Taluai ‘o lenei atua fafine o taua e_a’afia tele i ni taua i vā o ‘āiga ma itūmālō, ‘o le mea lea e tatau ai ona tātou mālamalama e uiga ‘i ā te ia.
I le talaga o gafa, (itūlau 79), sā tātou iloa ai ‘o Nāfanua ‘o le āfafine o Saveasi’uleo, ma e tagafa mai ai le Tonumaipe’a Sauo’āiga, pei ona sā tā’ua taluai. Sā nofo Nāfanua i Faleālupo, le nu’u J.o iai ‘Auva’a ma Tupa’i, le atali’i o Tonumaipe’a Sauo’āiga, ‘o ana ositaulaga ma ‘ilāmutu ma tafa’i lātou te tau’aveina ma fa’ataunu’uina ana fuafuaga. ‘0 Tonumaipe’a ma lona ‘āiga sā nofo sāuni e fai pea le finagalo o le atua fafine i so_’o se taimi ma so ‘o se poloa’iga lava e tu’uina atu ‘i ā ‘ilātou, ui atu ‘i ā ‘Auva’a ma Tupa’i.

‘0 ia lava onapō sā tele fo’i ni isi atua o taua i Sāmoa; ‘a ‘o le tele o ‘ilātou e fa’aaloalogia i nā ‘o se itūmālō. ‘Ina ‘ia fa’ailoa ’ilātou i ni isi, ‘e fa’apea e ulu atu ‘i ni manu, manulele po ‘o ni i’a. ‘E fa’apea fo’i le Fe’e, ‘o le atuaotaua o_Ā’ana ma Vaimauga. ‘0 tausaga ta’itasi.’e fai ai se ‘aiga e le itūmālō o Ā’ana e fa’amamalu ai le Fe e. 0 tagata o le Vaimauga,’e tusa ‘o le 10 maila ‘i uta o Apia, i ‘auvai o le Vaisigano, sa lātou fa’atūina ai se mālumalu ma’a e fai talosaga ai mo lenei atua. 0 lo’o vā’aia ai pea ni vāega o lenei malumalu i aso nei. ‘E lauiloa i 1e igoa ‘o “Fale o Fe’e” ‘0 1e matu’u, sā ‘avea ma atua o taua o Manono; 1e Tupualgase, sā fa’amamaluina i Rtua. Pei fo’i o A’ana.’e iai lava ni aso fa apitoa e fai ai ni ā lātou ifoga ‘1 lenei atuaotaua. 0 lea faiga ai e ta ua o le Amo a fltua ‘i le TupualSgase,” ‘o le ifoga a Atua i le Tupualegase.

Na ‘o ni fa’aa’oa’oga nei. ‘0 1e meamoni lava,’e tofu 1e itūmālō ma_ ona fa’alupega ma lona atuaotaua, peita’i pei ona fa’aalia, ‘o atua ‘uma na
e le taualoa i Sāmoa ‘ātoa.

‘0 Nāfanua, ‘e 1e fa’atusatusaina ‘o 1e atua-o-tāua fa’al eatunu’u ‘ātoa. ‘0 lona mamalu na māfua mai ana fesoasoani sā ia tu’uina atu ‘i ni ana ‘aumea- mamae i ā lātou fetaua’iga. ‘0 le mea lea, fe pei ‘o lenei, i 1e taua i Te vā o Sālega ma Faleālupo i Savai’i. Sā manumālō pea lava Sāleaa, ‘e tusa ma 1e aga’ifanua a Sāmoa, sā tāusia a lātou pāgotā (tagata o_taua), ‘e 1e gata ‘i le fa’atauemu ‘a e fa’aopoopo atu fo’i ‘1 ai ma ni ‘ypu fāifai ma fa’atonu ‘ilār tou e fa’agāoioi i ni gāoioiga matatutupa ma le mātagā.

‘0 le tasi aso, sā lātpu fa’amālosia Tāi’i, ‘o se tulāfalq o Faleālupo, e ‘a’e ‘i luga o se niu ‘a e ū ‘i lalo lopa ulu. Sā taumafai le tulāfale e fa’amālilie 1e mana’o o ona fa’ao’o-$a1a,peita’i, ‘a ‘o ‘a’e ‘o ia i lea tū- laga, sā- selasela tetele ma māpuea, sā āga’i ‘ina leo tele lava. ‘0 le leo tele o lana mapu-sela na lagona mai i Pulotu, 1e ‘āiga o Nāfanua. ‘Ina ‘ua iloa mai_e Nāfanua ‘o se tasi o ana ‘aumea ‘ua pagātia, sā tonu loa i ā te ia’o le’ā malaga mai e laga 1e to’ilalo o ana uō mai 1en$i sāuāga tele.

Sā ia fa’atonu lana ositāulaga ‘o ‘Auva’a e alu ‘i ā Tonumaipe’a ma poloa’i e fa’asa’oloto nei tagata puapuagātia. Sā faia lava e pei ona fina- galo ai. Sā fa’asa’olotoina e Sauo’āiga tag^ta Faleālupo, ‘a ‘o Nāfanua lava sā ia maua taui lelei ‘uma.

‘0 le mea na tupu, pei ona ta’ua i luga, na pogai mai ai le muāgagana: “‘Ua logo i ā Pulotu le mapu a Tāi’i.”

‘Ona ‘o le fesoasoani a Nāfanua na tu’uina atu’i lenei fa ‘alavelave, ma isi fo’i fa’alavelave fa’apea, sS Seflalau loa le mālosi o Nāfanua, e matutua, e lāiti, maualuga ma 1e maualalo, sā lātou maofa ‘uma ’i ā te ia uatogi e lua sā ia ‘auina atu ‘i le taua, sā fiafia tele ‘i ai ma sā iay- iloa tele fo’i, ‘o igoa o ia lā’au’ ‘o Fa’auliulitō ma Fesilafa’i! Ua ola i fa1e_le lā’au a Nāfanua.” ‘E fa’apea le tala, ‘ina ‘uamae a ona gaosi nei la’au e Nāfanua, sā ia alu loa ‘i totonu o le fale o lana leofale o Matuna ma fasioti lana fānau e to’alua, ta’itasi ma le uatogi. ‘E foliga fo i i ai le alaga’upu e fai pe ‘5 maua ni i’a i se ’upega fou: “‘Ua ola le upega – ua lelei le ‘upega; ‘ua maua ai ni i’a.

There were, at the time, many war gods in Samoa, but most of them we venerated only in one or the other district. To make themselves visible they were thought to be incorporated in some animal, bird or fish.

Nafanua is the name of one of the gods in the village on the island of Upolu. Among her roles was to determine truth and to administer justice.  On finding people who steal, the chiefs and the villagers would gather together and take turns to plead for punishment on each person who has committed a crime or sin. If they all deny it and do not understand the testimony, they will beg for Nafanua’s mercy saying, ‘Oh Nafanua, have mercy on Matiu, reveal to us who has committed a crime, and bring the lipiola (punishment of sudden death) to him’.

She was a goddess of war, as well, and of healing.  While they were preparing for battle, everyone waited until they were blessed (sprinkled) with Nafanua’s oil. If they would win, then it was a good blessing (sprinkling). But if they lost, they would think that they have not been well sprinkled. Those who confess their sins are sprinkled first, for this is a sign of forgiveness for their sins and purification. It was often observed that people moved at night and traveled around the village with brightly lit traditional torches made from foliage in tribute to Nafanua. The sick people are brought before the traditional healer to be treated. Those who brought fine mats (‘ietoga) will be cured quickly, but those with minimal gifts will prolong their suffering.

Nafanua comes from place in the district in the western side of Savai’i (Falealupo). She is the daughter of the high god in Pulotu, whose name is Saveasi’uleo. She was hidden in the forest by her mother because she (the mother) was ashamed as she (Nafanua) was born out of wedlock. Nafanua came from Pulotu, a village where traditional Samoan ways are not adhered to (everything is forgotten). In those days, the yoke of slavery was heavy for the people of Samoa. People in Samoa were forced to climb with their heads facing downwards while trying to collect coconuts using their toes. Nafanua happened to pass by, and there she saw a person who was very exhausted trying to climb with his feet pointing upwards. Nafanua yelled and sighed for the cruelty (abuse) done night and day. Nafanua told the person to come down, as she is going to raise them from their oppression. Hearing Nafanua’s words, the people came together and followed her into battle. The enemy was driven out, and Nafanua was the reason for freeing the district and restoring respect. She covered her chest so that the enemy would not see that she was woman. The war ended and Nafanua had won. Then she commanded all of the people to tie coconut leaves onto the trees to identify that they are forbidden, reserved strictly for her. Even to this day, the custom of tying coconut leaves to the trees is still done. Fruits of these trees are seldomly picked, but are left until required for special occasions.

Talitonuga Anamua’s discussion of Nafanua is brief and, given her importance throughout the islands, mostly unsatisfying, especially where it minimizes her importance as a national god and also a female deity. We will elaborate here, and also refer the reader to the Lafai edition version here:

Nafanua lived in Falealupo on Savai’i with her two priests, Auvaa and Tupai, who were always anxious to carry out her schemes and strategies. Unlike other local gods of war, Nafanua was a national war god, who had attained such status by her skill in forming winning coalitions and alliances. She is also famous for dressing as a male warrior when leading the unsuspecting army of men. Her female identity was first discovered when a victorious Nafanua was met with a strong breeze which lifted her shirt and exposed her breasts to the soldiers, including her own, who are stunned and ashamed to be led by a woman who is victorious over the other men. Like contemporary women goddesses, she is an avenger, meting out justice, as shown in the story of the coconut trees.

She is also famous for her magnificent clubs, which are invariably deadly. Both Lafai and HTC Fofo Sunia referred to the gruesome manner by which she tested them. We will quote from the Fofo Sunia retelling of this story in “Samoan Legends of Love and Courtship”:

“91. Nafanua’s club found life at home. (Ua ola fale le la’au a Nafanua) “. . . Before Nafanua, the goddess of war, took her new weapons to war, she wanted to try them to see if they could kill. She swung the new club,s first on the children of her own servants, Matuna and Matuna, and killed the two young boys. She was then satisfied with the ability of the weapons. That was the origin of the saying, ‘Ua ola i fale le la’au a Nafanua.’” (pp. 262-263)

“Nafanua’s Prophecy” is considered the key to the acceptance of the white European missionaries as gods (“heavenly bursters and sailing gods”) in the person of Rev. John Williams who arrived at Savai’i in 1830. Many years before Malietoa had asked Nafanua if it was his time to rule, since Nafanua would know who would be victorious in the upcoming battle. She replied neither yes nor no, prophetically and enigmatically, “Ole a tali i le lagi sou malo.” (Await your Kingdom from Heaven.)” Malietoa decided the coming of the white missionaries signaled “his time” and embraced them, thus igniting the rapid spread of Christianity throughout the islands.