.jpg)
Ethnology of Tokelau Islands
Fakaofu
Fakaofu
Fakaofu is composed of about 60 small islets which form a triangle 7.5 miles long and 5.5 miles wide. It lies in lat. 9° 23′ S. and long. 171° 14′ W. The islets are connected by a reef which is awash at high tide. The average elevation is 10 feet, the highest points being on the north and south islets and the most continuous land on the east.
The village is on the western side of the island due to the location of the canoe passage and water wells and is protected from the full force of the trade winds and the heavy seas (fig. 2). The islet is small and can hardly support its present population of 500 persons. Forced in the past to live in one village for self-protection and to keep control of the food supply, the entire population has been able to confine itself to the small area only by extending the floor of the island over the lagoon. Originally walls were built up along the lagoon front to protect the houses from high waves blown up on the lagoon and to construct toilets over the water. Gradually these walls have been pushed farther into the lagoon and the area behind them filled in with loose coral and rubbish. In this way the whole floor of the islet has been widened. On the sea front, walls have been built up to a height of 10 to 20 feet (pl. 10, C), but, except in the case of the landing, these have been constructed back from the original shoreline rather than beyond it.
page 6.jpg)
Figure 2.—Map of Fakaofu. Numbers refer to place names as follows:
2. (Te) Afua (islet)
3. Afua Taulua (islet)
7. Kokoloa (land division)
8. Matafangilasi (land division)
9. Onemangu (land division)
10. Otoka (land division)
11. Vinil (islet)
12. Avaono (islet)
13. Talapeka (islet)
15. Tufafau (end section of island)
16. Savaea (land division)
17. Lalovaoa (land division)
18. Te One (land division)
19. Angasala (land division)
22. Pukaea (land division)
23. Langilau (land division)
24. Onepoto (land division)
25. Te Maile (land division)
26. Matangi (lower division of island)
27. Fenua tapu (village land)
28. Palea (islet)
29. Olokalanga (islet)
30. Ofuna (islet)
32. Seketai (islet)
33. Motuloa (islet)
34. Motu Akea (islet)
35. Niue (islet)
36. Motu iti (islet)
37. Fungalei (islet)
38. Manuafe (islet)
39. Otafi (cluster of four small islets)
40. Otafi Loa (islet of this cluster)
41. Motu Ngangie (two islets)
42. Nukuseseke (two islets)
44. Nukumasanga-iti (tiny islet)
45. Teoki (islet)
46. Pangai (islet)
47. Matakitonga (islet)
48. Vaiasa (islet, given as Tokikimoa on Samoan chart)
49. Falatutasi (islet)
50. Rapa (islet)
51. Te Sungalu (islet)
52. Longotaua (islet, given as Longatana on charts)
53. Motu Turatura (islet, modern name Ta-te-mola)
54. Patamo (islet)
55. Tafola-elo (islet)
56. Tafola-elo (islet; 56 and 55 probably one islet)
57. Tokikimoa (point on Tafola-elo)
58. Otano (islet)
59. Motu Ngangie (islet)
60. Akengamutu (land division)
61. Te Tialau (land division)
62. Te Fakanava (land division)
63. Te Koko (land division)
64. Tangiapasu (land division)
65. Saumatafanga (land division)
66. Motu (islet)
67. Te Kapi o Motu (small islet)
69. Pukava (islet of Sakea group)
71. Kauafua (group of five islets)
72. Kauafua-o-tanifa (islet of Kauafua)
73. Kauafua-uli (islet of Kauafua)
74. Kauafua-o-sumu (islet of Kauafua)
75. Nukulakia (islet)
76. Te Papaloa (islet)
77. Kauafua (two projections of bare coral above water; this name applies to any such “rocks”)
78. Tukumatini (islet)
79. Motu Ngangie (islet)
80. Patalinga (islet)
81. Toliaoso (islet)
82. Nukumatau (islet)
Fenua fala, shown as an islet on old maps, is not at present existent. Mulifenua is a point of land at the end of the northern island. Te Fakanava is the name of northern land sections of the long island. The islets from Mulifenua to Angasala are called Lalo. Kongaloto refers to four land sections adjoining Te Fakanava. Sakea is a group of five islets. The southeast end of Fakaofu, the islet on which the village is situated, is called Tealavaka, the northeast end, Sauma.