The Palauli to Gataivai districts on Savai’i’s south coast have extensive signs of inland habitation away from the coast in prehistoric times, with platforms, pathways, walls, starmounds and umu ele’ele all visible in both ground surveys and LiDAR imagery.
But almost none of these long-forgotten villages have known names.
An interesting exception are eight abandoned villages that were mapped by legendary New Zealand soil scientist, A.C.S. ‘Tony’ Wright, who explored extensively over both Upolu and Savai’i in 1956 in the course of his definitive soil survey which was published several years later.
Doubtless, Mr Wright worked closely with locals in all the areas he walked and it would have been guides and informants, probably from the villages of Sili and Gataivai, who imparted the retained local knowledge that has given us the names of the abandoned villages shown in this edited Google Earth image based on a NZ Geological Survey Map of 1958.
The eight villages are in the uplands near the Alia Tufu and Lata Rivers and, in part, lead towards Samoa’s highest waterfall, the spectacular Sinaloa Falls (see photo), in the equally spectacular Vanu River Canyon.
American archaeologist, Stuart D. Scott, walked some of the land north of Sili around 1970 and reckoned that the chain of old villages indicated, “that in former times this was one of the most heavily favoured regions of the island’s south side.” There is certainly no one up there these days.
The villages would have had a reasonable water supply, even in dry periods (apart from Mutia?) before the flows went underground. Probably, eels were also readily available. And being surrounded by some of the most primeval forest in the islands these upland villagers would also have had a plentiful supply of bird flesh for food.
(Note: it is possible that Tony Wright acknowledged his informants by name in his publication, Soils and Land Use of Western Samoa, Govt Printer, Wellington, NZ Soil Bureau. Bulletin 22, 1963, but it has not been possible to source a copy for this article.)
About the Author
Tony Brunt
Tony Brunt is a writer, historian, and photo archivist based in Auckland, New Zealand. He serves as Photo Archivist & Consultant at the Museum of Samoa. His work brings light to overlooked Pacific histories using personal archives, photography, and field research. Tony has also served in various public and civic roles in New Zealand, including on the Wellington City Council and as a former Executive Councillor at the NZ Academy of Fine Arts.
