The maneapa in Lolua is the largest building on Nanumea and the heart of village life. Maneapas are the traditional Polynesian community meeting houses, open-sided thatched-roof halls supported by carved posts, where village decisions are made, ceremonies are held, and visitors are formally welcomed. Every island in Tuvalu has at least one; Nanumea's is among the most impressive.
If you visit during a community event you may be invited in to sit and watch — accept, sit cross-legged near the wall rather than in the middle, follow what the local women are doing, and do not photograph people without asking. The maneapa is also where any formal welcome to an outside visitor takes place, and you should expect to be brought here on the first day of any stay.