Siumu

Si’umu is a village on the central south coast of Upolu island in Samoa. The population is 1183.^[1] There is also a sub-village Siumu Uta which has a population of 304.^[1]

Siumu Electoral Constituency

Samoan fire dancer siva afi

Siumu Electoral Constituency (Faipule District) comprise the villages of Siumu, Siumu Uta, Maninoa and Saaga.^[2] The constituency has a total population of 2,349 and is part of the larger political district Tuamasaga.^[1]

History

Known for its fire dancers,^[3] a 5-year-old girl from the village demonstrating a siva afi (or fire stick dance) was one of the principal performers at the opening ceremony to the 2007 Pacific Games at Apia Park.^[4]

On 5 October 2024 the Royal New Zealand Navy ship HMNZS Manawanui ran aground and sunk off the coast of Siumu while surveying a nearby reef during a storm.^[5][6] The sinking of the Manawanui has polluted the surrounding sea and disrupted the livelihoods of local Samoan villagers, who were unable to fish.^[7][8] The Samoan and New Zealand authorities were criticised by local villagers for a lack of compensation and engagement with local communities.^[9] This led local villagers to seek financial assistance from the Chinese Embassy in Apia.^[10]

On 12 February 2025 the Samoan Government lifted a "precautionary zone" around the wreckage of HMNZS Manawanui following testing by the Scientific Research Organisation of Samoa (SROS). However, a two km prohibition zone around the sunken ship remained in force.^[11]