Luma, American Samoa

Lumā is a village on the northwest coast of Ta'ū Island in American Samoa, south of the village of Ta'u and north of Si'ufaga. The last Tu'i Manu'a is buried in Luma. It is also where anthropologist Margaret Mead researched and authored her classic Coming of Age in Samoa in 1925.[1] Luma and neighboring Si'ufaga are subvillages of the Village of Ta'u.[2]

The main settlement on Ta'ū Island is centered around the twin villages of Luma and Si'ufaga.[3][4] The Ta'u Motel is located near the small boat harbor in Luma, known as Luma Harbor. The harbor is mostly used by local fishing boats, and is not recommended for yachts.[5]

Demographics
Population growth[6]
2010183
2000288
1990293
1980236
1970260
1960392

Geography

It is located in Ta'u County in the Manu'a District on Ta'ū. 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. Luma is home to two large churches and one shop. It is 70 miles of ocean from the territorial capital of Pago Pago.[7]

Margaret Mead

Anthropologist Margaret Mead traveled from Pago Pago to Luma 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 work Coming 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
  1. Swaney, Deanna (1994). Samoa: Western & American Samoa. Lonely Planet. Page 191. ISBN 9780864422255.
  2. https://www.asbar.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=100&Itemid=254
  3. Swaney, Deanna (1998). Samoa. Lonely Planet. Page 183. ISBN 9780864425553.
  4. "Manua Islands - islands, American Samoa".
  5. Stanley, David (1999). Tonga-Samoa. Moon Handbooks. Pages 190-191. ISBN 9781566911740.
  6. "American Samoa Statistical Yearbook 2016" (PDF). American Samoa Department of Commerce. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-02-14. Retrieved 2019-07-25.
  7. Bernstein, Richard. "SAMOA: A PARADISE LOST?". The New York Times.

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