Le Vasa

Samoans often refer to ourselves as people of the sun.  In actuality, we are better described as people of the ocean as our ancestors thrived in and on the great Pacific Ocean, settling all of Polynesia well before the first Europeans attempted to cross the Atlantic Ocean.

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The Samoan terms Le Vasa generally refer to the great Pacific ocean.  However, when you look closer, you can see another more complex meaning. "Le Va Sa" literally translates into "the sacred space between". It is our belief that our ancestors used this term to not only describe the great Pacific Ocean, but much more.  To have a space between, you must have a starting point and a destination - our islands.  The journey between islands was most certainly life changing, dangerous, and adventurous and so this journey was thought to be revered and sacred. Finally, the connection between our Polynesian islands, people, cultures, and traditions were vitally important so much so that these great seafarers and navigators would risk their lives to maintain these connections.  So we have much more than just the ocean - we have our islands, the journey, and connection - all of which are extremely important to our people.  Le Vasa's goals are undoubtedly tied to preserving and promoting these tenets.

Le Vasa was established in 2014 and is a locally incorporated non-profit, tax-exempt charitable organization (tax identification number 66-0789512) under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.