Vailima, Samoa

Villa Vailima

Stevenson family and friends, Vailima

Vailima is the name of a village about four kilometers south of Apia, the capital of Samoa. The population is 1,462 (2006 census). Vailima is part of the electoral political district Tuamasaga.^[1]

The village is most known as the location of the last residence of Robert Louis Stevenson, named 'Villa Vailima'. The estate has had a varied past with it functioning further as the residence for the governor of German Samoa, the administrator of the New Zealand mandatory authority and the Samoan head of state. It is now a museum in honour of Stevenson and has been substantially restored.

The name Vailima means "water in the hand", according to an old Samoan tale. A woman gave some water (vai) in her hand (lima) to help her thirsty companion. A widely quoted misinterpretation states that the name means "five waters", as the word "lima" means both 'hand' and "five" in Samoan.^[2]

Stevenson is buried in a tomb on Mount Vaea overlooking Vailima. He had two wishes for his burial, to be buried on the top of Mt Vaea and to be buried with his boots on as he used those boots to walk on the Samoan lands.

References

↑ "Population and Housing Census Report 2006" (PDF). Samoa Bureau of Statistics. July 2008. Retrieved 19 December 2009.
↑ Journal of Pacific History | http://www.jstor.org/pss/25168472

Tuamasaga District: Itūmālō

Traditional centers: Afega and Malie

Villages	Apia (Country capital) Fa'ato'ialemanu Fagali'i Lalovaea Lauli'i Lepea Letogo Lotopa Magiagi Tai Malua Matautu Moata'a Mulinu'u Pesega Sataoa Siumu Tafaigata Tanugamanono Taufusi Tuana'i Vaiee Vailele Vailima Vaimoso

Notable landmarks	Mount Vaea Vailima, former home of Robert Louis Stevenson Faleata Sports Complex, Taunaimato

Archaeology in Samoa	Falemauga Caves Lapita plainware pottery & pre-historic earth mounds at Vailele

Education & Libraries	National University of Samoa Samoa College Apia Library List of schools in Upolu

Environment	Samoan plant names Birds of Samoa Mammals of Samoa Protected areas of Samoa

Electoral constituencies: Faipule Districts	Faleata East Faleata West Safata (2 seats) Sagaga Le Falefa Sagaga Le Usoga Siumu Vaimauga East Vaimauga West (2 seats)

Coordinates: 13°51.59′S 171°45.56′W / 13.85983°S 171.75933°W / -13.85983; -171.75933

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, November 27, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.