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Savaii is the largest (area 1700 km2) and highest (Mt Silisili at 1,858 m) island in Samoa and the Samoa Islands chain. The island is the fourth largest in Polynesia, behind the two main islands of New Zealand and the Island of Hawaii. The island of Savai'i is also referred to by Samoans as Salafai, a classical Samoan term used in oratory and prose. The island is home to 43,142 people (2006 Census) who make up 24% of the country's population. The only township and ferry terminal is Salelologa, the main entry point to the island, situated at the east end of Savai'i. A tar sealed road serves as the one main highway, connecting most of the villages with local buses reaching most settlements. Savai'i is made up of six ''itūmālō'' (political districts). Each district is made up of villages with strong traditional ties of kinship, history, land and ''matai'' chief titles. There is also some limited ecotourism development which operates mostly within the villages. The Mau, Samoa's non-violent movement for political independence during colonialism in the early 1900s, had its beginnings on Savai'i with the Mau a Pule movement. The island is the largest shield volcano in the South Pacific with recent eruptions in the early 1900s. The central region comprises the Central Savai'i Rainforest that with 72,699 hectares (727 km2) forms the largest continuous patch of rainforest in Polynesia. It is dotted with more than 100 volcanic craters and contains most of Samoa's native species of flora and fauna, making it globally significant in world conservation areas. ==Society & Culture== Fa'a Samoa, the unique traditional culture and way of life in Samoan society, remains strong in Savai'i where there are fewer signs of modern life and less development than on the island of Upolu where the capital Apia is situated. Samoan society is communal and based on extended family relationships and socio-cultural obligations, so that kinship and genealogies are important. These fa'a Samoa values are also associated with concepts of love (''alofa''), service (''tautua'') to family and community, respect (''fa'aaloalo'') and discipline (''usita'i'').〔(3. Culture and identity – Samoans – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand ) Fa'a Samoa, Samoan culture, New Zealand Encyclopaedia 〕 Most families are made up of a number of different households situated close to each other. Like the rest of Samoa, Savai'i is made up of villages with most of the land collectively owned by families or 'aiga.' Most people on Savai'i, 93% of the island population, live on customary land.〔 The heads of the family are called Matai, the holders of family names and titles. An extended family can have a number of chiefs with different chief titles. Men and women in Samoa have equal rights to chief titles which are bestowed by consensus of the extended family. Traditionally, male and female roles are defined by labours and tasks, chiefly status and age. Women play an important role contributing to family decisions as well as village governance. Elders are revered and respected. Social relationships are dictated by cultural etiquettes of politeness and common greetings. The Samoan language has a 'polite' and formal variant used in Samoan oratory and ceremony as well as in communication with elders, guests, people of rank and strangers. In all villages, the majority of people are largely sustained by plantation work and fishing〔(Gagaemauga 3 District: Community-based Adaptation for Gagaemauga 3 District | ALM UNDP ) 〕 with financial assistance from relatives working in Apia or overseas. Most people live in coastal villages although there are some settlements inland such as the villages of Aopo, Patamea and Sili. Behind the villages are cultivated plantations with crops of taro, cocoa ''koko'', coconuts ''popo'', yams ''palai'', '''ava'', fruit and vegetables as well other native plants such as pandanus for weaving 'ie toga fine mats and bark for tapa cloth. There is a church in every village, mostly Christian denominations.〔(CHAPTER V — A Samoan Village | NZETC ) An Introduction to Samoan Custom by F.J.H. Grattan, Chapter V, A Samoan Village, p. 53 〕 Sunday is sacred and a day of rest as 98% of Samoans identify themselves as religious. White Sunday is one of the most important days of the year in Samoa when children are treated with special attention by their families and community. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Savai'i」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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