SEUMANUTAFA LOLIGI (07/06/1887 - 27/12/1963) & SIMEANAMULU MULITALO MAPUONA (01/01/1890 - 01/11/1975)
Seumanutafa Loligi was a man of many talents. He was multi lingual, speaking Samoan, English, Niuean and German. Seumanutafa Loligi was a trader, an agriculturalist who sold the patent of various strains of the mango fruits he cultivated to the German administration and travelled widely through out the Pacific. Well known as Mr Adams around Apia because of the historic and heroic way in which many lives were saved by his predecessors in the great hurricane of the late 1800s, Seumanutafa Loligi was also a (Faipule) Member of Parliament for the Apia District. Several oral history accounts described him as an articulate speaker, humble and God fearing. He was an active member and leader in the Apia London Missionary Society church (E.F.K.S) on Beach Road and this is a tradition that has continued on in the Seumanutafa family since the arrival of the gospel by John Williams in Upolu (after leaving Savai'i). John Williams was first welcomed to the shores of Apia by Seumanutafa Punipuniolo and the significance of the the LMS (E.F.K.S) has continued with successive generations of the Seumanutafa family still strongly active in the Apia church. A monument to John Williams stands across the road from the church in Apia and his bones are buried beneath the foundations of the church.
photo - Private Collection Vinepa Aiono (c)Seumanutafa Loligi eventually retired from a position at the Samoa Post Office. He attended Queen Salote's coronation and was a guest at the palace for that occasion. He was able to trace his genealogy to important connections throughout Samoa. He married Simeanamulu (remembered as SImea) Mulitalo Mapuona who attended St Marys Convent school in Apia in the late 1890s until the early 1900s. Simeanamulu Mulitalo Mapuona spent her schooling years growing up in the home of relatives, the McFall family in Apia. It was about this time that she met young Loligi in 1906 and later married him. Their eldest daughter Eleitino Iliganoa Vaova'i Seumanutafa Loligi was born in 1910 followed by Moetuasivi(f), Siniva (f), Sepelini (f), Silaumua (f), Leauma (m), Tofuinu'u (f), Leiataua Lesa Auimatagi Siakimativa(m), Faifuaina (f), Mulitalo Ropinisone (m), Rosita (f), Tagaloamatua Tavila (m), Oliana (f), Leiataua Lesa Faatoafe Sinave (m) and their adopted son Tofaeono Taulima (Kaulima), who was the son of Simeanamulu's brother also of the same name from Siumu.
ORIGINS OF THE SEUMANUTAFA LOLIGI LINEAGE(N.B. The following information is deliberately sparse given that various "keepers of family histories" are cautious with information surrounding the family pedigree. As such, this information is provided as a platform to celebrate our lineage, our historical connections and to acknowledge our current family links.
It is not provided for any other purpose.)
The blogsite moderator acknowledges the input of family elders, fore fathers and mothers, living relatives and family friends in sharing information with me of the family genealogy.Prior to the arrival of the Gospel in Samoa, many oral family histories began with accounts of legendary demi-gods. The following oral history account traces the first 6 generations from the beginning of Samoa prior to the actual creation of the Seumanutafa name.
The Seumanutafa Loligi lineage begins with:
Le Fe'e (an Octopus) having entered into a union with
Sinalelalafa the child of Fasavalu (Falevai - Matautu-Falelatai) who gave birth to
Mualeoa, Samalaulu and Sooalo Momoe-ma-aitu.Sooalo Momoe-ma-aitu entered into a union with
Teupa'u the child of the Tuimanu'a and gave birth to
Sooalo Tiaseuga.Sooalo Tiaseuga entered into a union with
Teini-ui the child of
Namuaitele (Ululoloa - Faleata) and gave birth to
Sooalo Tolai-'ula.Sooalo Tolai-'ula entered into a union with
Lefeemo the child of
Faamuli-ifi and gave birth to F
aaolesa and
Sina-le-avele.Sina-le-avele entered into a union with
Malietoa Ae-o-ainuu and gave birth to
Sinaalamaimaleula.Sinaalamaimaleula entered into a union with
Tuiaana Sagate and gave birth to
Leuli, Leefu, Laautuivanu and
Aufue-loloa.
Laautuivanu and
Aufue-loloa grew up in the family of their father
Tuiaana Sagate of Aana and became known as
Lemalu and
Le Mamea (
As was explained to me by a learned maternal uncle - Lemalu and Le Mamea were exiled to their new home "FALE-NA-TOESE" in Matautu, Lefaga. This explains how it was that the Sa Petaia aiga of my father's family came into possession of Leufisa in Apia.) while
Leuli and
Leefu grew up in their mother's family
Sooalo. It was there that
Leuli was given the title Seumanutafa and
Leefu was given the title To'omaletai.Seumanutafa Leuli entered into a union with
Leotatoga the child of
Amituana'i in Solosolo and gave birth to
Filifilituga and others.
Seumanutafa Filifilituga entered into a first union with Fualagolago the child of
Patu in Vaiala and gave birth to
Taiena and others.
Seumanutafa Filifilituga entered into a second union with
Fenunuivao the child of
Alemasalanoa of Falefa and gave birth to
Tusolomaiumu.
Seumanutafa Taiena entered into a union with
Mulivai-o-galo the child of
Tamaseu from Tauese in Apia and gave birth to
Saua and others.
Seumanutafa Saua entered into a union with
Saitaua the child of
Leoso from Leone in Tutuila (American Samoa) and gave birth to a child
Lima Puaaefu and others. The Seumanutafa title was conferred by
Seumanutafa Saua on
Seumanutafa Punipuniolo for excellent services to Apia village and the family (after the missionary John Williams left Sapapali'i he sailed to Upolu with the good news gospel and was first welcomed to the shores of Apia by Seumanutafa Punipuniolo and this is why the E.F.K.S. (LMS) church in Apia continues to be historically significant to the Seumanutafa Loligi branch and the extended family members to the present day).
Since 1768 the borders of Samoa were opened up to the foreign social and cultural invasion of European traders, missionaries, foreign land grabbers, along with new ideas and ways of living that infiltrated every sphere of Samoan life. The ability to write and read with the introduction of the English language Bible were significant turning points in the development of Samoa. Written family histories began to emerge from about 1830 onwards as new settlers and social anthropologists began to record family accounts. It appears that Lima Puaaefu was a man who had little interest in traditional customary life preferring instead to acquire new status in settler European life.
Oral family history accounts maintain that
Lima Puaaefu entered into a union with
Saliga also known as
Amelia who was the child of
Manuaifua from Afega and had two children
Aati and
Saliga (his daughter later renamed
Moetuasivi CLICK HERE to read an interesting article in memory of the war between Tuamasaga and Atua) and an adopted son and relative
Talalelei (later renamed
Moepogai and later became Seumanutafa Moepogai after that event).
Aati's second union was with
Sipa'u the child of
Manuo Faamatuainu of Lufilufi and gave birth to three children
Osasa, Tapaau and Tosomaletagi.Aati's first union was with
Fuianiga or Fuianina the child of
Leiataua Lesa. P Seleni and gave birth to
Loligi, Aati, Popo, Faga, and Su'e. Loligi took on the title Seumanutafa and was a co-holder of the title until his death in 1963.
(I was often told by many elders of the family who have long since deceased that the first Aati was a fine looking man of his time, with bright red hair and fair skin He was known as one who shunned Samoan customary responsibility preferring instead to mingle with the settlers and traders of the time. Like his father Lima Puaaefu, the first Aati was more interested in becoming accustomed to western living. Old official records refer to the first Aati as Adams (Atamu) (
in recognition of the Seumanutafa family connection with Henry Adams the son of President John Adams who visited Samoa) and would account for his organisational role in the saving of many American lives in the great hurricane of Samoa in the late 1800s.)
(Photo - courtesy Maina Ieremia)
