Le Mamea Matatumua Ata was one of the framers of the

Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. When these pri ...

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 ...

. He held senior positions under the German colonial government of Samoa,

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

Trusteeship of Samoa and in the Independent State of Samoa. He held the high chief ( ''matai'') title Le Mamea from Matautu,

Lefaga Lefaga is a village district on the south west coast of the island of Upolu in Samoa. The American movie Return to Paradise (1953 film), Return to Paradise (1953), starring Gary Cooper was filmed at Matautu village (Lefaga), Matautu village in Lefa ...

and the orator title Matatumua from Faleasi'u. For his work, he was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in the 1960 Queen's Birthday Honours. He also played the role of Tonga in '' Return to Paradise'' a South Seas drama film starring Gary Cooper released by United Artists in 1953. ''Return to Paradise'' was filmed on location in Matautu, Lefaga.

Family

Le Mamea Matatumua was the son of Faletoese Lipano a Samoan pastor and educator who was asked by the German Governor Dr. Solf to come to Apia in order to establish the government school at Malifa in 1909. His paternal grandfather was Vaaelua Petaia a Samoan pastor and one of those who helped translate the bible into Samoan. Le Mamea's uncles Le Mamea Makalau was Minister of the interior in the King

Malietoa Laupepa Susuga Malietoa Laupepa (1841 – 22 August 1898) was the ruler ( Malietoa) of Samoa in the late 19th century. He was first crowned in 1875. During his tenure as King, he fought constant warfare from many contenders to the throne, these battles ...

government as well as envoy plenipotentiary to the United States. Another uncle Teo Tuvale was Secretary to Government and Chief Justice. Le Mamea Matatumua was married to Faalelei Masinalupe with whom he had five children. Following her death in childbirth he latter married Faleluafua with whom he had four children. One of his brothers, Tepa worked for the printing office of the London Missionary Society in Apia and was also responsible for going to the

Gilbert Islands The Gilbert Islands (;Reilly Ridgell. ''Pacific Nations and Territories: The Islands of Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia.'' 3rd. Ed. Honolulu: Bess Press, 1995. p. 95. formerly Kingsmill or King's-Mill IslandsVery often, this name applied o ...

(

Kiribati Kiribati, officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an island country in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania in the central Pacific Ocean. Its permanent population is over 119,000 as of the 2020 census, and more than half live on Tarawa. The st ...

) to establish a printing press while his other brother Tuuu Kenape Faletoese was a civil servant in the German and New Zealand administrations before going to

Malua Malua is a small village on the Samoan island of Upolu. The name originates from the Samoan word "Maluapapa" which is translated 'shelter under the rock'. It is located on the northwestern coast of the island in the electoral constituency (''faip ...

to train as a pastor. He later also worked with George Milner on the Samoan Dictionary. Le Mamea's eldest daughter,

Laulu Fetauimalemau Mata'afa The music of Finland can be roughly divided into folk music, classical and contemporary art music, and contemporary popular music. The folk music of Finland belongs to a broader musical tradition, common amongst Balto-Finnic people, sung in ...

was a teacher, member of parliament and ambassador who was married to the paramount chief Fiame Mata'afa Faumuina Mulinu’u II, the first

Prime Minister of Samoa The prime minister of the Independent State of Samoa () is the head of government of Independent State of Samoa, Samoa. The prime minister is a member of the Legislative Assembly of Samoa, Legislative Assembly, and is appointed by the O le Ao o ...

. Another daughter Matatumua Maimoana was the first Samoan Superintendent of Nursing, she also became a member of parliament. Both sisters and their brother-in-law Nonumalo Sofara who was married to their sister Eni were founding members of the

Human Rights Protection Party The Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP, ) is a Samoan political party. It was founded in 1979 and dominated Samoan party politics for decades thereafter, leading every government until their defeat in 2021. Former Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele ...

(HRPP). One of his granddaughters,

Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa Afioga Fiamē Naomi Mataafa (; born 29 April 1957) is a Samoan politician and High Chief (''Faʻamatai, matai'') who has served as the seventh prime minister of Samoa, Prime Minister of Samoa since 2021. The daughter of Samoa's first Prime Mi ...

has served as the

prime minister of Samoa The prime minister of the Independent State of Samoa () is the head of government of Independent State of Samoa, Samoa. The prime minister is a member of the Legislative Assembly of Samoa, Legislative Assembly, and is appointed by the O le Ao o ...

since 2021 when she became the first woman elected as prime minister of Samoa. Another, Hinauri Petana was Financial Secretary and is the Samoan High Commissioner to Australia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ata, Le Mamea Matatumua Officers of the Order of the British Empire Year of birth missing Year of death missing Samoan chiefs 20th-century Samoan politicians Samoan male film actors Mataʻafa family Samoan actors Samoan film actors Samoan civil servants

Family

See also

References