by two sisters, Taema and Tilafaiga, who brought it over from Fiti. Their story is often recounted in the Tatau Samoa Song, which tells of how they travelled to Samoa and sang a song that emphasized that only women should receive the tatau, not men. However, upon reaching Falealupo, they spotted a large clam and dived to see it. When they resurfaced, their song had changed to indicate that men, not women, should receive the tatau.
House of RockThe phrase "e au le inailau a tamaitai" originates from an ancient Samoan legend that tells a story of the village people of Falealupo; a group of women completed the thatching of a fale's roof before the men did. This proverb exemplifies the strong work ethic of Samoan women and their resolute commitment to accomplishing their goals, no matter the challenges they may face. It underscores the value and importance that Samoan society places on the contributions of women, portraying them as skilled and determined members of their communities.
Falealupo land include large tracts of lowland rainforest. Most of Samoa's land is locally village owned under customary land governed by family matai, the chiefly heads of extended families. In 1990 the Samoan government gave the remote village of Falealupo an ultimatum to build a better school or teachers would be removed and their children would not be educated. Education in Samoa is a partnership between villages and the government, and with most of the land under customary ownership, villages provide land and school buildings with the government providing teachers and the curriculum.[8] Most of the island's economy is based on subsistence living from plantations and fishing and with no other source of revenue, the villagers sold logging rights to their rainforests. Before the logging could take place, however, Seacology co-founder and chairman Paul Alan Cox, an American ethnobotanist who had lived with his family in the village, discovered that the pristine rainforests surrounding the village of Falealupo were to be logged. Cox worked with the village chiefs and promised to raise the funds for the school in exchange for a covenant protecting the 30000acres rainforest.[9] The Falealupo Rainforest School was constructed, and the village bestowed matai titles on Paul Cox, Ken Murdock, and Rex Maughan. In recognition of his achievement, in 1997 Cox together with the late High Chief Fuiono Senio shared the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize. Cox donated his share of the prize to Seacology, which uses the funds to maintain the Falealupo Rainforest Canopy Aerial Walkway, dedicated in 1997. Seacology funded the walkway, which is owned and operated by the village, in order to help the community generate revenues from eco-tourism. At the ceremonial dedication, it was announced that the village would extend the 50-year covenant and promised to protect the rainforest in perpetuity.
In 1989, Cox was bestowed a matai chief title, Nafanua, by Falealupo in honour of his work.[10] The title is registered with the Samoan Lands and Title Court.
In 1999, the village announced that beginning 1 January 2000 monthly tourist revenues from the aerial canopy walkway would be used to fund a modest retirement fund for village elders. In February 2008, the canopy walkway was closed due to rot in the 10m wooden tower leading up to the aerial rope walkway and platforms in a giant banyan tree. Seacology funded and constructed a new aluminium tower which was completed and opened on 10 June 2010.[11]
Entry to the Falealupo rainforest walkway is about 2 km from the main road, on the way to the Falealupo Tai. A modest fee is charged by the village to visitors who wish to ascend the walkway.
Notable Samoans from Falealupo include;