Falelima is a village on the southwest corner of
Savai'i island in
Samoa
Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...
. The village is part of the electoral constituency (''Faipule District'') Alataua West which forms part of the larger political district of
Vaisigano
Vaisigano is a political district at the western tip of Savai'i island in Samoa. The capital of the district is Asau.
This area is also referred to as 'Itu Asau' (Asau district) in the Samoan language.
The population of Vaisigano is 6,543 ...
. The village's population is 412.
Mythology
In
Samoan mythology
Samoan culture tells stories of many different deities. There were deities of the forest, the seas, rain, harvest, villages, and war. There were two types of deities, ''atua'', who had non-human origins, and ''aitu'', who were of human origin.
Ta ...
, the village of Falelima is associated with a powerful spirit called Nifoloa.
The following is an explanation of the myth told in the words of Samoan historian
Teo Tuvale
Teo Tuvale (26 August 1855 – December 1919) was a notable Samoan historian who served terms as Chief Justice and Secretary to Government in Samoa during the era of colonialism.
Tuvale is the author of ''An account of Samoan History up to 1918' ...
(1855–1919) in the publication ''An Account of Samoan History up to 1918''.
References
Populated places in Vaisigano
{{Samoa-geo-stub