Country Samoa Time zone -11 Local time Wednesday 10:50 PM | District Vaisigano Climate Am Population 563 (2006) | |
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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.
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Map of Auala, Samoa
The village has a semi-subsistence economy and the people rely mainly on fishing, farming and remittances from family members working overseas or in Apia, the country's capital on the island of Upolu.
Like most villages in Samoa, the people live in extended family groups with all land and natural resources belonging to the village as a whole under the government of the Village Council of Chiefs (fono). All the families are represented in the fono as well as the Women's Committee. There are six extended families made up of five families with tulafale oratory chiefly status and one of High Chief status. Auala's high chief titles (matai) are Leali'ifanolevalevale and Tapu which have been passed down by many generations. The other five family chiefly titles are Moe, Paiali'i, Sululoto, Matamea and Ta'avao.
Auala has two malae (open areas serving as the village ceremonial commons), Falefa'aea and Asoto'elau. There are two Taupou names in Auala, Filiamata and Meapua'a; these are the names given to the daughters of the high chief and they perform the Samoa 'ava ceremony and Taualuga. There are two churches in the village which has a fairly small coastal frontage fringed by a reef.
The neighbouring villages are Vaisala and Asau.
Marine Park
Auala bay is a conservation area with a turtle habitat which is being managed by the Auala Women's Committee.
Communications
The committee also run a feso'ota'i centre (telecentre/ICT centre). This makes ICT available for people to keep in touch and up-to-date with the latest technologies in the world. Fair prices and a variety of services including, internet, passport photos, family and group photos, colour printing, copying, scanning, phone, fax, webcam, projector hire and CD burning give people access to a variety of services they previously would have had to travel to the capital for.