Tafuna, American Samoa

Tafuna, American Samoa
Village
Tafuna
Tafuna, American Samoa
Coordinates: 14°20′09″S 170°43′12″W / 14.33583°S 170.72000°W / -14.33583; -170.72000
Country  United States of America
Territory  American Samoa
Area
 • Total 2.53 sq mi (6.54 km2)
Population (2012)
 • Total 9,756
 • Density 3,900/sq mi (1,500/km2)

Tafuna' is a village on the east coast of Tutuila Island, American Samoa. It is located on a peninsula a mile north of Pago Pago International Airport and one mile south of Nu'uuli, American Samoa.

Tafuna is the most populous village in American Samoa,[1] with a population of 9,756 according to the 2012 US Census, and is the center of nightlife on the island. The Cathedral of the Holy Family (1986) located in the village is the episcopal see of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Samoa–Pago Pago.[2]

Pago Pago International Airport has the headquarters of Inter Island Airways.[3] Tafuna contains the location of the headquarters of Island Choice Factory, along with The Tradewinds Hotel and a Cost U Less supermarket. Kanana Fou Private School was built in the village in 1979 for the Congregational Christian Church in American Samoa.

Tafuna is home to the most accessible of American Samoa's star mounds, known as Tia Seu Lupe. This can be seen right behind the state of St. Mary near the large Catholic cathedral. The name literally translates to "earthen mound to catch pigeons."[4] The star mound is almost ten feet high, and is one of the best-preserved mounds on the island. It is believed to have been used in rituals by tribal chiefs to capture pigeons for an unknown rite. Similar step-stone mounds can be found throughout Polynesia.[5]

Churches

The Christian Church of American Samoa (CCCAS) made plans to construct a church center in Tafuna in 1982. The first phase of the construction of the center, which was named Kanana Fou, was completed by 1984. In 1997 a multimillion dollar gymnasium and athletic facility was completed. Kanama Fou had now become a large religious center for seminars, conferences, athletic- and youth activities, and many more community uses. Tafuna also became the center of American Samoa’s Catholic Church. Construction began on the cathedral, church hall, dormitories, and other support buildings in the 1980s and 1990s. Construction of the new complex, known as Fatu O Aiga, was completed at the cost of $3 million dollars. [6]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/201954/american-samoa-census-puts-population-at-55,500
  2. ↑ "Cathedral of the Holy Family". GCatholic.org. Retrieved 2016-01-12.
  3. ↑ "About / Contact Us." Inter Island Airways. Retrieved on February 25, 2012. "Inter Island Airways, Inc. Airport Road, Hangar 2 Pago Pago International Airport"
  4. ↑ https://www.lonelyplanet.com/american-samoa/tutuila/attractions/tia-seu-lupe/a/poi-sig/1456066/362248
  5. ↑ https://www.afar.com/places/roman-catholic-cathedral-of-the-holy-family-pago-pago
  6. ↑ Shaffer, Robert J. (2000). American Samoa: 100 Years Under the United States Flag. Island Heritage. Page 71. ISBN 9780896103399.

Coordinates: 14°20′09″S 170°43′12″W / 14.33583°S 170.72000°W / -14.33583; -170.72000

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.