[Illustration: SAMOAN WOMAN IN COSTUME OF THE PAST.]
SAMOA
A HUNDRED YEARS AGO
AND LONG BEFORE.
BY
GEORGE TURNER, LL.D.
OF THE LONDON MISSIONARY SOCIETY.
FIRST PRINTED
LONDON 1884
Reprinted by
Institute of Pacific Studies
University of the South Pacific
1984
[Illustration: _Samoa_ London: Macmillan & Co.]
[Illustration: SAMOAN MAN IN COSTUME OF THE PAST.]
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I.
POSITION OF THE ISLANDS--EARLY VISITORS AND
TRADITIONARY ORIGIN
CHAPTER II.
SAMOA--ORIGIN OF THE NAME
CHAPTER III.
A FUTURE STATE--RELIGION, ETC.
CHAPTER IV.
GODS SUPERIOR--WAR AND GENERAL VILLAGE GODS
CHAPTER V.
GODS INFERIOR, OR HOUSEHOLD GODS
CHAPTER VI.
THE PEOPLE--INFANCY AND CHILDHOOD
CHAPTER VII.
ADULT AND ADVANCED YEARS
CHAPTER VIII.
FOOD--COOKING--LIQUORS
CHAPTER IX.
CLOTHING
CHAPTER X.
AMUSEMENTS
CHAPTER XI.
MORTALITY, LONGEVITY, DISEASES, ETC.
CHAPTER XII.
DEATH AND BURIAL
CHAPTER XIII.
HOUSES
CHAPTER XIV.
CANOES
CHAPTER XV.
ARTICLES OF MANUFACTURE
CHAPTER XVI.
GOVERNMENT AND LAWS
CHAPTER XVII.
WARS
CHAPTER XVIII.
THE HEAVENS, AND THE HEAVENLY BODIES
CHAPTER XIX.
THE ORIGIN OF FIRE, AND OTHER STORIES
CHAPTER XX.
NAMES OF THE ISLANDS--ILLUSTRATING MIGRATIONS, ETC.
CHAPTER XXI.
POLITICAL DIVISIONS AND PLACES OF NOTE ON UPOLU
CHAPTER XXII.
POLITICAL DIVISIONS AND PLACES OF NOTE ON SAVAII
CHAPTER I.
POSITION OF THE ISLANDS--EARLY VISITORS AND TRADITIONARY ORIGIN.
Samoa is the native name of the group of volcanic islands in central
Polynesia long known as the "Navigators Islands." They are situated
about 3000 miles from Sydney, and stand on the charts between the
parallels of 13° and 15° south latitude, and 168° and 173° west
longitude. The mountains of Savaii, one of which is 4000 feet high,
may be seen 50 miles off, and, on coming near, the stranger finds a
lovely island, 150 miles in circumference, and covered with vegetation
as far as the eye can reach. The mountains of Upolu and Tutuila rise
2000 and 3000 feet above the level of the sea, and present the same
aspect of richness and fertility. These are the principal islands of
the group. They run east and west. Upolu, 130 miles in circumference,
is in the middle, having Savaii 10 miles to the west; and Tutuila, an
island 80 miles in circumference, about 40 miles to the east. There
are several smaller islands which are inhabited, and several other
isolated romantic spots here and there which are not inhabited.
Upolu is almost entirely surrounded by barrier reefs; these wonderful
submarine walls, or breakwaters, built up to the level of the sea and
forming a fine smooth lagoon, invaluable for fishing and facilitating
all kinds of communication between the settlements along the coast.
The distance between the shore and the reef is from thirty feet to
three or four miles. In some places the lagoons are shallow, and
require the rise of the tide to allow a canoe or boat to pass along;
in other places, and particularly where there are openings in the
reef, they are from ten to twenty fathoms deep, and afford anchorage
to ships. The rivers are neither numerous nor large, but there is no
lack of fresh water; it springs up in abundance in many parts in the
interior and along the coast.
The Dutch "three-ship expedition," under Roggewein, in 1722, seems to
have been the first to notice these islands. Then followed the French
navigators, Bougainville and La Perouse, the former in 1768 and the
latter in 1787. Bougainville, seeing the natives move about so much in
canoes, gave the group the name of the "Isles of the Navigators."
Captain Cook heard of them in 1773 from the Tongans, noted some of
their names, and in 1791 they were visited by H.B.M. ship _Pandora_.
Little, however, was known of these islands until 1830, when a mission
was commenced there by the agents of the London Missionary Society.
The natives, who number about 35,000, are of the prevailing light
copper colour of central and eastern Polynesia. Hardly a vestige is to
be seen among them of the crisped and woolly-haired dark-brown
Papuans, or western Polynesian negroes. But as the physical
characteristics and languages of central and eastern Polynesia are
well known, I pass on to other and traditionary matters, and begin
with what the Samoans have to say on COSMOGONY AND MAN.
1. There was first of all Leai, _nothing_. Thence sprung Nanamu,
_fragrance_. Then Efuefu, _dust_. Then Iloa, _perceivable_. Then Maua,
_obtainable_. Then Eleele, _earth_. Then Papatu, _high rocks_. Then
Maataanoa, _small stones_. Then Maunga, _mountains_. Then Maunga
married Malaeliua, or changeable meeting-place, and had a daughter
called Fasiefu, _piece of dust_. She married Lave i fulufulu tolo, or
down of the sugar-cane flower, and to her was born three sons: Mua,
_first_; Uso, _brother_; Talu, and their sister Sulitonu, or true
heir. And then follows a story as to Mua and Talu originating the
names of two districts on the island of Upolu.
2. A cosmical genealogy takes the form of married couples, and runs as
follows:--
_Male._ _Female._ _Progeny._
1. The high rocks. The earth rocks. The earth.
2. The earth. High winds. Solid clouds.
3. Solid clouds. Flying clouds. (1) Confused winds.
(2) Quiet winds.
(3) Boisterous winds.
(4) Land beating
winds.
(5) Dew of life.
4. Dew of life. Clouds clinging Clouds flying about.
to the heavens.
5. Clouds flying Clear heavens. (1) Shadow.
about. (2) Twilight.
(3) Daylight.
(4) Noonday.
(5) Afternoon.
(6) Sunset.
6. Quiet winds. Beautiful clouds. Cloudless heavens.
7. Cloudless Spread out Tangaloa the
heavens. heavens. originator of men.
8. Tangaloa Great heavens. Tangaloa of the
heavens.
9. Tangaloa of Keeper of the Pili.
the heavens. heavens.
10. Pili. Sina the tropic (1) Sanga.
bird (2) Ana.
(3) Tua.
(4) Tolufale.
(5) Muganitama.
11. Ana. Sina the powerful. Matofaana.
12. Matofaana. Sina the bald. Veta.
13. Veta. Afu lilo. Naituveta.
14. Naituveta. Toe lauoo. Toso.
15. Toso. Langi fiti pula. Siu tau lalovasa.
16. Siu tau Pai (who reckoned Siu toso.
lalovasa. the light).
17. Siu toso. Lau lano ma lau Ata.
vai.
18. Ata. Uliaumi. Siufeai.
19. Siufeai. Polaitu. Siu le lau mato.
20. Siu le lau mato. Sina i lau tolo. Feepo.
21. Feepo. Sea faetele. Ationgie.
22. Ationgie. Tau vai upolu. Savea.
This Savea was the first Malietoa, and then in the continuance of
this genealogy there follow twenty-three generations of Malietoa, down
to Malietoa Talavou, who was proclaimed king in 1878, and subsequently
recognised by the Governments of England, Germany, and the United
States. Many other traditionary genealogies of chiefs might be given,
but let the above suffice as a specimen of the rest.
3. Other descendants of Cloudless heavens (No. 6 above):--
_Male._ _Female._ _Progeny._
(1) Cloudless The eighth heavens. Tangaloa the
heavens. dweller in lands.
(2) Tangaloa Cloudy heavens. Tangaloa the
dweller in explorer of lands.
lands.
(3) Tangaloa the Queen of earth. Valevalenoa, or
explorer of _space_.
lands.
_Space_ had a long-legged seat. At another birth Cloudy heavens
brought forth a head. This was the head that was said to have fallen
from the heavens. Space set it up on his high stool and said to it, "O
beloved! be a son--be a second with me on the earth." Space started
back, for all of a sudden the body of a man-child was added to the
head. The child was sensible, and inquired who his father was. Space
replied, "Your father is yonder in the East, yonder in the West,
yonder towards the sea, and yonder in-land, yonder above and yonder
below." Then the boy said, "I have found my name, call me All the
sides of heaven." And from him sprang the four divisions, East, West,
North, and South. He grew up to manhood, went to the North, married
and had children. Went to the South, married and had children. Went to
the East, married and had children. Went to the West, married and had
children. He then went up to the heavens, and told all his children to
follow him.
4. The children of Ilu, _worm_, and Mamao, _distant,_ were:--
(1) Papa tu, or great rocks.
(2) Papa one, or sandy rocks.
(3) Papa ele, or earthy rocks.
(4) Masina, or the moon.
(5) La, or the sun.
(6) Sami, or the sea.
(7) Vai, or fresh water.
These were all sons, and then there were two daughters, the one named
Great wind and the other Gentle wind.
They all separated and lived apart, but the sea was shut up. Then the
children said, "Let the sea be set free and allowed to come out that
we may look at it." This was done, and then the three kinds of rocks
were flooded and died, but the sun and the moon fled to the heavens
and lived.
5. Fire and water married, and from them sprung the earth, rocks,
trees, and everything.
The cuttle-fish fought with the fire and was beaten. The fire fought
with the rocks, and the rocks conquered. The large stones fought with
the small ones; the small conquered. The small stones fought with the
grass, and the grass conquered. The grass fought with the trees; the
grass was beaten and the trees conquered. The trees fought with the
creepers, the trees were beaten and the creepers conquered. The
creepers rotted, swarmed with maggots, and from maggots they grew to
be men.
6. The god Tangaloa existed in space, but we do not know how or whence
he came. He wished some place to live in, and so he made the heavens.
He also wished to have a place under the heavens, and so he made the
Lalolangi, _under the heavens_, or the earth. Savaii was formed by a
stone rolled down from the heavens, Upolu by another. Other stories
say that they were drawn up from under the ocean by a fishing-hook. He
next made the Fee or cuttle-fish, and told it to go down under the
earth, and hence the lower regions of sea or land are called Sa le
feé, or sacred to the cuttle-fish. The cuttle-fish brought forth all
kinds of rocks, and hence the great one on which we live.
7. Tangaloa the god of heaven sent down his daughter in the form of
the bird Turī, a species of snipe, _Charadrius fulvus_. She flew
about, but could find no resting-place, nothing but ocean. She
returned to the heavens, but was again sent down by Tangaloa to search
for land. First she observed spray, then lumpy places, then water
breaking, then land above the surface, and then a dry place where she
could rest. She went back and told her father. He again sent her down;
she reported extending surface of land, and then he sent her down with
some earth and a creeping plant. The plant grew, and she continued to
come down and visit it. After a time its leaves withered. On her next
visit it was swarming with worms or maggots, and the next time she
came down they had become men and women.
8. The ants and the small coral made the small stones. The small and
large stones caused the loose rocks, and from the loose rocks and the
fire sprang a man called Ariari, _to appear_, and from him and a woman
sprang the cuttle-fish and the race of men.
9. Man is formed from a species of mussel. If made of the hard mussel
he lives long--it is difficult for him to die. But if he happens to be
made of the poisonous mussel, he is fragile, easily upset, and does
not live long.
The soul of man is called his angānga, or that which goes or comes. It
is said to be the daughter of Taufanuu, or _vapour of lands_, which
forms clouds, and as the dark cloudy covering of night comes on, man
feels sleepy, because his soul wishes to go and visit its mother.
10. All the gods had a meeting at a public place on Upolu to decide
what was to be the end of the life of man. One god made a speech and
proposed that it should be like the extinction of the cocoa-nut-leaf
torch, which when it goes out can be shaken, blown, and blaze up
again, so that man after sickness and death might rise again in all
the vigour of youth.
Another god called the Supa or _paralysis_, rose and proposed that the
life of man should be like the extinction of the candle-nut torch,
which when once out cannot be blown in again.
Then followed a number of speeches, some for the one proposal and some
for the other. While the discussion was proceeding a pouring rain came
on and broke up the meeting. The gods ran to the houses for shelter,
and as they were dispersing they called out, "Let the proposal of
Paralysis be carried, and let man's life go out like the candle-nut
torch." And hence the proverb: "It is as Paralysis said." Man dies and
does not return.
Another account of this meeting adds other two proposals. One that men
should cast their skins like the shell-fish; and another that when
they grow old they should dive in the "water of life" and come up
little boys. It finishes, however, with the proposal of Paralysis
being carried, but adds that only men were to die, not women.