[11] The name of the county, Tuālāuta, is derived from the Samoan language and translates into English as “Inland Tuālā".

In an effort to suppress this opposition, Governor Uriel Sebree detained three local chiefs to deter their supporters.

Additionally, he dismissed a Samoan judge who had submitted a petition protesting the U.S. Navy's policies.

In response to these actions, Governor Sebree characterized the Samoan populace as “grown-up children who love form and ceremony.”[13] In the early 1920s, Tuālāuta County, particularly the village of Faleniu, became a stronghold for the Mau movement.

The U.S. Navy charged him and several other matais with tax evasion, but they were released by Governor Edward Stanley Kellogg on November 14, 1925.

The other arrested matais included Savea Motu, Mase, Siufanua, Noa, Liu, Tuiaana, Malufau, Ui, Sagapolutele, Fonoti, Tua, and Poloai — all from Tuālāuta County.