Government of Western Samoa Report of the Commission to Inquire into and Report upon the Organization of District and Village Government in Western Samoa

Appendix F—Glossary of Samoan Terms Used in the Report

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ali‘i and faipule	chiefs and orators.
aumaga	a term originally used of a group of young men or women who prepared the kava by chewing before it was mixed; now used to refer to the young men generally who serve the ali‘i and faipule.
fa‘alupega	formal naming of titles of a district or village.
Fa‘amasino	a Judge.
fa‘a-Samoa	according to Samoan custom.
faife‘au	a pastor.
Faipule	a member of the Fono of Faipule.
fale	house.
Fautua	Adviser; the title of the two Samoan leaders of highest rank.
fono	a meeting or council.
itumalo	district.
malaga	journey.
matai	a title-holder, or the titled head of a family.
papalagi	European.
pule	authority.
pulefa‘ato‘aga	a plantation inspector.
pulenu‘u	the representative of the Government in a village, who keeps the village informed of Government activities, provides the Government with certain returns, and generally acts as the principal executive officer of the village.
Ta‘imua and Faipule	the two ‘houses’ of the former Samoan Government at Mulinu‘u.
ta‘ita‘i itu	a district leader, or governor.
taule‘ale‘a	an untitled man; plural, taulele‘a.

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