• Samoan youth in traditional clothing.

    National Park of American Samoa

    American Samoa

Names Upon the Land

The Manu'a Islands, Ofu & Olosega
The Manu'a Islands, Ofu & Olosega
NPS

With so many myths and stories, some have conflicting details. This old tale has a slightly different twist on the island names than the creation story recorded by Holmes.

 
Tau

Ta'u Island -- part of the Manu'a Islands

NPS

In an ancient war between Papatea and Puloto some of the Papateans found refuge from attacking Pulota warriors on islands that are now Samoa. Four of the couples settled there-Sava and I'i on Savai'i, U and Polu on Upolo, Tutu and Ila on Tutuila. The other couple went to the eastern islands where they briefly laid their newborn child on the beach while they looked for food. Returning, they found their baby's back was wounded (manu'a) by rocks on the shore. And so, they named the place Manu'a.

Did You Know?

Pacific golden plover in breeding plumage—soon to be flying 5,500 miles to the Alaskan Arctic

During northern summers, three shorebirds--plover, turnstone, and tattler--nest in Alaska and northern Canada.  After nesting, they fly non-stop over 3,000 miles of open ocean to Hawaii.  After briefly resting there, they fly more thousands of miles to Samoa.  The round-trip is 11,000 miles.