Sina and the Origin of the Coconut tree
The story begins in the village of Laloata, behind Apia, where a couple lived with their daughter Sina. One day the mother went out to get some water. As she drew the water, she noticed an eel clinging to the side of the bowl. The woman took the eel home to be a pet for her daughter. Sina received the gift gladly, and kept her pet in a bowl of water. When the eel grew too large for the bowl, Sina placed it in a nearby pool. The eel continued to get bigger and by the time it was fully grown, the eel was in love with Sina. Sina, however, did not return that love.
Sina's parents were concerned, and when the eel persisted in his attentions toward Sina, they took their daughter and fled. The eel, however, was not easily discouraged and begun to pursue them. Desperate, the father told his wife and daughter to keep going. "I'll try to stop the eel by rolling mountains in his path.", he said. But this effort failed, for the eel climed over the mountains in its relentless efforts to catch up with Sina. Sina's mother noticed the eel's continued pursuit, nad told her daughter to keep running while she tried to hold the eel off. But the mother's effort failed as well, and , as she ran, Sina noticed over her shoulder that the eel was still coming.
Sina managed to escape to Safune on the island of Savai'i. There she hid at a pool called Siliafai. To her horror, there in the pool was the eel starring at her! Sina at once fled to the homes of some cheifs, who lived near the pool. The cheifs were in the midst of an 'ava party, when Sina arrived calling for help.
"What's the matter?" they asked.
"Please slay the eel that is pursuing me!" she pleaded. The villagers wasted no time in killing her ardent follower. As the eel was dying, it called out these parting words:
"Sina
if you love me,
Plant me near a stone wall.
A tree will grow and thrive and bear fruit.
Single fruits and fruits in clusters.
There will be leaves.
Weave them into white fans and mats
As a reminder to Sina of my return."
The villagers ate the eel, but Sina saved the head and planted it in front of her home in Laloata. Not long after, a tree began to grow there, in fulfillment of the eel's prophecy. The tree became known as a coconut tree, and today coconut leaves are used to make mats and fans. The coconut itself bears the image of the eel; The two hard eyes are the eyes of the eel, and the soft eye which is pierced for drinking is the eel's mouth. So, whenever Sina drank the juice from a coconut, she again met the eel face to face. It is said that the village Laloata (which means "under the shade") takes its name from the shade provided by the coconut tree.
There once was a village that was ruled over by a very harsh king. One day he announced that everyone must build themselves a new house, or be banished from the village. Immediately, every family begun to build a new house. But one couple did not comply. They lived alone with their small son Saia and were very poor. When the king discovered that Saia's parents had failed to obey his order, he had them chased from the village.
The small family went inland and made themselves a home in the jungle. There Saia grew into manhood. One day he climbed a coconut tree and saw the light of distant fires near the shore. "That is the village where we used to live.", his parents explained later.
"I think I will go there and see what it is like," he mused.
"No, you must not! We were banished for disobeying the king.", warned his parents, frightened. "If you go there they will kill you."
"I'm not afraid.", he replied. "I will go tomorrow".
Early the next morning, Saia set out for the village. When he arrived, it was late afternoon. He noticed some people in a stick-throwing contest. Among them was the king's son. "May I try?" asked Saia. Someone gave him a stick and he threw it farther than any of the others. The king's son went home and told his father what had happened.
Immediately the king sent for Saia, who answered the summons. "I want you to return to me tomorrow," the king said. "I have a little task I would like you to do." Saia accepted.
That night, Saia told his parents what had happened. "We told you not to go," they lamented. "If you cannot fulfill his request, he will kill you!"
The next day, Saia again appeared before the king. "I have ordered my people to prepare a dish of pounded breadfruit," began the king. "I want you to get the saltwater needed to prepare it." What the king didn't tell Saia was that a huge and ferocious fish lived in the sea near the village.
Saia collected some containers for fetching water, and headed toward the water. When he got to the shore, there was what appeared to be a huge wave coming toward him. As it got closer, he realized that it was no wave, but a gigantic fish. With great force, Saia threw the water containers at the fish. One of them struck the creature on the forehead, killing it instantly. When the villagers learned the fish was dead, they rejoiced greatly.
Once again, the king requested Saia to come before him. This time the king ordered Saia to fetch some leaves from a particular breadfruit tree. In the tree lived a cannibal who would kill anyone that plucked leaves from his tree. But if anyone were to break off all the leaves, the cannibal would die. Saia went straight to work and succeeded in plucking the leaves from the entire tree. When the last leaf was removed, the cannibal died, and again the villagers rejoiced.
Saia returned to the king, who said, "I have one more request to ask of you. My daughter Sina has been kidnapped by a demon cannibal with eight legs. If you can free her, she shall be yours in marrige." Again Saia agreed.
Early the next morning, Saia went off to look for the king's daughter. As he went whistling on his way, he encountered a dog who asked, "Why are you calling me?"
"I did not call you," Saia replied.
"Get on my back, " the dog said, "and I will take you anywhere you want to go." No sooner did Saia comply than the dog began to grow. He got bigger and bigger until he was taller tha any of the trees in the area. From his position high atop the dog's back, Saia could see the home of the eight-legged demon just over the mountain.
"Take me over the mountain," Saia requested, "and I will set you free." The dog obeyed his command and took him to the monster's home.
Upon arriving, Saia greeted Sina and explained who he was. "Where is the demon?", he asked.
"He has gone to search for food. But he will come back."
"Tell me," Saia asked, "At what sports is he most likely to be defeated?"
"He is excellent in all sports, virtually unconquerable," she replied. "But if he can be beaten in anything, it is wrestling."
"Do you know when he will return?" he asked.
"When the thunder sounds, the lightning flashes, and the rain comes down in torrents, then you will know that he is returning," she explained. "Come inside. I will fix you a meal."
Saia had barely finished his meal when a thunder and lightning storm began. "He is coming!" cried Sina. Saia quickly hid himself under a large bowl. When the cannibal came in, he sat down on the bowl. Saia began to bang against the sides and call, "Some host you are, sitting on your guest like this!" The eight-legged demon jumped up and overtuned the bowl.
"I
didn't know anyone was there", he said. "This is where I always sit
when I come home."
"Why don't we go out and play some games?" Saia suggested.
"Fine", said the monster. "We will fight with coconut midribs."
"No, let's wrestle", Saia countered.
"Wrestling!" the demon snorted. "That's a childs game."
"Nevertheless, let us wrestle", Saia responded. "Then we will
fight with coconut midribs."
The demon finally agreed, and the two went outside.
Saia underestimated the monster's abilities and was thrown. He got up, but the creature threw him again. Saia bolted to his feet, now enraged. Animated by his anger, he grabbed the creature and threw him high in the sky. The demon came down, head first, landing with such force that it drove his head into the ground, with his eight legs waving about above ground.
Saia and Sina went to the village together. When the people saw them coming they crowded around them, rejoicing and calling "Saia is coming, Saia is coming."
"Yes, I have come", he announced. "I have defeated the ferocious fish and the cannibal of the breadfruit tree. I have destroyed the eight-legged demon, and now I have found a wife."
Eventually, Saia and Sina became king and queen of the village. the monster turned into a taro plant; its head became the tuber, and the eight legs were transformed into leaves.
The
Legend of the Southern Cross
On the flag of Samoa is the constellation known as the Southern Cross, a kite-shaped set of stars that are visable at night to the samoans. The following myth explains the origin of this and another constellation.
Long ago, there lived two savage gods, Sumu (a diamond-shaped fish) and Toloa (a wild duck). These savage cannibals had terrorized the village of Mataaleipata that its inhabitants had all fled inland.
Elsewhere in Samoa, two powerfully-built brothers, Suna and Paepule, heard of the deeds of the ferocious creatures and set out to destroy them. They arrived in Mataaleipata and, even though the village was virtually deserted, they managed to learn of the location of the gods. Suna and Paepule met the creatures fearlessly, and a tremendous battle started. Toloa and Sumu fought on and on, but were unable to prevail against the two heroes. Defeated, the demons agreed to plant themselves in the heavens as a sign to everyone that they had given up their cannibalism.
From then on, the two creatures can be seen in the night sky. Sumu appears as the Southern Cross, and Toloa is the constellation known as the Scorpian.
How Fire was obtained for Samoa
Long ago, there was a time when the Samoans had no fire, and had to eat all their food raw. In those days there lived a woman named Talaga, whose baby son was born prematurely. Thinking it would not survive, she threw the baby into the sea. Fortunately, the child was washed ashore just as an old man was passing by. He took the child home and cared for him. The boy grew to be strong and handsome.
One day the man met Talaga on the road and recognized her immediately as the child's mother. He explained to her how he found the baby, whereupon she knew the man was telling the truth. Overjoyed at seeing her son, Talaga carried the boy home on her shoulder. Soon, the child became known as Ti'eti'e-a-Talaga ("Riding on Talaga").
Ti'eti'e's father arose early every morning and went off by himself. Though he told his family he was going to work, no one knew where he went. As Ti'eti'e grew to manhood, he desired to know where his father worked. One day he followed his elderly father to see where he would go. The old man went inland until he arrived at the face of a mountain. Ti'eti'e climbed a nonu tree to watch what would happen next. In wonder, he heard his father speak to a rock that lay against the mountain. "Rock divide!" he said. Suddenly the rock divided and the old man entered a hidden cave! As soon as he entered, the rock closed again.
Ti'eti'e jumped down and went up to the rock, giving the same command his father had. The rock opened, and Ti'eti'e went inside. There he beheld a large plantation, in which his father was working. Upon seeing his son, the old man came over. "You must leave this place" he said. "This cave is owned by the earthquake god, Mafui'e. He is a cannibal! If he finds you here, he will kill you." But Ti'eti'e did not want to leave.
Just then
he became aware of the marvelous odor. "What's that smell?" he asked.
Ti'eti'e followed the odor to the pit where a fire was roasting some taro.
Nearby were some freshly cooked taro and pig. Ti'eti'e picked up a piece of taro
and tasted it. "This is delicious!" he said. He turned to his father
and asked, "Why do we not prepare our food in this manner?"
"We cannot, " hit father replied nerously. "The fire belongs to
Mafui'e."
"I will take some of it back with me."
"No,you mustn't! Mafui'e is the only one who can eat cooked food. Now,
please go back before he sees you!" But it was too late. The demon had
spied Ti'eti'e eating his food, and lunged toward the intruder. Ti'eti'e caught
the cannibal by his arms and wrestled with him. Ti'eti'e twisted the god's arm
so hard it snapped off.
Mafui'e
roared in agony. "Let me go!" he cried. "Let me go and I will
give you my hundred wives."
"I don't want your wives," Ti'eti'e responded. "I want some fire.
Let me take it with me or I'll twist your other arm off!"
"Take it!" answered Mafui'e, giving in. "If it goes out, you can
rekindle it by rubbing two pieces of wood together."
Ti'eti'e released the cannibal and took some fire home with him. Ever since that day, Samoans have used fire to cook their food.