Talietumu

Talietumu or Kolo Nui[1] is an archaeological site in Wallis and Futuna in the southwestern part of the Pacific Ocean.

Talietumu is situated about 9 km (5.6 mi) southwest of the capital of Mata-Utu and northeast of Halalo in the Mu'a district on Wallis Island (Uvea).

[2] The site was a fortified Tongan settlement called Kolo Nui and the whole fortress is surrounded by a strong defensive wall build of basalt with several entrances.

[3] Inside the fort there are a few preserved buildings and structures, lawns and the central elevated platform called Talietumu (a Marae or Mala´e, "Sacred Place").

French archaeologists Daniel Frimigacci, Jean-Pierre Siorat and Maurice Hardy of the French CNRS (Centre national de la recherche scientifique) spent several years restoring the central platform using original techniques and completed that work around 1997.