Luma, American Samoa
Lumāis a village on the northwest coast ofTaʻū IslandinAmerican Samoa,south of the village of Taʻū and north of Siʻufaga. The lastTui Manuʻais buried in Lumā. It is also where anthropologistMargaret Meadresearched and authored her classicComing of Age in Samoain 1925.[1]Lumā and neighboring Siʻufaga are subvillages of the Village of Taʻū.[2]
The main settlement onTaʻūIsland is based around the twin villages of Lumā andSiʻufaga.[3][4]The Taʻū Motel is located near the small boat harbor in Lumā, known as Lumā Harbor. The harbor is mostly used by local fishing boats, and is not recommended for yachts.[5]
Demographics
[edit]| Year | Population[6] |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 126 |
| 2010 | 183 |
| 2000 | 288 |
| 1990 | 293 |
| 1980 | 236 |
| 1970 | 260 |
| 1960 | 392 |
Geography
[edit]It is located in Taʻū County in theManuʻa DistrictonTaʻū.It is bounded by one side by the Pacific Ocean and a jungle hill known as Tunoa Ridge on the other. It mostly consists of clapboard and stucco bungalows roofed with corrugated iron. Lumā is home to two large churches and one shop. It is 70 miles (110 km) of ocean from the territorial capital ofPago Pago.[7]
Margaret Mead
[edit]AnthropologistMargaret Meadtraveled fromPago Pagoto Lumā in 1925. The 24 year-old Mead stayed in the village for half a year while doing fieldwork such as interviewing villagers. She complained of the heat that made it impossible for her to work several hours at midday. This is also where she wrote her classic anthropological workComing of Age in Samoa(1925). Later, a devastating hurricane left just a few houses standing in the village, and prevented Mead from interviewing villagers for several weeks.[7][1]
References
[edit]- ^abSwaney, Deanna (1994).Samoa: Western & American Samoa.Lonely Planet. Page 191.ISBN9780864422255.
- ^"YRT, INC., an American Samoa Corporation,v.PROGRESSIVE INSURANCE COMPANY (Pago Pago) et al".American Samoa Bar Association. 27 March 2002. Archived fromthe originalon 22 October 2019.
- ^Swaney, Deanna (1998).Samoa.Lonely Planet. Page 183.ISBN9780864425553.
- ^"Manua Islands - islands, American Samoa".
- ^Stanley, David (1999).Tonga-Samoa.Moon Handbooks. Pages 190-191.ISBN9781566911740.
- ^"American Samoa Statistical Yearbook 2016"(PDF).American Samoa Department of Commerce.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2019-02-14.Retrieved2019-07-25.
- ^abBernstein, Richard (24 April 1983)."SAMOA: A PARADISE LOST?".The New York Times.