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Malietoa Tanumafili II

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His Highness Susuga
Malietoa Tanumafili II
GCMG CBE
Tanumafili in 1962
O le Ao o le Malo of Samoa
In office
1 January 1962 – 11 May 2007
Serving with Tupua Tamasese Meaʻole until 5 April 1963
Prime Minister
See list
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byTui Ātua Tupua Tamasese Efi
Malietoa
Tenure
7 January 1940 – 11 May 2007
Preceded byMalietoa Tanumafili I
Succeeded byMalietoa Faʻamausili Molī
Personal details
Born(1913-01-04)4 January 1913
German Samoa
Died11 May 2007(2007-05-11) (aged 94)
Apia, Samoa
Resting placeMulinuʻu
Spouse(s)
Le Afioga i le Masiofo, Lili Tunu
​
​
(m. 1940; died 1986)​
Children11 (including Papalii Laupepa and Momoe Malietoa Von Reiche)
Parent(s)Malietoa Tanumafili I
Momoe Lupeuluiva Meleisea

Malietoa Tanumafili II GCMG CBE (4 January 1913 – 11 May 2007) was a Samoan paramount chief who was O le Ao o le Malo (head of state) of Samoa from its independence in 1962 until his death in 2007. He was appointed to the high title of Malietoa in 1940.

When the state of Western Samoa was founded in 1962, he became joint head of state with Tupua Tamasese Meaʻole, who died on 15 April 1963, after which he remained the office's sole occupant until his own death.[1][2]

Early life

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Tanumafili was born on 4 January 1913 as the son and third child of his parents, Malietoa Tanumafili I and Momoe Lupeuluiva Meleisea.[3] His birth date was put into question near the end of his life, as the government opted to celebrate his 95th birthday, rather than his 94th, in 2007, claiming it had obtained recorded evidence which instead gave his year of birth as 1912.[4][5]

He inherited the royal title of Malietoa in 1940, following the 1939 death of his father, Malietoa Tanumafili I,[6] though some media reports claim that he received the title of Malietoa in 1939. The Malietoa is one of the four tamaʻāiga (maximal lineage) titles, alongside the Tupua Tamasese, Mataʻafa and Tuimalealiʻifano.[7]

He was educated at the government-run Leififi School in Samoa. He went on to enroll at St. Stephen's School and Wesley College in Pukekohe, both of which are in New Zealand.[8]

Public career

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Soon after becoming Malietoa, he was appointed a special adviser (Fautua) to the New Zealand administration over Samoa.[6][9] During his earlier career, he worked for several years alongside Tupua Tamasese Meaʻole, serving in multiple conventions related to constitutional reform as part of the transition to independence. Both were also members of the Legislative Assembly before their resignation in 1957.[10] In 1959, Malietoa was appointed joint chairman of a committee advising New Zealand lawyers on drafting the Samoan constitution.[4]

Upon Samoa's independence in 1962, Malietoa and Tupua Tamasese became O Ao o le Malo (heads of state), jointly appointed by the constitution for a lifetime term. When Tupua Tamasese died sixteen months later in April 1963, Malietoa became the sole head of state. He is often credited for providing much of the stability that Samoa has enjoyed post independence.[1]

Malietoa travelled extensively during his tenure as O le Ao o le Malo. He travelled to the People's Republic of China for an official state visit in September 1976.[11] Additionally, he visited Australia, Fiji, Tonga, Nauru, Hawaii, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and West Germany. He was among the foreign dignitaries who attended the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, and the funeral of Japanese Emperor Shōwa in 1989.[8][12]

In 1999, amid the fallout from the murder of a reformist politician and cabinet minister, Luagalau Levaula Kamu, Malietoa commuted the death sentences which were handed out to the two perpetrators to life imprisonment, and reportedly also visited them in prison.[4] On 9 August 2004, he bestowed the chiefly Seiuli title upon professional wrestler and actor Dwayne Johnson, when the latter visited Samoa with his mother Ata Maivia.[13][14]

Death

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Main article: Death and state funeral of Malietoa Tanumafili II

Malietoa died at the age of 94 on 11 May 2007, at the Tupua Tamasese Meaʻole National Hospital in Apia, where he was being treated for pneumonia.[15] He was the oldest incumbent state leader at the time of his death.[16] He was buried on 18 May.[17]

He was succeeded as head of state by Tui Ātua Tupua Tamasese Efi in June 2007, and as Malietoa by his eldest surviving son, Papaliʻitele Faʻamausili Molī, in 2018.[18][19]

Honours

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Malietoa was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1959.[4] In 1977, Elizabeth II visited Samoa for a single day as part of her tour of the South Pacific on board the Royal Yacht Britannia. While in Samoa, she presented Malietoa with the Collar Badge and Star of a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George.[20]

Personal life

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Malietoa was an active athlete during his younger years. His favourite sports included boxing, rugby and cricket.[8] Malietoa's interest in sports continued throughout his life and he was an avid golfer well into his nineties. He could often be seen driving his golf cart around Samoa.[1]

In 1973, Malietoa became a follower of the Baháʼí Faith. He was the first serving head of state to be a member of the religion.[21][22] In 1976, he visited the graveside of Shoghi Effendi, first and last Guardian of the Baháʼí Administrative Order, in London.[23] In 1979 he laid the foundational cornerstone of the Baháʼí House of Worship in Tiapapata, eight kilometres from the capital of Apia.[24] The temple was subsequently dedicated by him at completion in 1984.[25]

His wife, Lili Tunu, whom he married in 1940, died in 1986.[26][27] He had eleven children including Papaliʻi Laupepa and Papaliʻi Momoe Von Reiche. Malietoa was survived by two sons and two daughters.[12][28][29]

Family tree

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Malietoa Tanumafili II (Obituary)". The Economist. The Economist print edition. 24 May 2007. Archived from the original on 7 May 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2007.
  2. ^ Western Samoa Products and English, Samoan Languages Archived 23 April 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "Genealogy". Archived from the original on 23 April 2017. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  4. ^ a b c d "Malietoa Tanumafili II". The Times. 15 May 2007. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  5. ^ "Questions raised over the exact year Samoa's head of state was born". RNZ. 5 January 2007. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Photos: Samoans farewell their king and 'father'". The New Zealand Herald. 20 May 2007. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 5 June 2007.
  7. ^ Western Samoa. Land and Titles Court. (1949–1990). Documents relating to Tamaʻaiga titles disputes, Tuimalealiʻifano title. OCLC 39644002.
  8. ^ a b c "Samoa's King Malietoa Tanumafili II, 94". The Honolulu Advertiser. Associated Press. 13 May 2007. Archived from the original on 19 May 2007. Retrieved 24 May 2007.
  9. ^ Otto, Michael (22 May 2007). "Samoa's solemn farewell". Manukau Courier. Stuff.co.nz. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 13 June 2007.
  10. ^ "Tamasese: Architect of West Samoan Independence". Pacific Islands Monthly. May 1963. pp. 43–44. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  11. ^ Martin, Peter (20 May 2021). China's Civilian Army: The Inside Story of China's Quest for Global Power. New York: Oxford Academic. p. 127. doi:10.1093/oso/9780197513705.003.0008.
  12. ^ a b "Government of Samoa - Official Website". Archived from the original on 20 May 2007. Retrieved 14 May 2007. Profile
  13. ^ "Samoa gives chiefly title to actor Dwayne Johnson". RNZ. 11 August 2004. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  14. ^ "Now it's Seiuli The Rock". Samoa Observer. 10 August 2004. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  15. ^ Sagapolutele, Fili (12 May 2007). "Samoan Head of State Passes Away". Pacific Magazine. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 12 May 2007.
  16. ^ "Samoa's king, one of world's longest reigning monarchs, dies". International Herald Tribune. Associated Press. 12 May 2007. Retrieved 13 May 2007.
  17. ^ "Thousands farewell Samoan leader". ABC News. 18 May 2007. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  18. ^ "Court rules in favour of Fa'amausili Moli as the next Malietoa". Samoa Observer. 22 December 2017. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  19. ^ "Malietoa title bestowed at Malie". Samoa Observer. 17 August 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  20. ^ "Samoa King Dies". Herald Sun. Associated Press. 13 May 2007. Retrieved 13 May 2007.
  21. ^ Tanumafili II, Malietoa (30 March 1973). "Office of the Head of State". The Baháʼí World. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  22. ^ Universal House of Justice (7 May 1973). "To the Bahá'ís of the World". Bahá’í Reference Library. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  23. ^ "THE FIRST VISIT BY A Bahá'í REIGNING MONARCH TO THE RESTING PLACE OF SHOGHI EFFENDI". The Baháʼí World. 17: 69. 1976.
  24. ^ "His Highness lays stone". Samoa Observer. 1 February 1979. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  25. ^ Tanumafili II, Malietoa (1 September 1984). "Text of the address of His Highness Malietoa Tanumafili II". The Baháʼí World. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  26. ^ "King Malietoa Tanumafili II of Samoa dead at 94". The Honolulu Advertiser. 12 May 2007. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  27. ^ "Samoans farewell their king and "father"". Reuters. 9 August 2007. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  28. ^ "Samoan king dies at the age of 94". The Sydney Morning Herald. 13 May 2007. Retrieved 13 May 2007.
  29. ^ Tautua-Fanene, Deidre (17 August 2018). "Malietoa title bestowed at Malie". Samoa Observer. Archived from the original on 14 August 2019. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
[edit]
Political offices
Office established O le Ao o le Malo of Samoa
1962–2007
Served alongside: Tupua Tamasese Meaʻole (until 1963) 		Succeeded by
Regnal titles
Preceded by Malietoa
1939–2007 		Succeeded by
Malietoa Molī
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