Saʻilele, American Samoa
Saʻilele | |
|---|---|
Village | |
| Etymology: Samoan: "forbidden grounds" | |
| Coordinates: 14°15′26″S 170°35′50″W / 14.25722°S 170.59722°W | |
| Country | United States |
| Territory | American Samoa |
| County | Sua County |
| Named after | Samoan mythology |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 60 |
| Time zone | Samoa Time Zone |
| ZIP code | 96799 |
| Area code | +1 684 |
Saʻilele is a village on the north shore in the Eastern District of Tutuila Island in American Samoa. It is reached from a cross-island road which leads north from the village of Fagaʻitua. On a track east of the village is a burial ground where some aliʻi (high chiefs) were buried.
Saʻilele was home to the only pre-Christian temple ever documented on Tutuila Island: Saʻilele Mālumālu. The temple consisted of a small fale about ten feet in length, covered by a low roof. The structure was set in a thick and sacred grove of coconut trees. Rocks discovered inside the temple were referred to as The Immovable Rock, The Enduring Power and The Rock Fixed in the Kingdom.
In 2002, Saʻilele's highest chief, Matua, Togiola Talalelei A. Tulafono, became Governor of American Samoa.: 79