The Western District is one of the three primary divisions of American Samoa. It consists of the western portion of Tutuila Island. It has a land area of 74.781 km2 (28.873 sq mi) and contains 29 villages plus a part of Nuʻuuli village. Among these is the largest village of American Samoa, Tafuna, at its eastern end. The district's total population as of the 2010 census was 31,329.
In addition to the western half of Tutuila Island, the Western District also includes several smaller islets, such as Taputapu Island, Toatai Rock, Niuolepava Rock, Utumatuu Rock, Liuvaatoga Rock, Luania Rocks, Manuelo Rock, and Nuutavana Rock.[1]
The island of Tutuila was historically divided into nine traditional "counties" known as faalupega. The western counties were collectively referred to as Fofō and Aitulagi (also called Falelima Sisifo). In the early 20th century, American Samoa's first Governor, Commander Benjamin Franklin Tilley, restructured these divisions for administrative purposes. He designated the western region as the "Western District" and appointed one of the area's chiefs to serve as District Governor. Each county encompassed multiple villages. To enhance local governance, Governor Tilley selected prominent chiefs from these villages, appointing them as Pulenuu (mayors). These appointments were based on recommendations provided by local leaders within the respective counties and villages. Similarly, the eastern part of the island, traditionally known as Falelima Sasa'e, was renamed the "Eastern District" under Tilley’s administration.[3]
In 1902, opposition to the copra tax arose among Tutuilans, especially within the Western District and notably in Tuālāuta County, which would later become a significant place for the Mau movement. In response to this resistance, Governor Uriel Sebree detained three local chiefs to discourage their supporters and dismissed a Samoan judge who had submitted a protest petition to the U.S. Navy. Governor Sebree described Samoans as “grown-up children who love form and ceremony.” In 1904, during formal assemblies, chiefs from both the Western and Eastern Districts appealed for a reduction in the copra tax and raised concerns about the government's expenditure of the collected funds. Demonstrating their unity, they engaged in a malaga — a government-prohibited inter-village visit — traveling from Pago Pago to Leone to express their collective stance.[4]
In the early 20th century, leadership within American Sāmoa exhibited differing preferences regarding the territory's administration. High Chief Tuitele and Talking Chief Leoso, along with their supporters in the Western District, advocated for the establishment of a civilian administration. In contrast, leaders from the Manu'a Islands, including Talking Chief Tauanu'u, favored the continuation of U.S. Naval Administration, a position Tauanu'u publicly reaffirmed in 1950. On June 18, 1947, the U.S. Secretaries of State, War, Navy, and the Interior Department collectively recommended to President Harry S. Truman that responsibility for American Sāmoa and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands be transferred to the Interior Department. Subsequently, President Truman instructed the Secretaries of the Navy and the Interior to collaborate on plans for this administrative transition.[5]
Western District of Tutuila was first recorded beginning with the 1900 U.S. Census. No census was taken in 1910, but a special census was taken in 1912. Regular decennial censuses were taken beginning in 1920.[7]
The population of American Samoa is predominantly concentrated in the Western District. Between 1970 and 2010, the population of American Samoa grew by nearly 40,000, with the Western District accounting for a significant portion of this growth, adding over 22,000 residents. By 2015, the overall population increase reached just over 37,000, driven primarily by growth in the Western District.[8]
Between 2010 and 2020, the demographic trends in American Samoa shifted, with the territory experiencing a population decline of 10.5 percent. Despite this overall decrease, Tuālāuta County in the Western District emerged as an exception, recording a 9.4 percent population increase, making it the only county in the territory to experience growth during this period.[9] Tuālāuta County is the largest county in American Samoa by both area and population. It is home to Tāfuna, the largest town in the territory.[10]
^Clayville, Melinda (2021). Explore American Samoa: The Complete Guide to Tutuila, Aunu'u, and Manu'a Islands. Page 61. ISBN979-8-5560-5297-0.
^Sunia, Fofō I. F. (1998). The Story of the Legislature of American Samoa: In Commemoration of the Golden Jubilee 1948-1998. Pago Pago, AS: Legislature of American Samoa. Page 13. ISBN978-982-9008-01-5.
^Chapell, David A. (2000). "The Forgotten Mau: Anti-Navy Protest in American Samoa, 1920–1935". Pacific Historical Review. 69 (2): Pages 228-229. ISSN 0030-8684.
^Gray, John Alexander Clinton (1960). Amerika Samoa: A History of American Samoa and its United States Naval Administration. United States Naval Institute. Page 258. ISBN 9780870210747.
^Crossett, Kristen M. and Christopher G. Clement (2008). “Demographic baseline report of U.S. territories and counties adjacent to coral reef habitats”. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Page 28.
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