The legend of Samoan Tatau

[@Gowe684]

We need more cartoons and animations in the islands ASAP

[@williamsiolosega713]

true

[@vinetaleota539]

The storyline that was told too me was that Two Fijian woman came to Samoa by swimming there, but they had the instruments or tools for tattooing, bring too the knowledge of it as well.

[@tagaloa2798]

I’m sure it was fitiuta in manua island Samoa. Not Fiji. But I also heard this story too. Lovely

[@boxcuber]

why wouldent they just say manu'a as in the whole island then? or fitiuta? why just say fiti if they know there was a fiji at the time lmao

[@faatuipanama7262]

I'm from Fitiuta... no one in Manu'a says Fiti for Fitiuta... they say some other local names like Maiā or Saua or Leusoali'i depending on exact location... but never Fiti... because Fiti is Fiti and not Fitiuta. That's just mimita valea to say that. Respect for the culture is also respecting the legends handed down in song and name. The song is factual based on both cultures of Fiji and Samoa.

[@pacificmixture]

I'm Samoan Chinese part Fijian and Samoans adopted this from Fiji, it's the Samoans is the only one that kept the art. By this time everyone was tattooing but Christianity stopped it. Technically it doesn't say anything about tattooing is forbidden , or not allowed. It only refers to THE Jews whom they were not to follow their ways of Pagans living nearby who were cutting themselves when moaning a loss of at a funeral. I don't know why they made us Pacific Islanders conform to something that was only referring to Jews NOT to born again Christians. THE old testament technically was meant for the Jews. We learn from it but it does not refer to Christians, it refers to Jews. But since we (Gentiles) spiritually graft onto the Olive Vine(Jews). We tether to the Laws of Moses for Jesus came uphold the Law not to abolish it.

[@mydustuch]

In Fijian language Tatau means gift of blessing before leaving..but to split the words would be "ta" means strike and "tau" means landing OR connecting..kind of remarkable story though..but this is what we know of all this..

[@warriorsouthseasislanders4901]

TATAU in fijian is farewell goodbye,in fijian history samuqawa or tattoos is performed only on women, so that they experience the pain before marriage, when Christianity arrived, tattoo ceremony on women was abolished until today,

[@samstapes7471]

not too late to abolish christianity & get back to the roots!

[@pika7623]

@@samstapes7471 nope, we keeping Jesus instead

[@mrnitcher8844]

Fijian history was said that Fijian women were only tattooed then when the missionaries came they said that tattoo was evil and should not be practised. Therefore it was abolished by the Fijian Chiefs who had accepted Christ.

[@epelijunior1286]

Is tatau even a Samoan word, because it has a significant meaning to us fijian. Used in traditional ceremony and even can be used in our every day conversations. The word tatau in Fijian simply means to remind or remember something important being conveyed to you.

[@biglilfro]

Tatau in Samoan means must or important, and we used in celebrations, funerals, ava ceremony etc. Tui Fiti(Fiji) and Tui Manu'a were always trading or going at war back in the days with each other back then.

[@timmonshusseini9447]

The tatau was from Manu'atele "Fitiuta"! Where the Sun rises till this day.

[@melanatednesians1642]

Yea, aka fiji island. That's what FITI UTA or FIKI UKA means. It's means Fiji Island

[@RoxyHeartsYa]

“Yea totes!” Lmao

[@hightopvans]

These are awesome!

[@leinesanepo5232]

Me : thanking the two sister for switching it

[@AE-ix2iz]

Whether if it’s from Fiti or Fitiuta it doesn’t really matter. The Satagaloa renamed Aga’e to Fitiuta because the Satagaloa were from Fiti

[@mosehlewi3081]

People make the wrong assumption that Taemama and Tilafaifaiga brought the laei or tatau to Samoa due to the song saying "teine to'alua" but Taema and Tilafaiga has nothing to do with this. Taema and Tilafaiga are indeed awesome and they have many stories that are awesome as ex. one of the taeaos of Samoa were due to these two tama'ita'i.

[@sasharowen9584]

please explain more

[@sasharowen9584]

what’s a taeao of samoa?

[@kdiv3908]

This is so good. Bet a bunch of manua peeps will show up saying it's actually from them 👀😂

[@viliamupulusila]

Well it is... If you think about it, Fiji wasnt even discovered. And if it was from Fiji, why would they even talk to Tilafaiga and Taema? Much less give them a sacred craft of their culture to anyone? It is from Fitiuta! being that we know(some of us🤔🤔😂😂🤷🤷) that of a word has "uta" in it, means there's also got to be a "tai". [exame; Vailoa, has 2 parts to the village. Vailoa"tai" and Vailoa"uta". But, at the end of the day, the whole village is called Vailoa. So therefore, when they this song, and only said "fiti" it was referring to fitiuta..

[@boxcuber]

@@viliamupulusilafiji wasnt discovered? bruh they are older than samoa 😂😂

[@Rick-jh7di]

@@viliamupulusila "Fiji wasnt discovered?"🤣🤣🤣 Fiji is literally older than Samoa and Tonga combined. You guys will deny it just because were Black. Lets be honest here.

[@soisaaga9783]

@@Rick-jh7diso the sisters swam 1000 km instead of only 220?

[@sly4x692]

@@soisaaga9783 Duh can't you hear they are half god.... maybe 220 is equal to1000km to them lol

[@anonymously-mysterious3812]

My dad said it was Fiti😂not Fiji.. saying the knowledge came from the East not the West.. but nice animations lollls

[@xavierunasa2158]

Manoa fiti is short for fitiuta not fiji🤣

[@TamaOLeNiu]

@Manoa Fiti Uta

[@bulitale7108]

In the vernacular Fiji is Viti...Fiji is the Enhlish version!

[@gina_theIntern99]

Technically, Fiji is the name given by early colonizers. It's actually called Viti.

[@taoipupauli5322]

Tatau not from Fiji its from Fitiuta in Samoa.

[@Boydem274]

Lol your wrong uso

[@ducemakapeluturvey9509]

@@Boydem274 my elders always said it was from Fitiuta and not Fiji. And when I done a course called 'o au o le Samoa' a Samoan history and traditions course, specifically in the vavau or before the church came, they told me the same thing

[@melanatednesians1642]

Fiti Uta means Fiji island😅

[@soisaaga9783]

@@melanatednesians1642no it doesn’t lol

[@bulitale7108]

​@@melanatednesians1642and uta means island??in Samoa..so that fitiuta means fiji Island??..in fitiuta?

[@issacmisa153]

Cant believe they made a mistake🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️ imagine if the ladys got the pe'a, an malu for the guys, that would be crazy

[@gabrielleahsue9909]

😂😂 i don't think some ladies would dare to get the pe'a if that was the case 😂😂

[@bulitale7108]

I guess that's why the missionaries abolished it in Fiji it look like they tattoo the girls private parts..Google Veiqia or Fiji's history, myths &legend

[@faivajuniorbrown8466]

Whats that song at the end? Bill!

[@reaper6254]

We’re they Siamese twins ?

[@ata_telesia]

Love it😂😂😂

[@jahuatuku9275]

Each village or tribe has its own history it's not good to say u are wrong your parents are wrong it only encourages war

[@mikeymodrau2478]

Great vid!!! Love the fijian accent!!!😂😂😂

[@jacksonschwarzenegger7433]

Not fiji tatau is from Fitiuta in Manu'a island lol ✌

[@mydustuch]

@@jacksonschwarzenegger7433 In Fijian Fiji is Viti..lol

[@bulitale7108]

​@@jacksonschwarzenegger7433what do you call the chief of fituta??Tui Fitiuta? or Tui Fiti?

[@karolinegaluvao1167]

i like the story

[@akasuperted]

Fiti was short for Fitiuta not Fiji

[@melanatednesians1642]

Fiti in samoa means Fiji. Uta in samoa means what?

[@bulitale7108]

so you have a Tui Fitiuta? and Tui Manua & Tui Fiti legend is that you telling us the legend should be Tui Manua & Tui Fitiuta??you will look like fake when try to change your oral history based on your own rumours!

[@clairetogia2278]

@@bulitale7108Fitiuta it’s the name of the place 🤦‍♀️

[@wftmanoa]

Nicely done. Malo lava

[@moekontze116]

this is where things go wrong. and misleading the history. Fiti is not Fiji. Fitiuta and Fititai. I think it means east and west or north and south. the tattoo was originated from manua. Not Fiji.

[@gina_theIntern99]

Fiji is not even Fiji- its Viti and according to the common linguistics of the time period, it would had been similar if not the same if it were not for the missionaries and colonizers rewriting and outlawing all of Fiji's actual oral history.

[@melanatednesians1642]

Fiti-uta = Fiji Island....

[@clairetogia2278]

@@melanatednesians1642Bro Fitiuta not fiji, lol

[@jeanlio2333]

I didnt even know this was real

[@viliamupulusila]

Just to be Clear, those days, e le iloa e se isi fiji. If it did come from Fiji, why isnt Fiji honored for it? Why is Samoa given the credits? Because, O nai teine ia to'alua, na auau la'ua i Fitiuta, Manu'a. Origin of the word: Tattoo Tatau is the Samoan word for Tattoo. People (other nationalities) couldnt pronounce "Tatau" (Ta-Ta-Ooh) so Tattoo became the easier word, then, TODAY

[@silimaikoro7528]

The practice was abolished when Christianity came to Fiji

[@greylynnV]

@@silimaikoro7528 so why wasn't it abolished in samoa ??....we have Christianity as well but our tattoo history was never destroyed

[@myopicthunder]

In Fiji tatau has more meaning than tattoo it means mark/gift of remembrance it can also be in the form of a speech given to close family during kava ceremonies, there's a close resemblance of the Samoan legend and oral history of people from a village in Vanua Levu that talk about two Samoan sisters shipwrecked and taken care of, tattoo was done for medicinal purposes by women to heal one of the sisters broken legs, these sisters were taken in by the village and treated as kin when they left the chief gave them the tools for making tatau and were shouting remember it's only for women. Then the Samoan legend has it that they were singing and got mixed up and said it's only for men.

[@myopicthunder]

@@greylynnV it was only done by certain provinces in Fiji and only by women, the ritual was done as a rite of passage by young women after they menstruated, they were taken away from the village by elder ladies and tattoo was marked on the pubic area. They also mixed ink with medicinal herbs to heal broken bones.

[@samstapes7471]

@@greylynnV it almost was abolished, there are some families in samoa that are infact athiest ofcourse not public about or theyd be stoned to death. i guess "some" samoans arent as gullible to believe everything the white man says & those ones carried on the tradition. (it's quite disrespectful for an outsider to come to your home and tell you your traditions are wrong..) weve seen far too many natives manipulated by christianity, lucky for samoans the ones who refused to stop practicing the tatau are the reason you know how a soogaimiti or malu look like, if things went differently samoans would be like fijian traditions.. forgotton.

[@Joke_Bruh]

So my dad was right all along. it came from Fiji. LOL but honestly I love this

[@theosolipo3809]

It didn’t tho

[@Joke_Bruh]

@@theosolipo3809Okay LOL all I know is that all pacific islands around the Pacific have traditional tattoo's right? Its not just Samoa. Coming from a Samoan girl myself

[@tuitevita2261]

Yeah your dad's right ...the word "TATAU" in Fijian is "Farewell" When The chiefs farewell the sisters the ceremony is called I-TATAU . When samoans call it Tatau for us Fijians It reminds us of that Gift of tattooing passed on to the laddies and the fairwell "TATAU"

[@Joke_Bruh]

@@tuitevita2261 one of my fijian mate's told me the same exact thing

[@taoipupauli5322]

Have you ever seen a Fiji man have a pea?or woman with malu no i don't think so because they don't have a sonaimiti so the tatau belong to Samoa from Fitiuta.

[@madetobelieve2345]

You guys laugh at dark humour but I can't.

[@joeyyxjm475]

so gorge

[@stevetapunuuvaimauga2411]

So much missing piece in this animation a lot of important information was left out and there’s more deep information to the Samoan Tatau that is hidden from the public that I know and I was told by this family as I got my Tatau done by them only one family knows it and that is suluape Su’a family but Malo le taumafai, Malo le saili Malo but got to say our generation is not to blame because there’s more deeep info about the Tatau that Su’a suluape family can’t share it to the public even tulouena don’t know it if your asking what’s a “tulouena” basically that means helper of the suluape family because Su’a suluape is the original family that taema and tilafaiga gave the ato au too

[@epelijunior1286]

The tattooing tradition has been discarded in fiji and many other traditions due to Christianity. But those discarded tradition is still being recorded properly in our archives. We kept the traditions that were humbling and in line with the word of God because none of our traditions is recognized in heaven. Our ancestors kept the tradition that were closer to the word of God. Remember all pacific islanders out thier, our traditions and culture is not superior to the tradition and culture of the word of God. If any of you islanders think there culture is superior then that of Gods then continue. Fijian will one day allign all their cultural practices with the word of God because God created us in His image and likeness. Gods likenes is His traditions and culture. He wants to see which nations has the guts to leave thier worldly cultural identity and return the the identity and culture God plan for us initially. This is a transition period for us Fijian thats why we're more proud of our God and traditions associated to Him then that of our cultural heritage.

[@maalona4926]

Just watched this, this is incorrect

[@sophiakurene9944]

How is this not correct?

[@Julia-pi8xc]

i know i was taught a different story i was confused when i watched this i thought the sisters went to fiti not fiji and when they came back they got seasick and it got twisted

[@Julia-pi8xc]

@Lui MAMEA no its fitiuta in american samoa not fiji

[@leinesanepo5232]

They are just adding changes so it won’t be soooo boring

[@myopicthunder]

Why do you think you're smarter than your elders that passed down the history.

[@tupenanaiofisaseiuli6179]

whata joket

[@ristyjah6396]

it was Fitiuta😂

[@thinkfr1st581]

So Samoa got the Tattoo from Fiji.

[@jacksonschwarzenegger7433]

Not fiji the original of the tatau is from Fitiuta in Manu'a island ✌

[@tuitevita2261]

Yeah from FIJI

[@Julia-pi8xc]

@@tuitevita2261 no from fitiuta still samoa

[@taoipupauli5322]

Fiji don't have a pea or malu ok.

[@lbradshaw6817]

Yes Fiji had it first but some Samoans will deny that lol🤣

[@lomaniligavatu9673]

Lmao Samoans trying really hard to defend themselves from who really started this tradition.. Sole your just mad coz all this time you've been bragging about tatau and how it started from Samoa and the meaning of the word tatau,, and boom 2019 real facts comes out and you just gun believe it😂 Honestly speaking what if the Fijian chief didn't share the craft with the twins (drua)?? .. It could have died off due to Christianity.. There's a reason why it was given to the Samoans..Sole Humble yourself..

[@Julia-pi8xc]

you obviously dont know anything about our culture. you watch one video and believe it straight away hahaha fijians werent even discovered and you dumb for thinking fiji would just give a sacred part of their culture to strangers. so dont be bringing your false facts here and whats so bad about bragging about our culture. you probably 12 anyway

[@greylynnV]

We have Christianity in Samoa...if Christian missionaries stopped fijians from practicing tattooing why didn't they stop Samoans as well ??...your logic doesn't make sense

[@myopicthunder]

@@greylynnV because for you it's a manly proud thing for Fijians it was for young women's pubic area so they knew pain before marriage. Lol

[@mydustuch]

Fijians are givers of gifts..that's us then that.is us now..do not ever think with your present logic explains everything just to make what you saying is true..you stick to your stories..we will stick to ours

[@bulitale7108]

​@@greylynnVoral history are important..denying it you accusing your ancestors as big liars and make you children of fakes wannabes!

[@faatuipanama7262]

There are alot of Samoans spreading misinformation based solely on false pride...o le mimita valea. Respect the culture. Respect the history. In pre colonial Fiji only women can be tufuga and only women were allowed to get tattoed. This matches perfectly with the song. Even the place where they arrived back in Samoa, Falealupo is the closest point to Fiji that they could swim to.

[@soisaaga9783]

I’m not sure what to believe but u have to think about this. What is more believable, a person swimming 1000+ km or 220 km?

[@JustGiveMeMoneyMuasika-q7t]

I know this legend