View source for Vaitupu

{{Short description|Atoll and one of nine districts of Tuvalu}}
{{for|the village in Wallis and Futuna|Vaitupu, Wallis and Futuna}}
{{EngvarB|date=October 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}

{{Update|recent events|date=April 2024}}

{{Infobox settlement
| name                    = Vaitupu
| native_name             =
| native_name_lang        =
| settlement_type         = [[Atoll]]
| image_skyline           = Vaitupu Island.jpg
| image_alt               =
| image_caption           = Vaitupu atoll from space
| image_map               = Vaitupu ellice islands.jpg
| map_alt                 =
| map_caption             = Map of Vaitupu, 1931
| pushpin_map             = Tuvalu
| pushpin_label_position  = left
| pushpin_map_alt         =
| pushpin_map_caption     = Location in Tuvalu
| coordinates             = {{coord|07|28|S|178|41|E|region:TV_type:isle_source:cawiki|display=inline,title}}
| coor_pinpoint           =
| coordinates_footnotes   =
| subdivision_type        = Country
| subdivision_name        = [[Tuvalu]]
| subdivision_type1       =
| subdivision_name1       =
| established_title       =
| established_date        =
| seat_type               =
| seat                    =
| unit_pref               = Metric<!-- or US or UK -->
| area_footnotes          =
| area_total_km2          = 5.60
| area_note               =
| elevation_footnotes     =
| elevation_m             =
| population_footnotes    =
| population_total        = 1,007
| population_as_of        = 2022
| population_density_km2  = auto
| population_demonym      =
| population_note         =
| timezone1               =
| utc_offset1             =
| timezone1_DST           =
| utc_offset1_DST         =
| postal_code_type        =
| postal_code             =
| area_code_type          =
| area_code               =
| iso_code                = TV-VAI
| website                 =
| footnotes               =
| image_map1              = File:Vaitupu 2022.png
| map_caption1            = Map of the atoll
}}

'''Vaitupu''' is the largest [[atoll]] of the nation of [[Tuvalu]].<ref name="MAP">{{cite web|url=https://www.mapsland.com/oceania/tuvalu|title= Maps of Tuvalu |access-date=15 January 2021}}</ref> It is located at 7.48 degrees south and 178.83 degrees east.  There are 1,077 people (2022 Census)<ref name="C2012">{{cite web|title= Population of communities in Tuvalu| publisher=Thomas Brinkhoff|date =2017|url= http://www.citypopulation.de/Tuvalu.html | access-date=27 September 2020}}</ref> living on {{convert|5.6|km2|sqmi|1|abbr=off}} with the main village being [[Asau, Tuvalu|Asau]].

==History==
===Discovery and settlement===
The exact date of Vaitupu's first [[Human settlement|settlement]] is unknown. According to [[oral tradition|oral history]], the founder of the Vaitupuan community was a Samoan by the name of Telematua, who arrived in the 16th or 17th century.<ref name="TH11">{{cite book |first1=Kalaaki |last1=Laupepa |editor-first1=Hugh |editor-last1=Laracy |title= Tuvalu: A History |year= 1983 |publisher= Institute of Pacific Studies, University of the South Pacific and Government of Tuvalu |chapter=Chapter 11 – Vaitupu}}</ref>{{rp|78}} However, it is possible that Tongans may have first reached the atoll during the mid-13th century. Vaitupu has maintained contacts with Tonga throughout its history, both peaceful ([[Marriage of state|alliances through marriage]]) and hostile (visits by Tongan [[slave]]-seekers). Vaitupu was also visited by [[I-Kiribati]], and was thus far from [[Social isolation|isolated]].<ref>Donald G. Kennedy, [http://www.jps.auckland.ac.nz/document/Volume_38_1929/Field_notes_on_the_culture_of_Vaitupu%2C_Ellice_Islands%2C_by_Donald_Gilbert_Kennedy%2C_p_1-99/p1?action=null ''Field Notes on the Culture of Vaitupu, Ellice Islands''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081015043119/http://www.jps.auckland.ac.nz/document/Volume_38_1929/Field_notes_on_the_culture_of_Vaitupu%2C_Ellice_Islands%2C_by_Donald_Gilbert_Kennedy%2C_p_1-99/p1?action=null |date=15 October 2008 }}, Journal of the [[Polynesian Society]], vol.38, 1929, pp.2–5</ref>
Vaitupu means 'the fountain of water'.

[[Obed Starbuck]]—captain of the whaler ''Loper'' from [[Nantucket]], [[Massachusetts]]—sighted the island on 26 April 1826, naming it 'Tracy Island'.<ref>Keith S. Chambers & Doug Munro, ''The Mystery of Gran Cocal: European Discovery and Mis-Discovery in Tuvalu'', 89(2) (1980) The Journal of the Polynesian Society, 167–198</ref> William Plaskett, captain of the Nantucket whaler ''Independence II,'' called at Vaitupu on 21 August 1827. Given Starbuck's earlier sighting of the island, the log entry by Plaskett for the day that he rediscovered it suggests the locals hadn't seen another ship before then:<ref>{{Cite book|last=Dehner|first=Steve|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LraODwAAQBAJ&q=niutao&pg=PA20|title=THE ARMCHAIR NAVIGATOR I: Supplements to Post-Spanish Discoveries in The Pacific|publisher=Bad Tattoo Inc.|year=2019|pages=21–23}}</ref>

<blockquote>[...] At daylight found it to be a small low island about 6 miles long. [...] Having one native and an interpreter on board who we brought from Rotumah, who formerly belonged to one of the islands about here and who understood their language we learned that they had never seen a ship before. The natives name of this island is voytopu. It is not laid down on the books or charts so we call it a new discovery. Lat.7°-25 [south] Longitude 178°-78 East.</blockquote>

===19th century===
The [[United States Exploring Expedition]] under [[Charles Wilkes]] visited Vaitupu in 1841.<ref>Tyler, David B. – 1968 ''The Wilkes Expedition. The First United States Exploring Expedition'' (1838–42). Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society</ref>

Samoan pastors from the [[London Missionary Society]] successfully introduced Christianity to the island in the 1860s. The pastors implemented religious regulations, outlawing many [[cultural practice]]s. They also introduced the [[Samoan language]], as their Bibles were written in Samoan. Vaitupuans became literate in Samoan rather than in their own language.<ref>Donald G. Kennedy, ''Field Notes on the Culture of Vaitupu, Ellice Islands'', Journal of the [[Polynesian Society]], vol.38, 1929, pp.5–6</ref> Henry (Harry) Nitz, the resident trader, helped in the construction of the first church.<ref name="Doug Munro 1987">Doug Munro, ''The Lives and Times of Resident Traders in Tuvalu: An Exercise in History from Below'', (1987) 10(2) Pacific Studies 73</ref>

Vaitupuans celebrate [[Te Aso Fiafia]] (Happy Day) on 25 November of each year. Te Aso Fiafia commemorates 25 November 1887 which was the date on which the final instalment of a debt of $13,000 was repaid to H. M. Ruge and Company, a German trading firm that operated from Apia, Samoa. Vaitupu history is that Thomas William Williams, the Ruge agent, pretended to do his customers a favour by allowing them to obtain goods on credit.<ref name="TH11"/>{{rp|82}} In 1883 the debt of the Vaitupuans was $13,000 and H. M. Ruge and Company had threatened to seize the entire island unless the debt was repaid.<ref name="DMTM">{{cite book |last1= Doug Munro and Teloma Munro|title= The Rise and Fall of the Vaitupu Company: An Episode in the Commercial History of Tuvalu |year=1985|publisher= 20 (4) Journal of Pacific History 174-90}}</ref> Neemia, a Vaitupuan pastor living in Samoa, returned and organised working parties to collect coconuts and prepare [[copra]] to sell to pay off the debt, with Henry Nitz, the Webber & Co agent on Vaitupu, contributing money to meet the final payment.<ref name="TH11"/> The Vaitupuans, with the help of their friends from [[Funafuti]], repaid the debt by the due date.<ref name="TIDM">{{cite book |last1= Tito Isala and Doug Munro |title= Te Aso Fiafia: Te Tala o Te Kamupane Vaitupu 1877–1887|date=1987{{ndash}}2008|publisher= South Pacific Books/Institute of Pacific Studies }}</ref> Seven thousand dollars was repaid by 1886 and the balance was paid on 25 November 1887.<ref name="TAHD">{{cite book |editor-last1=Laracy|editor-first1=Hugh |title= Tuvalu: A History |year= 1983 |publisher= Institute of Pacific Studies, University of the South Pacific and Government of Tuvalu |pages=196–197|chapter=The 'Ownership' of Niulakita, 1880–1896 }}</ref>

Vaitupuan tradition is that chance favoured their efforts, a ship sent to collect the last payment sank, as did the second ship the trading schooner ''Vaitupulemele''.<ref name="NZH">{{cite web|title = New Zealand Herald, Rōrahi XVI, Putanga 5545, 25 Hereturikōkā 1879, Page 4|url= http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=NZH18790825.2.9&l=mi&e=-------10--1----0tararua+campbell--|year=1879|publisher=Shipping News}}</ref> By the time a third ship arrived most of the money had been collected. However, the trading schooner ''Vaitupulemele'' appears to have a different role in the history of Vaitupu. The creation of the debt that was repaid to Ruge & Co extended beyond the purchase of goods on credit to include the purchase price of the ''Vaitupulemele'' by the Vaitupu Company.<ref name="TAHD"/> While T.M. Williams had been the Ruge agent, he later formed the Vaitupu Company with the Vaitupuan community and purchased the ''Vaitupulemele'' from Ruge & Co. However the schooner was lost during a voyage from Samoa and soon after Williams died, leaving no accounting for copra that had been shipped from Vaitupu.<ref name="TAHD"/> In any event the Vaitupuans paid the full amount claimed by Ruge & Co, although that company soon after went into liquidation.<ref name="TAHD"/>

===20th century===
Vaitupu Post Office opened around 1916.<ref name = "Post Office">{{Cite web  | last = Premier Postal History  | title = Post Office List  | publisher = Premier Postal Auctions | url = https://www.premierpostal.com/cgi-bin/wsProd.sh/Viewpocdwrapper.p?SortBy=ge&country= | access-date = 5 July 2013}}</ref>

[[Donald Gilbert Kennedy]], the resident District Officer in the administration of the [[Gilbert and Ellice Islands]] Colony from 1932 to 1938, describe the construction of [[Paopao (canoe)|''paopao'']] and of the variations of single-outrigger canoes that had been developed on Vaitupu and [[Nanumea]].<ref name="K1931">{{cite book |last1= Kennedy |first1= Donald |title= The Ellice Islands Canoe Journal of the Polynesian Society Memoir no. 9 |url= http://www.jps.auckland.ac.nz/document//Memoirs_%28Additional%29/No._9%3A_Field_Notes_on_the_Culture_of_Vaitupu%2C_Ellice_Islands%2C_by_D._G._Kennedy/The_Ellice_Islands_Canoe%2C_p_71-100/p1 |year= 1931 |publisher= Journal of the Polynesian Society |pages= 71–100 |archive-date= 6 October 2022 |access-date= 10 April 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20221006034408/https://www.jps.auckland.ac.nz/document/Memoirs_%28Additional%29/No._9%3A_Field_Notes_on_the_Culture_of_Vaitupu%2C_Ellice_Islands%2C_by_D._G._Kennedy/The_Ellice_Islands_Canoe%2C_p_71-100/p1 |url-status= dead }}</ref>

[[Neli Lifuka]] was the magistrate on Vaitupu from 1945 to 1951.<ref name="LNKFK2">{{cite book |last1= Lifuka |first1= Neli |editor-first1= Klaus-Friedrich |editor-last1= Koch |title= Logs in the current of the sea : Neli Lifuka's story of Kioa and the Vaitupu colonists |year= 1978 |publisher= Australian National University Press/Press of the Langdon Associates |isbn= 0708103626 |chapter= War Years in Funafuti |chapter-url= http://307bg.net/memoirs/WWII_in_Tuvalu.pdf |archive-date= 7 August 2020 |access-date= 27 April 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200807033725/https://www.307bg.net/memoirs/WWII_in_Tuvalu.pdf |url-status= dead }}</ref><ref name="MG">{{cite book|last1= Goldsmith|first1= Michael  |editor-first1= Brij V. |editor-first2= Vicki |editor-last1= Lal |editor-last2= Luker |title= Telling Pacific Lives: Prisms of Process|year=2008  |publisher= ANU E Press|location= London|chapter=8 Telling Lives in Tuvalu |doi= 10.22459/TPL.06.2008 |doi-access= free |isbn= 978-1-921313-81-3 |chapter-url= http://press.anu.edu.au/tpl/mobile_devices/ch08.html }}</ref> He was instrumental in collecting the funds to purchase [[Kioa]] Island in [[Fiji]].<ref name="LNKFK2"/><ref>Michael Goldsmith, ''Review of Klaus-Friedrich Koch, Logs in the Current of the Sea'', Journal of the Polynesian Society, 87:4 (1978), 361–62</ref> Initially 37 people migrated from Vaitupu to live on Kioa Island; within a decade, more than 235 people followed.<ref name="Kioa"/>

On 30 January and 1 February 1990, [[Cyclone Ofa]] had a major impact on Vaitupu, with around 85 percent of residential homes, trees and food crops being destroyed.<ref name="Tuv Disaster">{{cite report|publisher=Australian Overseas Disaster Response Organisation|url=http://www.pacificdisaster.net/pdnadmin/data/original/JB-DM_148_TUV_1991_disaster_workshop_report.pdf|title=Report on the disaster preparedness workshop held in Funafuti, Tuvalu, 14 - 17 October, 1991|isbn=1875405054|pages=2–3, 6|date=April 1992|access-date=27 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201231448/http://www.pacificdisaster.net/pdnadmin/data/original/JB-DM_148_TUV_1991_disaster_workshop_report.pdf|archive-date=1 February 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===21st century===
Vaitupu received worldwide attention in 2000, when [[Motufoua dormitory fire|a fire]] in a [[dormitory]] at the Motufoua school killed 18 girls and a female adult supervisor.<ref name="Ind">{{cite web|last = Keith-Reid | first = Robert | title= Schoolgirls die in horror blaze| publisher= The Independent (London) |date= 10 March 2000|url= https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/schoolgirls-die-in-horror-blaze-722031.html |access-date=20 November 2012}}</ref><ref name="CBS">{{cite web| title= 19 Die in Tuvalu Dormitory Blaze | publisher= CBS news (US)|date= 10 March 2000|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/19-die-in-tuvalu-dormitory-blaze/  |access-date=20 November 2012}}</ref> It was later discovered that the fire was caused by a student using a candle to read during the night.<ref name="NZH2000">{{cite web| last = Johnston | first = Martin | work= The New Zealand Herald|title= Student to blame for Tuvalu fire  |date = 30 June 2000|url= http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=125135 | access-date=11 April 2015}}</ref><ref name="Tnews">{{cite web|last = Seluka | first = Marica | title= Motufoua Fire Tragedy – The Story from Tuvalu| publisher= Tuvalu Philatelic Bureau Newsletter/Tuvalu Online  |date= March 2000|url= http://www.tuvaluislands.com/news/archived/2000/2000-03-21.htm  |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060510094702/http://www.tuvaluislands.com/news/archived/2000/2000-03-21.htm  |url-status= usurped  |archive-date= 10 May 2006  |access-date=20 November 2012}}</ref> The Prime Minister [[Ionatana Ionatana]] declared a national tragedy and quickly travelled to the island to witness the aftermath. A [[memorial service]] was held the following year in memory of the 18 girls and their matron who died.<ref name="TPBN">{{cite web| title= Tuvalu to Issue Stamps for Motufoua Fire Victims | publisher= Tuvalu Online  |date=27 February 2001|url=http://www.tuvaluislands.com/news/archived/2001/2001-03-18.htm  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060510094933/http://www.tuvaluislands.com/news/archived/2001/2001-03-18.htm  |url-status=usurped  |archive-date=10 May 2006  |access-date=20 November 2012}}</ref> Tuvaluan leaders as well as parents of the victims attended the memorial service.<ref name="JR">{{cite web | last =Resture | first =Jane | title =Photographs of Clive Smith taken at the Motufoua Memorial Service 9th March 2001 | publisher =Tuvalu Philatelic Bureau Newsletter/ Tuvalu Online | date =March 2000 | url =http://www.janeresture.com/tuvalu_motufoua/index.htm | access-date =20 November 2012 | archive-date =11 May 2012 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20120511122204/http://janeresture.com/tuvalu_motufoua/index.htm | url-status =dead }}</ref>

In the [[2011 Tuvalu drought]], Vaitupu experienced the loss of coconut palm trees, [[pulaka]] and [[taro]] due to the high temperatures and [[arid]] soil.<ref name="TP">{{cite web| last = Panapa | first = Tufoua|title= Ethnographic Research on Meanings and Practices of Health in Tuvalu: A Community Report|publisher= Report to the Tuvaluan Ministries of Health and Education: PhD Candidate Centre for Development Studies – "Transnational Pacific Health through the Lens of [[Tuberculosis]]" Research Group. Department of Anthropology, The University of Auckland, N.Z. |year = 2012|url=http://www.arts.auckland.ac.nz/webdav/site/arts/shared/Departments/anthropology/documents-publications/Tufoua%20Ethnographic%20Research%20on%20Meanings%20and%20Practices%20of%20Health%20in%20Tuvalu%20final.pdf| access-date=16 March 2013}}</ref>

In March 2015, [[storm surge]]s resulting from [[Cyclone Pam]] caused damage to houses, crops and infrastructure.<ref name="TSP11"/><ref name=RW22>{{cite web|url= http://reliefweb.int/report/tuvalu/tuvalu-tropical-cyclone-pam-situation-report-no-1-22-march-2015 |title=Tuvalu: Tropical Cyclone Pam Situation Report No. 1 (as of 22 March 2015)| date =22 March 2015|publisher= Relief Web |access-date= 25 March 2015}}</ref><ref name=RW30>{{cite web|url= http://reliefweb.int/report/tuvalu/tuvalu-tropical-cyclone-pam-situation-report-no-2-30-march-2015 |title=Tuvalu: Tropical Cyclone Pam Situation Report No. 2 (as of 30 March 2015)| date =30 March 2015|publisher= Relief Web |access-date= 30 March 2015}}</ref><ref name="UNDP">{{cite web| work= United Nations Development Programme|title= Forgotten paradise under water|date =1 May 2015 |url= https://undp.exposure.co/forgotten-paradise-under-water| access-date=8 June 2015}}</ref>

==Geography==
The island, which covers approximately {{convert|5.6|km2|0|abbr=out}}<!--land/total?-->, includes [[swamp]]s, [[mangrove]]s, a fringing [[coral reef]], and a large [[lagoon]].

Vaitupu atoll consists of at least nine isles:
* [[Luasamotu]]
* [[Isles of Mosana|Mosana]] (group of 2)
* [[Motutanifa]]
* [[Temotu, Tuvalu|Temotu]]
* [[Te Motu Olepa]]
* [[Tofia]]
* Vaitupu proper
* and at least one other islet

The biggest island is Vaitupu proper, followed by [[Tofia]].

The only village on Vaitupu consists of the neighbourhoods [[Tumaseu]] and [[Asau, Tuvalu|Asau]]. There is a church, Tolise Primary School, at least one [[guesthouse]] and a post office. An [[Aquaculture in Tuvalu|aquaculture project]] has been established in the lagoon.

==Renewable energy==
{{See also|Renewable energy in Tuvalu}}

In 2010 what was then described as the largest diesel-solar [[photovoltaic]] (PV) hybrid electricity system in the South Pacific was installed at [[Motufoua Secondary School]].<ref name="ECO">{{cite web| title =Motufoua Secondary School solar project – Battery buffered, grid parallel PV solar system| publisher =EcoGeneration| date =May–June 2010| url =http://ecogeneration.com.au/news/motufoua_secondary_school_solar_project/040753/| access-date =18 October 2011| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110819021025/http://ecogeneration.com.au/news/motufoua_secondary_school_solar_project/040753/| archive-date =19 August 2011| url-status =dead}}</ref> Prior to the instalment of the system the school relied upon a diesel powered generator, which needed to be turned off during the night. The hybrid system systems saves thousands of dollars in diesel costs and provides the school with a 24-hour supply of energy, with up to 200&nbsp;kWh per day.<ref name="SMA">{{cite web | title= Off-grid power supply for Motufoua Secondary School | publisher= SMA Solar Technology | year= 2011 | url= http://www.sma.de/fileadmin/content/global/Products/Documents/Referenzanlagen/REFTUVALU-AEN122110.pdf | access-date= 20 November 2012 | archive-date= 29 October 2013 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131029210202/http://www.sma.de/fileadmin/content/global/Products/Documents/Referenzanlagen/REFTUVALU-AEN122110.pdf | url-status= dead }}</ref>

In 2014 [[New Zealand]] and the [[European Union]] agreed to provide finance to the Government of Tuvalu to install battery-backed solar photovoltaic (PV) systems for the outer islands.<ref name="TVNZ04">{{cite web|title= NZ helps support renewable energy in Tuvalu| publisher= TVNZ ONE News |date = 24 April 2014 |url= http://tvnz.co.nz/world-news/nz-helps-support-renewable-energy-in-tuvalu-5940165 }}</ref><ref name="JET280314">{{cite web| title= European Union powers up Tuvalu| publisher= Jet Newspaper| date= 28 March 2014| url= http://thejetnewspaper.com/2014/03/28/european-union-powers-up-tuvalu/| access-date= 4 April 2014| archive-date= 7 April 2014| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140407085426/http://thejetnewspaper.com/2014/03/28/european-union-powers-up-tuvalu/| url-status= dead}}</ref> From January to March 2015 Powersmart, a New Zealand company, implemented German solar power technology to build the new Vaitupu powerhouse.<ref name="TSP23">{{cite web| work= Tuvalu Solar Project Team Blog |title= Discharge on Vaitupu |date =23 January 2015  |url= http://www.powersmarttuvaluproject.blogspot.co.nz/2015/01/discharge-on-vaitupu.html| access-date=14 April 2015}}</ref><ref name="TSP6">{{cite web| work= Tuvalu Solar Project Team Blog |title= Solar 101|date =6 March 2015 |url= http://www.powersmarttuvaluproject.blogspot.co.nz/2015/03/solar-101.html| access-date=14 April 2015}}</ref><ref name="TSP11">{{cite web| work= Tuvalu Solar Project Team Blog |title= Wild weather in Tuvalu |date =11 March 2015|url= http://www.powersmarttuvaluproject.blogspot.co.nz/| access-date=14 April 2015}}</ref>

==Transportation and tourism==
There is a [[wharf]] on Vaitupu but no [[harbour]], meaning passengers must board a smaller boat from the inter-island passenger/cargo ships to get to the Vaitupu. There are paths and small unpaved roads throughout the island. Only a few cars drive on Vaitupu. In the main village there is a guest house called Vivalia III located at the wharf near the main church.<ref name="VIII">{{cite web| work= Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan), Funafuti, Tuvalu |title= Ambassador Liao and Mrs. Liao Accompanied the Prime Minister of Tuvalu Hon. Ielemia and Madame Ielemia on the Last Leg of their National Tour (Serial Report on Tuvalu's Ceremonial Customs, Part II)|date =17 April 2008|url= http://www.mofa.gov.tw/EnMobile/BocaNews_Content.aspx?s=35B1984797D9CF20 | access-date=20 March 2016}}</ref>

==Culture==
The community activities on Vaitupu include the ''[[Nafa Moa]]'' and ''Talo'' (Taro crops and chickens competition). In this [[Competition|contest]] the community is divided into two rival teams. Members of each team compete for who can grow the heavier [[taro]] or larger chickens; the climax comes with the weigh-off between the competitors, concluding a day of good-natured rivalry and fun.<ref name="TP1">{{cite web| last = Panapa | first = Tufoua|title= Ethnographic Research on Meanings and Practices of Health in Tuvalu: A Community Report|publisher= Report to the Tuvaluan Ministries of Health and Education: PhD Candidate Centre for Development Studies – "Transnational Pacific Health through the Lens of Tuberculosis" Research Group. Department of Anthropology, The University of Auckland, N.Z. |pages=42–44|year = 2012|url=http://www.arts.auckland.ac.nz/webdav/site/arts/shared/Departments/anthropology/documents-publications/Tufoua%20Ethnographic%20Research%20on%20Meanings%20and%20Practices%20of%20Health%20in%20Tuvalu%20final.pdf| access-date=16 March 2013}}</ref>

==Demographics==
The population of Vaitupu from 1860 to 1900 is estimated to be 400 people.<ref>W.F. Newton, ''The Early Population of the Ellice Islands'', 76(2) (1967) The Journal of the Polynesian Society, 197–204.</ref><ref>Richard Bedford, Barrie Macdonald & Doug Monro, ''Population Estimates for Kiribati and Tuvalu'' (1980) 89(1) Journal of the Polynesian Society 199</ref> Vaitupu is home to the second-largest population in Tuvalu, numbering 1,576 (2002 Census) and 1,555 (2012 census).<ref name="C2012"/> Despite its relatively large size, Vaitupu became so overcrowded during the 1940s that a number of families migrated to [[Fiji]] to live on [[Kioa]] Island.<ref name="Kioa">{{cite book |last1= G. M. White |title= Kioa: an Ellice community in Fiji |year=1965|publisher= Project for the Comparative Study of Cultural Change and Stability in Displaced Communities in the Pacific, 1962–63: Oregon University, Department of Anthropology}}</ref>

In the 2012 census, the population of the villages of Vaitupu were:<ref name="C2012"/>
* Apalolo - Saniuta: 263
* Tumaseu: 248
* Potufale: 230
* Asau: 198

==Politics==
[[Paulson Panapa (Politician)|Paulson Panapa]] and [[Maina Talia]] were elected in the [[2024 Tuvaluan general election|2024 general election]].<ref name="RNZ-24-1-27">{{cite news| url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/pacific/507716/tuvalu-general-election-six-newcomers-in-parliament | title=Tuvalu general election: Six newcomers in parliament |work=[[Radio New Zealand]] |date= 29 January 2024 |access-date=29 January 2024}}</ref><ref name="PDV-24-1-30">{{cite news |last1=Marinaccio|first1=Jess |title=Tuvalu's 2024 general election: a new political landscape|url=https://devpolicy.org/2024-tuvalu-general-election-a-changing-political-landscape-20240130/ |access-date=30 January 2024 |work=PolicyDevBlog|date=30 January 2024}}</ref>

{{Election box begin no change
| title = Vaitupu constituency results
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| candidate = [[Paulson Panapa (Politician)|Paulson Panapa]] [[File:Symbol confirmed.svg|16px]]
| party = Non-partisan
| votes = 585
| percentage = 32.46
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| candidate = [[Maina Talia]] [[File:Symbol confirmed.svg|16px]]
| party = Non-partisan
| votes = 448
| percentage = 24.86
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| candidate = [[Nielu Meisake]] 
| party = Non-partisan
| votes = 420
| percentage = 23.30
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
| candidate = [[Isaia Taape]] 
| party = Non-partisan
| votes = 349
| percentage = 19.36
}}
{{Election box end}}

==Education==
The primary school on Vaitupu is called Tolise, which was established in 1953.<ref name="TAA">{{cite web| title= Opening of Tolise & Motufoua Athletics Championship 2011  | publisher= Tuvalu Athletics Association (TAA)|year= 2011|url=http://www.sportingpulse.com/assoc_page.cgi?c=1-1161-0-0-0&sID=192053&news_task=DETAIL&articleID=15361526  |access-date=20 November 2012}}</ref> A secondary school called Elisefou (New Ellice), opened in 1923 and closed in 1953 when the boys were transferred to [[King George V and Elaine Bernacchi School|King George V School]] located in [[Bikenibeu]], [[South Tarawa]].<ref name="PIM1955-3">{{cite web| last =| first = | work= XXV(8) Pacific Islands Monthly |title= G. and E. Education – Problems Arising From Lack of English|date =1 March 1955|url= https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-319422459/view?partId=nla.obj-319572819#page/n74/mode/1up| accessdate=30 September 2021}}</ref>  The first headmaster of Elisefou was [[Donald Gilbert Kennedy]], who was a strict disciplinarian who would not hesitate to beat his students. The two most famous [[Tuvaluan people|Tuvaluan]]s from the school were Tuvalu's first [[Governor General]], Sir [[Fiatau Penitala Teo]] and its first Prime Minister, [[Toaripi Lauti]]. Kennedy published ''Field Notes on the Culture of Vaitupu, Ellice Islands'' in the Journal of the Polynesian Society in instalments between 1929 and 1932 and as a book in 1931.<ref name="LH1">{{cite book |last1= Laracy |first1= Hugh |title= Watriama and Co: Further Pacific Islands Portraits |year= 2013 |publisher= Australian National University Press |isbn=9781921666322|chapter=Chapter 11 - Donald Gilbert Kennedy (1897–1967) An outsider in the Colonial Service |chapter-url= http://press-files.anu.edu.au/downloads/press/p260041/pdf/ch113.pdf }}</ref><ref name="MB">{{cite book |author1= Butcher, Mike |title= ... when the long trick's over: Donald Kennedy in the Pacific |year= 2012 |publisher= Holland House, Kennington, Vic. |isbn=978-0-9871627-0-0}}</ref>

[[Motufoua Secondary School]] was established in 1905 by the London Missionary Society. Over time the school has evolved and it is now a boarding school for boys and girls that is administered by the [[Department of Education]]. In 2009 the student roll at Motufoua Secondary School was 550.<ref name="SB">{{cite web|last1= Salanieta Bakalevu (Project Coordinator)|first1= David Manuella, Tuvalu USP Campus|title= Open Schooling as a Strategy for Second-chance Education in the Pacific: A desk study report|pages= 96–100|date= June 2011|publisher= Commonwealth of Learning (COL) / University of the South Pacific|url= http://dspace.col.org/bitstream/123456789/435/1/Open-Schooling-Strategy-for-Second-Chance-Education-Pacific-Report.pdf|access-date= 20 November 2012|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130513082239/http://dspace.col.org/bitstream/123456789/435/1/Open-Schooling-Strategy-for-Second-Chance-Education-Pacific-Report.pdf|archive-date= 13 May 2013|url-status= dead}}</ref> In the 2012 census, 502 people were recorded as being at [[Motufoua Secondary School]].<ref name="C2012"/>

==Notable residents==
The Reverend [[Filoimea Telito|Sir Filoimea Telito]] (19 March 1945 – 11 July 2011) as a young man was a teacher at [[Motufoua Secondary School]]. After completing theological studies, he returned to Motufoua to serve as Pastor. Later he became Principal of Motufoua. He served as the [[Governor-General of Tuvalu]] (2005-2010).<ref name="SFT">{{cite web| title= State Funeral of the late former Governor General of Tuvalu, Reverend Sir Filoimea Telito, GCMG, MBE | publisher= Tuvalu Philatelic Bureau Newsletter (TPB: 01/2011) |date= 25 July 2011 |url= http://www.tuvaluislands.com/stamps/phil-bur/newsletter/TPB%20Newsletter%202011-01.pdf|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120501160553/http://www.tuvaluislands.com/stamps/phil-bur/newsletter/TPB%20Newsletter%202011-01.pdf|url-status= usurped|archive-date= 1 May 2012|access-date=20 November 2012}}</ref>

[[Tomasi Puapua|Sir Tomasi Puapua]] represented Vaitupu in the [[Parliament of Tuvalu]]. He was the [[Prime Minister of Tuvalu|second Prime Minister]] (1981–1989). Puapua later served as [[Governor-General of Tuvalu]] (1998–2003).

[[Apisai Ielemia]] (19 August 1955 – 19 November 2018) represented Vaitupu in the [[Parliament of Tuvalu]]. He served as [[Prime Minister of Tuvalu]] (2006–2010).

[[Taukelina Finikaso]] represented Vaitupu in the parliament from 2006 to 2019. He served as Minister of Communications and Works (2006–2010) and served as the Foreign Minister in the [[Sopoaga Ministry]] (2013-2019).<ref name="IB050813">{{cite web| work =Islands Business| title =Enele Sopoaga Sworn-in Today as Tuvalu's New PM| date =5 August 2013| url =http://www.islandsbusiness.com/news/tuvalu/2209/enele-sopoaga-sworn-in-today-as-tuvalus-new-pm/| access-date =5 August 2013| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20130921054326/http://www.islandsbusiness.com/news/tuvalu/2209/enele-sopoaga-sworn-in-today-as-tuvalus-new-pm/| archive-date =21 September 2013| url-status =dead}}</ref>

==Further reading==
* [[Donald Gilbert Kennedy|Kennedy, Donald Gilbert]], 'Field notes on the culture of Vaitupu, Ellice Islands' (1931): Thomas Avery & Sons, New Plymouth, N.Z.

==See also==
* [[List of villages and neighbourhoods in Tuvalu]]
* [[List of islands of Tuvalu]]

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

{{Islands of Tuvalu}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Vaitupu| ]]
[[Category:Atolls of Tuvalu]]