Atua (district)

Atua is the most ancient district of Samoa, now consisting of most of the eastern half of Upolu but also traditionally incorporates Tutuila and once all of Upolu and Savaii. The head is Aleipata in the eastern most part of Atua. The district has a population (2001 Census) of 21,168.

The paramount title is the TuiAtua which consists of the senior line or Tui Atua Faanofonofo and the junior line or Tui Atua Faasavali. Only recently a splinter group named the Faleiva (House of Nine) orator group in the village of Lufilufi (north-western Atua) claim to have the authority to appoint the TA Faasavali. But there is no traditional authority that ever established this claim. Traditionally, and from the formation of Atua all honours came from Leifi Ao o Atua (supreme head) also eternal holder of the senior Tui Atua (TA Faanofonofo) who left his younger cousin Tui Atua Polailevao circa AD 1300 to care for Leifi's malae of Lalogafuafua. Leifi then moved to Aleipata and reorganised the political distributions and capital to Aleipata as head of Atua, Anoamaa and Lufilufi as back and Falealili as the tail or I'u of Atua district.

It is timeless Atuan protocol for the TuiAtua title-holder to appointed by the TuiAtua Faanofonofo once correct lineage had been established, once a suitable candidate had been offered before Leifi and sufficient homage and ietoga had been offered to him. So was the way with Salamasina. Salamasinas predecessor TuiAtua Faatulou Matautia had begged Leifi to allow his reign to be continued through his niece Salamasina. Leifi considered favourably the request as it favoured the Salevalasi who had shown great bravery in assisting Leifi in a significant war against Safata and Tuamasaga. Historically, the TuiAtua was never considered as one of the four Tafa’ifa (four-sided) titles.Tafaifa now an exaggerated concept put forward to elevate lesser titles. TuiAtua is a truly royal title but the Tui Aana was created by LEIFI and the lesser female titles now claiming to be part of a tafaifa kingly concept are women's titles (Taupou). Salamasina although royal was never the head of Atua. Her junior TA title held great authority and would receive the highest acclaim except in the presence of the Ao o Atua Leifi. In modern day faapalagi Samoa at a national level Tamaaiga (excl TuiAtua) are nobles not Royal in the sense of LEIFI (Fuataga) who as the eldest son of his parents Lufasiaitu(father) and the Tagaloalagi Lagituaiva (mother) is always referred to as Matua o Aiga o Samoa. Leifi's younger brother was the first Tui Atua known as TA Uitualagi and was placed at Upolu to care for their family lands while Leifi remained in Manua for the first 1,000 yrs or 30 generations of titleholders. The TuiAtua is one of the most ancient titles in Samoa and are direct lineage heirs of the Tagaloalagi line of kings. The other ancient lines are the TuiA'ana (created by Leifi) and the TuiManu'a (brother of Lufasiaitu) It is testament to the ancient might of these districts.