Map - Aasu, American Samoa (Aasu)

Aasu (Aasu)
A'asu or Āsu is a village on the north coast of Tutuila Island, American Samoa. It is located to the west of Fagasa and northwest of Pago Pago. It is one of multiple villages involved in an archaeological survey of the island. A'asu lies on Massacre Bay and can be reached from a hiking trail in A'asufou (new A'asu). Massacre Bay can be visited by car, aiga buses, or through excursions offered by North Shore Tours.

A'asu has no road outlets, and can only be reached by hiking trails. It is a near-abandoned village which is home to just a few families. It is possible to camp in the village before returning to A'asufou. A'asu might be most famous for a battle which took place on December 11, 1787, where twelve Europeans and 39 Samoans were killed. A monument erected by the French can be found in Aasutuai (old A'asu).

The village of A'asu along with A'oloau are jointly called 'O Leasina.

In 1722, Samoa had its first contact with Europeans, a Dutchman named Jacob Roggeveen. Others came later, such as, in 1768, Louis-Antoine de Bougainville and Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse in 1787. An incident occurred, in which 12 members of Perouse's crew died at Massacre Bay in A'asu. In response to this, a monument was erected by the French government in 1883 to commemorate the event; it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

On December 11, 1787, Paul Antoine Fleuriot de Langle along with sixty men in two cutters and two longboats entered the bay of Aasu. The tide was low and only the boats were able to make the passage to shore through the narrow channel. An increasing number of native Samoans arrived at the site, an estimated 1,500 Samoans were on or near the coast. For an unknown reason, a Samoan woman was hurt in her eye. De Langle got his men in the longboats, but the low tide slowed their retreat from Aasu. The Samoans began throwing rocks and De Langle was hit, fell from the vessel and died. Eleven more were killed before the French were able to swim the channel or wade over the reef to reach their cutters. Canoes approaching the cutters were kept at bay by repeated volleys of rifle fire.

The monument was erected by the French government in 1883 and likely stands over the graves of killed Frenchmen. The monument consists of a rectangular concrete structure surrounded by a low concrete wall. Inside the concrete walls is a bronze plaque and cross. The cross is approximately eight feet high and the concrete structure about 7x15 feet. The monument is maintained by the village of Aasu. The massacre took place on the channel and beach right below the monument.

 
Map - Aasu (Aasu)
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Country - American_Samoa
American Samoa (Amerika Sāmoa, ; also Amelika Sāmoa or Sāmoa Amelika) is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the island country of Samoa. Centered on -14.3°N, -170.7°W, it is east of the International Date Line and the Wallis and Futuna Islands, west of the Cook Islands, north of Tonga, and some 500 km south of Tokelau. American Samoa is the southernmost territory of the United States and one of two U.S. territories south of the Equator, along with the uninhabited Jarvis Island.

American Samoa consists of five main islands and two coral atolls; the largest and most populous island is Tutuila, with the Manuʻa Islands, Rose Atoll and Swains Island also included in the territory. All islands except for Swains Island are part of the Samoan Islands, The total land area is 199 sqkm, slightly more than Washington, D.C. As of 2022, the population of American Samoa is approximately 45,443 people, of whom the vast majority are indigenous ethnic Samoans. Most American Samoans are bilingual and can speak English and Samoan fluently.
Currency / Language  
ISO Currency Symbol Significant figures
USD United States dollar $ 2
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