Manono is one of the islands of Samoa. It is situated in the Apolima Strait between the main islands of Savai'i and Upolu. The island has a population of 890 people and electricity was only introduced in 1995. Evidence of the volcanic nature of this island was everywhere.
I did a three hour hike around this island with Taula. The hiking trail takes you right through the small villages that occupy this island, so I got a close up feel for how Samoan families live.
The lady below was weaving mats from palm tree branches. These mats would serve as the floor cover for sleeping. This was a traditional Samoan mattress.
Water is a precious commodity on Manono Island. Most homes have some way of collecting rain water. During the rainy season water tanks are filled with water that is collected from the roofs. This is then used for daily needs. Some of the tanks had been donated by foreign countries as part of aid packages to Samoa. Several of the tanks on Manono had been donated by Japan.
With Samoa having such a large average family size, there was no shortage of children on Manono Island.
