Sapapalii is a village on the north east coast of
Savaii 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 ...
. It is the village where
John Williams
John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (November 15, 2022)Classic Connection review, ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...
, the first missionary to bring Christianity to Samoa, landed in 1830.
Lagaga: a short history of Western Samoa By Malama Meleisea & Penelope Schoeffel Meleisea Sapapali'i is in the
Fa'asaleleaga political district and has a population of 896.
Sapapalii became the second
Malietoa
Mālietoa ( ''Mālietoa'') is a state dynasty and one of the four paramount chiefly titles of Samoa. It is the titular head of one of the two great royal families of Samoa: Sā Malietoa. Literally translated as "great warrior", the title's orig ...
base in the district in 1750 when Malietoa Tia married a woman from the village. Their son Malietoa Fitisemanu was the father of Malietoa Vaiinupo who received Williams in 1830.
Sapapalii is north of
Salelologa
Salelologa () is a village district at the east end of Savai'i island in Samoa. It is the main entry point into the island with the only ferry terminal on Savai'i. It also serves as the main township for shopping and public amenities with a marke ...
ferry terminal and township.
Archaeology
In the 1970s,
Gregory Jackmond carried out archaeological surveys inland from Sapapali'i. Jackmond, a
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an Independent agency of the U.S. government, independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to communities in partner countries around the world. It was established in Marc ...
in Samoa, surveyed a 20 hectare area with extensive pre-historic settlements. Jackmond later carried out field work at
Palauli
Palauli is a district and village of Samoa, with a population (2016 Census) of 9,300. It consists of two sections on the southern side of Savai'i. The capital is Vailoa which is also referred to as Vailoa i Palauli (Vailoa in Palauli district).
...
on the south east coast where the
Pulemelei Mound is situated.
Samoan Village Patterns: Four Examples by Jesse D. Jennings, Richard Holmer and Gregory Jackmond, University of Utah, Journal of the Polynesian Society, Vol. 91, No. 1, 1982. Retrieved 6 November 2009
References
Populated places in Fa'asaleleaga
Archaeological sites in Samoa
{{Oceania-archaeology-stub