Asili is a village on the southwest coast of Tutuila Island, American Samoa. It is located between Leone and 'Amanave. It is located in Lealataua County.
Both the Malagateine Stream and Asili Stream flow through Asili before discharging into the sea. A former World War II bunker is located near the shoreline. Several species of Gobie fish, as well as Mountain bass and Freshwater eel, have been recorded in Asili Stream. The Asili Stream originates at above sea level. It discharges near the center of the embayment that fronts the village. The main branch of the Malagateine Stream starts around the contour along the east side of the Malagatiga Ridge.http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/basch/uhnpscesu/pdfs/sam/Pedersen2000vol2AS.pdf (Pages 31-6, 31-8 and 31-10)
Etymology The name of the village, Asili, is derived from the Samoan language and translates into English as “The highest".Churchill, W. (1913). "Geographical Nomenclature of American Samoa". Bulletin of the American Geographical Society, 45(3), page 190. Retrieved on December 6, 2024, from https://doi.org/10.2307/199273.
History In 1921, after Samuel S. Ripley faced deportation for the second time due to his role in the Mau movement, his brother Ned Ripley, a chief in Leone, convened a confidential gathering of chiefs in Asili in July. The purpose of this meeting was to address the shift in position among the high chiefs, who had begun opposing the Mau movement.Chapell, David A. (2000). "The Forgotten Mau: Anti-Navy Protest in American Samoa, 1920–1935". Pacific Historical Review. 69 (2): Page 240 ISSN 0030-8684.Gray, John Alexander Clinton (1960). Amerika Samoa: A History of American Samoa and its United States Naval Administration. United States Naval Institute. Page 202. ISBN 9780870210747.
Demographics Year Population 2020 157 2010 224 2000 250 1990 203 1980 145 1970 197 1960 104 1950 62 1940 79 1930 64
Notable people Fuga Tolani Teleso, constructed the Veterans Memorial Stadium and the golf course in ʻIliʻili.Sunia, Fofō Iosefa Fiti (2001). Puputoa: Host of Heroes - A record of the history makers in the First Century of American Samoa, 1900-2000. Suva, Fiji: Oceania Printers. Page 38. ISBN 9829036022.
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