‘0 suafa e tolu na tā’ua i luga, ‘e autu, UITML i Savaii,. Lilomaiava e iai sona vāega e fausia e Upo u ( g’o Leali’ifanovālevale i Palauli, ma ^ele ‘0 le atali’i o lo la alo Fililesalue, le afafine o Tui ‘oTui ‘Avi’i na fa’aipoipo ma SiaP°?u^ u2’ *TMiloa Mai lenei fa’atasiga na ‘auala mai ai m tua a laui.oa~ innmaiava 0 tua a o le aiga o Lilomaia ,

‘0 lo lā alo-tama ‘o Tuifa as]s ‘auPA ma ali’i o Sagafili, ma ‘o le, aiaalafaga. ‘0 Tiumalumatua, ‘o ‘o taualoa pea lea suafa i fa alup g ,U alo o Tuifa’aslsina, na usuia H’S?TM’ ?±1ava. ,» ‘o lo lā alotama na ‘avea ma ulua i Lilomaiava ‘0 le tala mālie ‘o lo ‘o i lalo e lenei suafa Ona ‘avea mulimuli ane ma se suafa taua. l£ fa>aalia mai aj le e afafine o Pei i Sagafili. ie afafine o Ugapō 1 Falealupo, . -ii -Fa1āmata1a mai ai pe na fa’apefea i faigofine ona tā’a’ina o tagatā-nu’u nai uiga o meatutupu, ma a’afia atu ai a lātou fānau. ‘0 Nafanua, Tilafaigā, Taemā, Lāfai, Fune, Fotuosamoa, Putemotu, ma Tūlima, na ‘o ni nai fa’ata’ita’iga itiiti o lea māsan

Whereas the above three titles belong exclusively to Savai’i, that of Lilomaiava is conferred partly by Upolu (Sagafili, A’ana).

The ancestors of the Lilomaiava family are Leali’ifanovalevale of Palauli and Fililesalue, the daughter of Tuiatua Fa’aso’utele. Their grandson Tuiavi’i married Siaposuisui, a daughter of Pei in Sagafili. It was due to this marriage that these illustrious ancestors came to Upolu.

Their son, Tuifa’asisina became a chief of Sagafili, and his name is still extant and mentioned in the faalupega of that town. Tuimalumatua, the son of the former, married Maseima’ava, the daughter of Ugapo of Falealaupo, and their son became the first bearer of the name Lilomaiava.

The following quaint story relates how this name, which later on became an important title, was arrived at. It shows that the natives are often moved by trifling events to bestow a certain name upon their children. Nafanua, Tilafaiga, Taema, Lafai, Fune, Fotuosamoa, Putemotu, and Tulima are but a few illustrations of this habit.

Here is the story in Samoan:

“0 le mea na maua ai le igoa o Lilomaiava:- Na alu e galue ia Tiumalumatua i Iona fanua. Ona toe alu ifo lea i tai o ta’atia le atu. Ona fesili ai lea o ia: “Se atu lea mai fea? Ona tali atu lea o Iona aiga, “O le atu na sau ma le toea’ina o Lilo mai ava”. Ona fa’apea mai lea o le ali’i, “Ua lelei, ua ou maua le igoa o si ou atali’i, o Tiumalumalilomaiava”.

This is how the name of Lilomaiava was obtained: One day Tiumalumatua went to work in his field. When he returned, he found a bonito fish in his house. He then asked, “Where does that bonito come from?” One of his family answered, “The old man Lilo has brought it from the reef opening.” Thereupon the chief said, “Well, I have found a name for my son: Tiumalumalilomaia.

This boy married Fuataifa’aula, the daughter of Silofau in Pata. Then, through the marriages of their two sons, the Lilomaiava family was established in Safotu and in Palauli. Due to these family connections, the eldest of these two sons, Nailevai’ili’ili, succeeded in bringing the different branches together. In this way, the name of Lilomaiava became a title of no little importance.

Nailevai’ili’ili is therefore looked upon as the founder (o le o’o) of the Lilomaiava title. Of him the family tradition states:

“Na fa’ato’a pisi ai le vai, na fa’ato’a potopoto lava ai vae o le Nofoafia”, ie. it was he who first brought the three branches of the family together. This union of the three Lilomaiava places is called Nofoafia. Two of these places are on Savai’i: Palauli and Safotu; the other one, Sagafili, is in A’ana, Upolu.