Nafanua

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Nafanua was a historical figure in Samoa . She is considered a "warrior princess", was aliʻi (chief / queen) and toa (warrior) of the Sā Tonumaipeʻā clan and accumulated four pāpā titles, making her the most powerful aliʻi of Samoa. After her death, she was deified and is a deity in the Polynesian religion .

Mythology makes her a daughter of Saveasiʻuleo , the Aliʻi of Pulotu . Pulotu was both a historical place and a place of the Otherworld of Samoa, namely a gathering place of the warriors similar to Walhalla . Accordingly, Saveasiʻuleo is also considered a deity. In certain traditions Nafanuas mother was Tilafaiga , the mythical twin sister of Taema .

A Tiputa shirt as it was worn on military campaigns.

Legend

Nafanua received her titles because she avenged her uncle and won victories that brought peace to Savai'i. In their time there was a war between the east side and the west side of Savai'i, in which each side fought for land and sovereign title. Land is particularly important in the culture of Samoa because there are generally more people living in the country than there are land. The more land they own, the more successful families are; the family members (especially the men) receive more influential titles and larger pieces of land. During this war, Chief Lilomaiava forced every prisoner he made on the eastern half of the island to climb a coconut palm upside down. With this he underscored his power and his will to conquer the whole island.

One of the prisoners was Taʻiʻi , the uncle of Nafanua, the older brother of Saveasiʻuleo. Ta'i'i was humiliated and forced to climb a coconut tree, feet first. He sighed deeply as he climbed. His groans were heard from Saveasiʻuleo and Nafanua. That made Savesiʻuleo angry; he ordered Nafanua to prepare for war and fell the Toa tree . The wood was used to make weapons to drive Lilomaiava and his warriors away. Nafanua felled the Toa tree and left it to dry. She returned a few days later and discovered that the tree had attracted many coel snails. She said: "E gase toa ae ola pule" (The snails are alive but the Toa tree is dead). The metaphorical meaning is: even if people have great strength and power, they will not survive if they do not have wisdom and make good decisions. It takes courage to make wise decisions.

Before going into battle, Saveasi'uleo Nafanua ordered: "A pa'ia le pa i Fu'alaga, a'e le tuli au'a le Ali'i o Aiga". With this saying, he ordered Nafanua to stop killing as soon as they reached the village of Fualaga. But she only remembered her father's words when the wind blew so hard that it blew away her war shirt (tiputa). She fell to her knees and groaned, until then the men didn't realize she was a woman. They felt humiliated because she was the only woman fighting among so many men. Nafanua is widely considered to be one of the greatest warriors.

Falealupo

The village of Falealupo is considered the home of Nafanua. Chiefs from other villages often came to Falealupo to seek Nafanua's assistance in military operations. In 1989 the chiefs of Falealupo awarded the title Nafanua to the ethnobotanist Paul Alan Cox for his conservation efforts . This title was even formally set down in the Samoan Lands and Title Court .

In Falealupo, the Malietoa Fitisemanu also went to Nafanua. After years of armed conflict, the Malietoa wanted Samoa to unite once and for all and to end the bloodshed. Only after long days did Nafanua prophesy to Fitisemanu: "Faʻatali i lagi se ao o lou malo" (Wait for heaven for a crown for your kingdom). In 1830 the missionary John Williams reached the coast (mataniʻu feagaimaleata) of Sapapaliʻi and brought a Bible which he gave to Malietoa Vainuʻupo , the son of Fitisemanu. Thereupon the Malietoa Vainuʻupo became the "King who listens to Samoa". Malietoa became one of the kings of Samoa and was instrumental in the unification of Samoa.

Naming

Nafanua is the godfather of various modern names:

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Morgan Tuimalealiifano: O Tama a'āiga: The Politics of Succession to Samoa's Paramount Titles . University of the South Pacific, Suva 2006.
  2. ↑ Malo Pau'po Isaia: Coming of Age in American Anthropology: Margaret Mead and Paradise : 39.
  3. ↑ cure aids conservation. listener.co.nz.
  4. ↑ Nafanua: Saving the Samoan Rain Forest. 1997. PA Cox. WH Freeman, New York

literature

personal data
SURNAME Nafanua
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Samoan warrior princess