Known for its
fire dancers, a 5-year-old girl from the village demonstrating a
siva afi (or
fire stick dance) was one of the principal performers at the
opening ceremony to the
2007 Pacific Games at
Apia Park. On 5 October 2024 the
Royal New Zealand Navy ship
HMNZS Manawanui ran aground and sunk off the coast of Siumu while surveying a nearby reef during a storm. The sinking of the
Manawanui has polluted the surrounding sea and disrupted the livelihoods of local Samoan villagers, who were unable to fish. The Samoan and New Zealand authorities were criticised by local villagers for a lack of compensation and engagement with local communities. This led local villagers to seek financial assistance from the Chinese Embassy in
Apia. On 12 February 2025 the Samoan Government lifted a "precautionary zone" around the wreckage of HMNZS
Manawanui following testing by the Scientific Research Organisation of Samoa (SROS). However, a two
km prohibition zone around the sunken ship remained in force. ==References==