Ama (title)

Ama is a title originating c. 1400 AD, and bestowed upon the paramount chief and commander in war of the district of Safata, situated south of the island of Upolu, within the country of Samoa. It is a hereditary title. The title originated from Lotofaga, a village within the Safata district. Lotofaga is a village that sits in the middle of the Safata Bay. The village has been described as the following: 'Here the surf is sometimes so wild that one cannot sleep because of the roar; therefore it is called Galutatu'. It is also known as Le-Faga-o-Alii, translated in Samoan as 'The Bay of Chiefs'. This is in reference to the Ama that resides there. Lotofaga is traditionally known to be a village of refuge for those in need as well as a place to observe and learn of Samoan chief customs and etiquette.

Origin

The origin of the Ama title is explained in a story featuring the father of the first Ama, Leituala, a chief of Lotofaga. One evening, in his wife's village of Aufaga, in the district of Aleipata, Leituala was heading to the village bathing pool, located near a cave. However, the sun had set and light was limited. As Leituala descended into the pool, thousands of tiny lights illuminated his path. As he examined the source of these lights, he found that they came from small crabs with glowing appendices. Named 'Ama Ama' in Samoan language, these crabs had an effect on Leituala, as he told his wife, Miagamoemoe, daughter of Tago, that their first son would receive the name Ama. Miagamoemoe gave birth to a son, who was then named Ama Alolevave, at the behest of Leituala, his father.

Ama

Ama or AMA may refer to:

Geography

AMA

AMA, a three-letter initialism, may refer to:

Medicine

Non-medical organizations

Josh Hayes

Joshua Kurt "Josh" Hayes (born April 4, 1975 in Gulfport, Mississippi) is a professional motorcycle roadracer who turned pro in 1996 and also raced in MotoGP. He currently races in the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship on a Graves Motorsports Yamaha YZF-R1. Hayes is noted for his achievement in having won the 2003 AMA Superstock Championship riding Attack Suzuki's GSX-R750, and both the 2006 and the 2007 AMA Formula Xtreme Championship for Erion Honda on board the CBR600RR, and the AMA Superbike Championship three times in a row (2010, 2011, and 2012), and also won the 2014.

Career

In 2008, Hayes won the Daytona 200 but was disqualified soon after for an illegal crankshaft.

In 2009 Josh Hayes competed in the AMA Pro Racing American Superbike championship alongside Ben Bostrom. He also spearheaded the Yamaha Racing effort in the annual Daytona 200 race. For 2010 Hayes returned with Yamaha in AMA Superbike. Riding for Graves Motorsports, R1 he clinched his first AMA Superbike Championship for 2010, with 11 podium finishes including seven wins.