By Fuiavailili Keniseli Lafaele
As American Samoa bids farewell to Fofo Iosefa Fiti Sunia, we honor a pioneer whose intellect and service helped shape our modern political and cultural landscape. Though the transition from U.S. Naval rule occurred when he was still a youth, Fofo belonged to the first generation of Samoans to build and refine the civilian institutions that followed.
He stood at the forefront of a new era — one defined by education, civic literacy, and self-determination. Fofo was among the earliest American Samoans to study economics in college, earning his degree at the University of Hawai‘i at a time when such paths were rare. This training would later inform his work in government, where he served as an administrative officer, election commissioner, and director of tourism, and as a steady hand in the territory’s developing institutions.
In the early 1960s, he founded the territory’s first private newspaper, Samoa News, opening a new chapter in public dialogue. He believed that a strong democracy requires an informed people, and through journalism, he gave American Samoa its earliest tools for civic discourse.
In 1980, Fofo made history as the first Delegate to the United States Congress, carrying the voice of American Samoa into the national arena for the very first time. Through his advocacy for infrastructure, fisheries, education, and territorial needs, he helped the federal government better understand the people and culture he represented.
In his later years, Fofo continued to serve through scholarship and cultural preservation. He authored works on Samoan culture, the history of the Fono, and the contributions of women to American Samoa’s development — ensuring that our story would be preserved with accuracy and respect.
Fofo’s life reflected courage, intellect, and deep devotion to his people. His legacy lives on in the institutions he helped shape, the history he documented, and the generations he inspired.
Tofa Filemu, Fofo.
Your footprint endures. Your voice remains.
