The aualuma or komiti occupy several roles. Traditionally, the auluma was concerned with
maintaining peace and harmony in the village. This function underscored the role of women
in their families. Another important role of the two bodies is to produce wealth for the
village and individual families. This is normally in the form of ietoga (fine mats) and other
Samoan artifacts. In addition, they are responsible for health and education matters, for
instance, women are mainly tasked with hygiene and sanitation issues in the village. They
also provide support for various government health campaigns and related projects. More
recently, the komiti has become a point of liaison with central government through the
appointed women’s representative