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Taema
Taema is the name of a female figure referred to in different legends in Samoan mythology. Samoa, A Hundred Years Ago and Long Before by George Turner, ISO-8859-1 Different Legends * One well known legend relates that Taema and her sister are the Matriarchs of Samoan tatau. The sisters brought the art of tattooing to from . As they swam, the sisters sang a song that women get the tattoo, not men. But as they neared the village of |
Samoan Mythology
Samoan culture tells stories of many different deities. There were deities of the forest, the seas, rain, harvest, villages, and war. There were two types of deities, ''atua'', who had non-human origins, and ''aitu'', who were of human origin. Tagaloa was a supreme god who made the islands and the people. Mafuiʻe was the god of earthquakes. There were also a number of war deities. Nafanua, Samoa's warrior goddess hails from the village of Falealupo at the western end of Savai'i island, which is also the site of the entry into Pulotu, the spirit world. She also is regarded as a peace bringer, having brought peace to Savai'i through winning the wars between the two regions of the island. Tilafaiga is the mother of Nafanua. Nafanua's father, Saveasi'uleo, was the god of Pulotu. Another well-known legend tells of two sisters, Tilafaiga, the mother of Nafanua, and Taema, bringing the art of tattooing to Samoa from Fiti. A figure of another legend is Tui Fiti, who resides at Fagamalo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Saveasiʻuleo
Saveasiuleo is the God of Pulotu (Old concept of Heaven) the underworld of spirits or ''Hades'' in Samoan mythology. He is the father of Nafanua the Goddess of War in Samoa. Nafanua's mother is Tilafaiga, the sister of Taema another figure of Samoan mythology. Saveasiuleo is sometimes referred to as Elo. The spirits of gods were able to take the form of animals and human beings and Saveasiuleo is believed to take the form of an eel or appear as half man and half eel. His ancestors were rocks. One story says that his mother was Taufa and his father, Aloa. His brothers were Salevao and Ulufanuaseesee. The brothers agreed that Saveasiuleo would go and become king in Pulotu. Saveasiuleo would come up from his kingdom and wander the earth. There are different versions of stories told about him. He is referred to as a god and sometimes as a demon. One day Saveasiuleo met his twin nieces Tilafaiga and Taema swimming back to Samoa from Fiti where they had learned the art of tattooing. Save ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tilafaiga
According to a legend in Samoan mythology Tilafaiga was one of the twin sisters who brought the art of ''tatau'' (Samoan tattoo) to Samoa from Fitiuta in Manu’a. Tilafaiga's twin sister's name is Taema. Tilafaiga and Taema can also be referred to as the Matriarchs of the Samoan tatau. Samoa, A Hundred Years Ago by George Turner Tilafaiga is the mother of , the famous Samoan Warrior Princess, whose father was Saveasi'uleo the Ali'i of the spirit |
Peʻa
The Pea is the popular name of the traditional male tatau (tattoo) of Samoa, also known as the . It covers the body from the middle of the back to the knees, and consists of heavy black lines, arrows, and dots. History The tattoo was originally made of bone or sharpened boar husk into a comb style with serrated teeth shaped like needles. It was then attached to a small patch of sea turtle which was connected to a wooden handle. In the 1830s, English missionaries attempted to abolish the pe'a by banning it in missionary schools. The purpose of this was to “westernise” the Samoans, but during the time that tattooing was banned, it was still done in secret. Because of this, Samoa is the only Polynesian country that has managed to retain its traditional tattoos in modern times, although it is done to a much lesser extent than it used to be. In present times, the traditional design of Pe'a continues to be a source of sacred cultural heritage, as an act of honour. Description The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nafanua
Nafanua was a historical ''ali'i'' (chief/queen) and ''toa'' (warrior) of Samoa from the Sā Tonumaipe'ā clan, who took four ''pāpā'' (district) titles, the leading ali'i titles of Samoa. After her death she became a goddess in Polynesian religion. There are historical and mythological traditions about Nafanua's family and life. She reportedly played a crucial role in the civil wars between the districts of eastern and western Savai’i. Life Family According to Samoan mythology, she was the daughter of Saveasi'uleo, also considered a demigod, the Ali'i of Pulotu. Coming of Age in American Anthropology: Margaret Mead a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Savaiʻi
Savaii is the largest (area 1,694 km2) and highest ( Mt Silisili at 1,858 m) island both in Samoa and in the Samoan Islands chain. The island is also the sixth largest in Polynesia, behind the three main islands of New Zealand and the Hawaiian Islands of Hawaii and Maui. Samoans sometimes refer to the island of Savaii as Salafai: This is its classical Samoan name, and is used in formal oratory and prose. The island is home to 43,958 people (2016 census), and they make up 24% of the population of Samoa. The island’s only township and ferry terminal is called Salelologa. It is the main point of entry to the island, and is situated at the east end of Savaii. A tar sealed road serves as the single main highway, connecting most of the villages. Local bus routes also operate, reaching most settlements. Savaii is made up of six ''itūmālō'' ( political districts). Each district is made up of villages that have strong traditional ties with each other — of kinship, h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Falealupo
Falealupo is a village in Samoa situated at the west end of Savai'i island from the International Date Line used until 29 December 2011. The village has two main settlements, Falealupo-Uta, situated inland by the main island highway and Falealupo-Tai, situated by the sea. The road to the coastal settlement is about 9 km, most of it unsealed, from the main highway. The village's population is 545. Due to its location in the west of the country, and because Samoa was just to the east of the International Date Line, Falealupo has been described as "the last village in the world to see the sunset of each day". This has now changed, as the Samoan government has moved the International Date Line east of the country in 2011. Families have moved inland for the convenience of living by the main road near public transport, as well as the extensive damage to the coastal village from cyclones in the early 1990s, which left behind old church ruins along the coast. There are rock pools ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Malu
is a word in the Samoan language for a female-specific tattoo of cultural significance. The covers the legs from just below the knee to the upper thighs just below the buttocks, and is typically finer and delicate in design compared to the , the equivalent tattoo for males. The takes its name from a particular motif of the same name, usually tattooed in the popliteal fossa (sometimes referred to as the kneepit, or poplit) behind the knee. It is one of the key motifs not seen on men. According to Samoan scholar Albert Wendt and tattooist Su'a Suluape Paulo II, in tattooing, the term refers to notions of sheltering and protection. Samoan women were also tattooed on the hands and sometimes the lower abdomen. These practices have undergone a resurgence since the late 1990s. Changing significance In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, only the district Paramount Chief's daughter was eligible to wear the , which was applied to these young women in the years following pubert ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fiji
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about 110 are permanently inhabited—and more than 500 islets, amounting to a total land area of about . The most outlying island group is Ono-i-Lau. About 87% of the total population of live on the two major islands, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. About three-quarters of Fijians live on Viti Levu's coasts: either in the capital city of Suva; or in smaller urban centres such as Nadi—where tourism is the major local industry; or in Lautoka, where the Sugarcane, sugar-cane industry is dominant. The interior of Viti Levu is sparsely inhabited because of its terrain. The majority of Fiji's islands were formed by Volcano, volcanic activity starting around 150 million years ago. Some geo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Samoa
Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono and Apolima); and several smaller, uninhabited islands, including the Aleipata Islands (Nu'utele, Nu'ulua, Fanuatapu and Namua). Samoa is located west of American Samoa, northeast of Tonga (closest foreign country), northeast of Fiji, east of Wallis and Futuna, southeast of Tuvalu, south of Tokelau, southwest of Hawaii, and northwest of Niue. The capital city is Apia. The Lapita culture, Lapita people discovered and settled the Samoan Islands around 3,500 years ago. They developed a Samoan language and Samoan culture, Samoan cultural identity. Samoa is a Unitary state, unitary Parliamentary system, parliamentary democracy with 11 Administrative divisions of Samoa, administrative divisions. It is a sovereign state and a member of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Underworld
The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underworld. The concept of an underworld is found in almost every civilization and "may be as old as humanity itself". Common features of underworld myths are accounts of living people making journeys to the underworld, often for some heroic purpose. Other myths reinforce traditions that entrance of souls to the underworld requires a proper observation of ceremony, such as the ancient Greek story of the recently dead Patroclus haunting Achilles until his body could be properly buried for this purpose. Persons having social status were dressed and equipped in order to better navigate the underworld. A number of mythologies incorporate the concept of the soul of the deceased making its own journey to the underworld, with the dead needing to be taken a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pulotu
Pulotu is the resting place of those passed on in the Polynesian narrative of Tonga and Samoa, the world of darkness "lalo fonua" (as opposed to the human world of light). Tonga In the Tongan narrative, Pulotu is presided over by Havea Hikuleʻo. In Tongan cosmology the sky, the sea, and Pulotu existed from the beginning, and the gods lived there. The first land they made for the people was Touiaʻifutuna "trapped in Futuna", which was only a rock. There are suggestions that for Tonga and Samoa, Pulotu refers to a real country, in fact Matuku Island in the Lau Islands. The old name of Matuku Island is Burotu. However, there is no signs of underwater civilization in the Matuku waters where they said that Burotu once laid. But new evidence suggest Pulotu is situated in Moturiki belonging to Fiji’s Lomaiviti Archipelago. After the independence struggle by Hikuleʻo and his cousins Maui Motuʻa and Tangaloa ʻEiki, they renamed Touiaʻifutuna into Tongamamaʻo. Only after tha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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