The village of Letogo witnessed a historic event on Friday morning as Member of Parliament for Vaimauga No. 1 Sulamanaia Tuivasa Tauiliili was officially bestowed the title of Tuli'aupupu, the highest ranking chief title of Letogo, marking the first time in a decade that the village has welcomed a new leader of this stature. 

The appointment of Tuli'aupupu Sulamanaia heralds a new chapter for not only Letogo but the new title holder himself; he said that he is beyond blessed and acknowledged that the occasion was possible because of God.

“It has been more than 10 years since our family has not had a Sa’o. We now have one. The 10th of January is significant as it marks the exact day 10 years ago the previous Sa'o Tuli'aupupu Fa'apolu, my uncle, passed away," said Tuli'aupupu.

He added that his new title reflects the dedicated service he has provided not only to his villages but also in his role in parliament.

“The Tuli'aupupu title is shared between two different parts of Letogo, while our side of Tuliaupupu Gatopai has now been bestowed a Sa’o - the other side of Tuliaupupu Muliaga has yet to find their new Sa’o - where Brian Lima’s father's title is from, ” said Tuli'aupupu.

As a father of seven, Tuli'aupupu's milestone holds special meaning for his family. His youngest daughter, Katalina Tauiliili, reflected on the emotional significance of the day, noting their father's dedication and hard work. "It's very emotional because he is very hard-working and he deserves to have his title," she said. "We have seen him through a lot, and is still going through a lot," she added. 

The 20-year-old also mentioned the many responsibilities her family, including herself, will now have with their father being bestowed a high-ranking title. "There are a lot of things that we have to prepare for like taking care of the village and how people will look at us," said Katalina.

With the ceremony starting at 6 a.m., according to Katalina, the entire family, including relatives from various villages and overseas, came together to support the newly bestowed title holder on this momentous occasion.