According to historical Samoan oral tradition, Manu'a was formerly the ruling center of a large Polynesian empire that included the entire Samoan archipelago, as well as other nearby islands, including
Tonga and parts of
Fiji. The traditional capital of Manua is the village of Taū, on the island of
Taū.
The Tui Manu'a The sovereign of Manua was the
Tui Manu'a, This title was the progenitor of many of the high titles used in other parts of the Samoan Islands. Manua was the only part of Samoa that was never subjected to Tongan rule, because both the Tongans and the Samoans regarded Manua as having sacred status. The last
Tui Manua was Tuimanua Elisara (sometimes written
Tui Manua Elisala), who held the title at the beginning of the 20th century. Before he died on July 2, 1909, he expressed the wish that the title die with him. At the time, the U.S. government took the position that Elisara's title had actually changed to “District Governor” nine years before his death, on June 5, 1900, the day that the U.S. flag had been hoisted at Taū (Office of the Governor, 2004). However, titles and holdings were not obliterated when the islands became a U.S. territory, and the title and estates of Tuimanua remain in the custody of the Anoalo clan (the male Tuimanua line). So the title
Tui Manua technically still exists, although no one is the holder of the title.
US Cession The
Tripartite Convention of 1899 partitioned the Samoan Islands, giving the U.S. control of the eastern islands (including Tutuila and the Manua Group), and giving European powers control of the western islands (including Upolu and Savaii). In 1901, Tutuila's leaders agreed to this arrangement. As a result, Manu'a was eventually forced to accept U.S. rule, and they formalized their acceptance in a Deed of Succession, signed by the
Tui Manua (supreme chief of Manua) on July 16, 1904. The signing took place at the Crown residence of the Tuimanua (called the
Faleula) in Lalopua (according to official documents of the Tuimanua government (Office of the Governor, 2004). Around this time, as of 1903, Manu'a had a total population of approximately 2,000 residents. Since that time, the Manua Island Group has officially been part of the US Protectorate of
American Samoa. In 1915, in response to the destruction caused to Manu'a that year by a hurricane, both the
U.S. Congress and the
American Red Cross sent financial aid to American Samoa for the first time. The hurricane, which hit the islands on January 9, 1915, caused widespread destruction in the Manuʻa Islands. The storm severed all forms of communication with the outside world, isolating the islands. In the aftermath, no vessels on the Manuʻa Islands were capable of making the journey to
Tutuila. It took 22 days for the first contact to be reestablished between Tutuila and Manuʻa. This was achieved when
Pele Scoles repaired a longboat and rowed from
Ofu to Tutuila. The hurricane struck overnight, uprooting an estimated 75% of coconut trees and many breadfruit. The village of
Sili was washed away. Fatalities included a drowning in
Fitiʻuta, a man on
Ofu killed by flying metal, and a woman in
Olosega killed by a falling tree. The local radio station was destroyed, and villages and plantations across Manuʻa suffered extensive damage. ==Demographics==