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GAMES, DANCES AND FEASTS

Aua ne’i fa’ataua’i lapalapa – Don’t behave as if you were fighting with a lapalapa.

For serious club matches (‘aigofie, fea’iga) wooden clubs were used: lapalapa (the midrib of the coconut leaf) had to do for practice matches.  When using the heavy wooden clubs, the opponents struck and parried alternatively; but when they used the lighter and more harmless lapalapa, they struck away at each other haphazardly.

Upu taofiofi used to pacify the excited speakers at a meeting.

O le ta e le agaia lau afioga.  Your highness’s blow cannot be parried.

In club matches a weak man cannot parry the blow of a stronger opponent.

Upu fa’aaloalo: You are such a high chief that I would not contradict you.

Ua le fa’anafatia tau lima.  He is not a worthy opponent in the match (i.e. he is too weak).

Upu faamaulalo: You are richer, more powerful, or nobler origin than I.

Ua tusa tau’au.  Both shoulders are of equal strength.  (They are well matched opponents).

Upu vivi’i referring to two persons, families or villages of equal wealth, power and birth.

When a fighter in a club match is hit on the head, he will stagger and fall.

Ua taia le ulu, sa’e le vae.  When the head is hit, the leg will totter.

E sao mai I le Amouta, ‘ae tali le Amotai, fa’i fo’i o lea, a o l e toe aso i Moamoa. 

Things went well on Amouta, but there is still Amotai and finally the big day on Moamoa.

In Falefa there are three malae (village greens).  Club matches used to be held on all three.  He who was unconquered on Amouta and Amotai, finally had to fight on the malae Moamoa.

Although one difficulty has been met with successfully, there are others at hand.

Ua patipati ta’oto le Fe’epo.  Fe’epo clapped his hands lying down.

Fe’epo, a blind chief of Aele, the progenitor of the Malietoa family, had a son by the name of Leatiogie.  One day the boy was victorious in a club match.  The old man, lying in his house, heard the news and clapped his hands in joy.  Upu fiafia.

O Laloifi nei.  This is Laloifi.

Pratt translates: “This is under the chestnut tree,” and explains, “This is a secret.”  This explanation, although correct, is not sufficiently justified by the translation.  The following story, which I heard in Satupaitea, Savai’I, should shed some light on the matter.  Laloifi is the name of the piece of land in Satupaitea.  Valomua, the owner of the land, was one day instructing his young men in club fighting.  One pupil had learned his lesson so well, that he struck down the master.  When the terrified youngster was about to run away, the chief jumped up and said, “O Laloifi nei”, i.e., Here in Laloifi no one has witnessed it; it will remain a secret and nothing will happen to you.

O le tao e alu ma le laufa.  The spear has carried off a piece of coconut butt.

For the sport of spear throwing (tologa) the butt of the coco palm or a coconut (fa) served as the target.  A throw was counted when the spear stuck in the butt or when a piece of bark was carried off.

Upu fa’aaloalo applied to a matai who goes to another village wither into retirement or to adopt a new title and who, out of respect, is still occasionally called by his old title.

A throw was particularly applauded when the spear stuck in the coconut and when the spears already there were shaken off.

O le tao ua tu’ua i le fa.  The only spear remaining in the nut.

Upu vivi’i applied (i) to an old chief or tulafale whose colleagues have all died; (ii) to a chief or tulafale of outstanding wisdom.

E ta fua le tao, ua tau.  It is too late to strike at the spear; it has hit. 

In battle, the spears were warded off, by striking at them with a club.  In peace time this was often done in sport.

To shut the stable after the horse has bolted.

Ua tulia afega

This expression does not, as Pratt says, refer to pigeon catching, but to the sport of tagati’a.  This game consists in throwing a thin wand (ti’a) along the ground.  To give the wand the necessary momentum, its posterior end is first made to strike a little mound (paga) of stamped clay.  To the left of the paga is the place (afega) from which the thrower takes his run.  A left-handed thrower takes station there are people standing about the afega who hinder the player from making his throw.

Figuratively it means that an undertaking, particularly a discussion, is hindered by the presence of a stranger.

Upu fa’aaloalo, when good manners required that one attends to the stranger and put off his own affairs.  Upu taofiofi, when it is not desired that the stranger know what is going on.

O le ti’a e le seua lou finagalo.  Your’ will is like the ti’a that is not turned aside from its goal.

Upu fa’aaloalo.

When a dispute arises between two players and the umpire cannot or will decide who made the better throw and is to get the point, he says: Tuu ia mo paga.  It does not count.

The players must then return to the paga and start again.  Pratt explains: “In the game of ti’a when counted wrongly; applied to anything not paid for.”  It seems to me that his first explanation is wrong.  It may happen that the saying is applied to a job performed with out remuneration although some return may have been expected.  Generally, though, it is used to request quarelli9ng parties to settle their differences.  Upu taofiofi.

When all the players have made their throw and one ti’a lies far ahead of the others, it is quite clear who is the winner and there is no need for measuring the distance between the wands.

O le mua e le fuatia.  The leading one is not measured.

Upu vivi’ii applied to an outstanding chief, orator, village, etc. 

Lafoga tupe is a game in which ten small discs is know as ‘aulafo.  In ancient times the quoits were occasionally made from human skulls.  Such ‘aulafo was taua (valuable, precious) and only the high chiefs were allowed to use it.  One day the Manono chiefs wanted to have a game with the ‘aulafo taua.  It was found however, that there were only nine discs.  So a tenth disc was made out of coconut shell.had cracked the softer bony quoits.  Ua fa’aleagaina le ‘aulafo i le ipuniu ‘ese.

Ipiniu ‘esea.  The ‘aulafo was damaged by the strange coconut shell.

Applied to a change of opinion proceeding from the interference of strangers.  Ua ipiniu ‘esea lou finagalo. 

Another explanation: When a young pig is to be weaned, it is given pieces of coconut shell (ipiniu) to which some meat adheres.  With these ipiniu the young pig is enticed to some other (‘ese) spot and accustomed to the new food.

The mat (fala lafo) used for lafoga tupe must be soft and springy.  It is, therefore, spread on a bed of coconut leaves covered with mats (fala).

Ia lago malu le fala.  Let the bed of mats be soft.

Used by a person who is apologising or asking a favour. Ia malu lou finagalo.

At the game of lafoga it is forbidden to show vexation at the mistakes or the dishonesty of the other players.  There must be no quarrelling.

O le fa’a’ata’ata a lafoga.  The forced smile at the game of lafoga.

What can’t be cured must be endured.  To make the best of a bad bargain.  To make a virtue of necessity.

The following sayings refers to the end of the lafoga game:

Ua atoa tupe i le fafao.  The set of discs in the box is complete.

The fafao is a box made of two coconut shells fitted together, in which the discs for the lafoga game are kept.

Toe sa’a le fafao.  To empty the box.

To check if all the discs have been put into the box.  To have a second discussion if the first one has led to no satisfactory result.

When the discs have been put away, the box is closed and wrapped up in the mat used in the game.

Ua aofia i le ulu mea fatu fala.  The discs have been put into the folded-up mat.

Here ulu means to put into; fatu, to roll up; fala, the mat.  These words have also different meanings: ulu, the head; fatu, a kernel; falu, the pandanus.

The fruit of the pandanus is composed of many closely pressed kernels; set out radially.  The thin ends of the kernels point towards the centre; the thick ends (heads) point to the outside of the fruit and form a design like honey-cells.  From this we have the following explanation:  The pandanus kernels point toward the centre: their heads are united at the outside.

Applied to a unanimous decision.

Ua togipa tau i le ‘ave.  The breadfruit was hit on the stalk and fell down.

In “Ulutogia there lived a pretty taupou (village virgin) who had many suitors.  As she found it had to make her choice she resorted to the following device: In the middle of the village there stood a high breadfruit tree with a stunted little fruit on its very top.  He who with a single throw of a stone was able to knock down the breadfruit, she would take for husband.  Many tried in vain.  Finally Chief ‘Alae of Si’umu hit the stalk (‘ave) of the breadfruit and knocked it down.

From this the village ‘Ulutogia (‘ulu, breadfruit; togi, to throw) near Aleipata is said to have its name.

Upu fiafia used when one meets with some success.  Upu vivi’i to applaud a person’s performance.

A variant reading: Ai o Alae.  The hit of ‘Alae.

O le ‘ulu tautogia.  A breadfruit serving as a target.

Aua le aoina le te’a muli.  Don’t pick up the balls lying far behind.

The rfelates to the game of tea’ga. The two umpires pick up the balls thrown (mostly wild oranges or breadfruits) and count the points.  The balls far behind the others will be ignored.

Upu taofiofi or faifai: Ignore uncalled for advice.

The game of tapalega is played in shallow water.  The players try to send a small floating piece of wood (uto) towards the goal by hitting it with a stick.  When the piece of wood has reached the goal, a player is invited with the cry of taliu le uto to strike it back so that the game may be started anew.

Taliu le uto.  Strike back the piece of wood.

Used on the return of a travelling party.

Sa’a le fau tulima lau lupe.  Haul in the string and take the pigeon on your hand.

For the game of fa’alele lupe tame pigeons tethered on a string are made to fly.  If a player wishes the pigeon to rest, he hauls in the string and stretches out his hand for the bird to sit on.

Upu taofiofi, requesting a person not to use any language or commit any act that might offend another.  Also used as a hint to a verbose speaker to cut his speech short.

Ua sola le pepe nai le vae, sola le pepe nai le lima.  The butterflies escaped from the feet and from the hands.

The Samoan children tie butterflies to thin strings and make them fly.  When they catch the insects for this cruel sport, they hold then fast with their toes as well as with their fingers until they have collected a sufficient number.  While one butterfly is being tied to a piece of banana fibre, the others may easily escape.

Upu fa’anoanoa, alofa or fa’aulaula applied to a person who strives after two things at the same time and gets neither.

Two sons of Tuimanu’a went to Fiji to get ‘ula for their father.  ‘Ula are the pretty red feathers with which the fine mats are decorated.  On the way back the boys plucked the feathers to pieces, which were carried away by the wind.

Ua maua ‘ula futifuti.  To have nothing but shredded feathers.  To be careless and wasteful.

Salevao, an aitu, was the son of Fulu’ulaalefanua.  When he was still a child, his mother gave him to the demons (aitu) Vave and Seali’itu.  Salevao cried very much.  To soothe him his foster fathers took him to Samana, a piece of land in tufu Gataivai, Savai’I, where they organised a big dance.  Many spectators came to the festivities.  Even the birds attended.  Everything was done to make the spectacle attractive.  Banners (fu’a) fluttered on top of high poles and the wooden drums beat a joyous tattoo (pa’o).  From this we have the saying:

Ua logo le fu’a ma le pa’o.  the rustle of the banners and the beating of the drums were heard.

The saying is used to show that a thing is known by everybody.

Salevao continued crying.  So he was taken to Saua in Satupaitea where an even bigger feast was organised.  Both the people and the trees were dancing and the4 dead rose from their graves to look on.  There were so many people on the malae, that the stones (fatu) and the earth (‘ele’ele) were unable to see and wept with sorrow.

Ua tagi le fatu ma le ‘ele’ele.  The stones and the earth wept.

The expression designates a great sorrow, such as at the death of a chief.

Veve was a chief of Tutuila.  He was an excellent dancer.  A malaga party from Upolu was anxious to see him perform.

He consented but while he was dressing up, he accidentally hurt his eye with a comb and the dance did not come off.

Ua fa’apei i le fa’anaunauga ia Veve, or abbreviated:

Ua o le nauga ia Veve.  Like the request made to Veve.

Upu fa’anoanoa or alofa applied to unrealised hopes and desires.

O le taeao i Samana (Saua).  The morning feast at Samana.

Ua fa’aumatia lagi a Pu’apu’a, ‘ae le siva Leautau.  The songs of Pu’apu’a are finished, but Leautau has not danced yet.

In Pu’apua, Savai’i, there were night dances.  One after the other the chiefs showed their art.  Leautau waited to the last, hoping to attract particular attention.  By the time it was his turn, however, all the favourite dance tunes had been sung and the only song left was the old trite Tulele.  The expected applause, of course, did not come.

The Tulele song: Tulele e, tulele e; au ou sau; ua tino le ma’i o Faufau, Tulele.

A large gathering of people for feasting is known as a nunu.  One of the most frequent occasions for the nunu is the presentation of fine mats by a newly married wife’s family to the husband’s clan, in particular to the tulafale who acted as match-makers.  The husband’s family gives food in return.  When a nunu disperses, the participants do not return to their homes immediately, but call in the different villages on their way to enjoy the people’s hospitality.  The return journey often takes weeks.

Fa’asavali a nunu.  Like the return from the nunu.

‘Ie’ie, the daughter of the Tuimanu’a, had an immense number of mats for her dowry.  By the time her husband’s relatives had acknowledged the fine mats, they were so tired that they had no strength left to thank for the inferior sleeping mats.

Ua le sula fala o ‘Ie’ie.  ‘Ie’ie’s sleeping mats were not acknowledged.

Upu fiafia expressing joy and thanks for gifts and benefits received.

Pa’usisi, the daughter of a high chief of Sa’asa’ai, Amoa, had many fine mats for her dowry.  Instead of presenting these to the talking chiefs, she kept them for herself and her relatives.

Ua matemate lima le saga o Pa’usisi.  Pa’usisi’s dowry died in her hands (i.e., it was lost to the tulafale)

Upu faifai applied to avaricious, niggardly behaviour.

At the distribution of fine mats a tulafale sees the mat intended for him only from a distance.  In the belief it is a good one he raises no objections.  If later he finds out that it is a mat of inferior quality, it is too late for grumbling and criticising.

Va’ai tualafo.  To examine closely after the distribution of fine mats.

It is too late to raise objections.  ‘Aua e te va’ai tualafo means ‘aua e te musu i le mea, aua ua e talia.  Don’t object to what you have at first agreed.

Fa’aui le ‘ula.  To take off a necklace (in order to give it to another).

To renounce a thing in favour of another, as a chief who gives up his title.