Manatua, ‘o ulua’i tagata faimalaga – Ulua’isāmoa – ‘ua leva ona taunu’u pe tusa ‘o le 100 po ‘o le 150 tausaga muamua ‘i Savai’i ma, ‘e”1§ taumate
a^°U n°f°la ai f0’ua ls3moa), sā lātou filifilia ‘ogālau’ele’ele aupito mānaiiaia i le tala ‘Upolu ma ‘ā tonu fo’i ma Tutuila. ‘0 ‘ilātou nei fātai o Upolu, ma lātou te le fiafia e tu’uina atu nei lau’ele’ele mo nei tagata’ese. ‘E ui lava ina ‘o Ulua’isāmoa fa’atasi ma tagata fou na fa’a- to’ā_taunu’u māi, ‘o le lanu e tasi, ‘e le taumate ‘ona ‘o le ‘umi tele o lo lātou nofo valavala fa’apea ma le ‘ese’esega o ā lātou gāoioiga lautele, sā tutupu ‘ese’ese a’e ai ‘ilātou ma a lātou aiaiga. ‘0 lea uiga moni, ‘o le’ā fesoasoani mo ’itātou e mālamalama ai, pe ‘ai se ā na pogai ai ona le fiafia Ulua’isāmoa e fai tuā’oi ma ‘ilātou na se’i fa’ato’ā taunu’u mai.
‘E le tioa lā, na le’i ‘umi ‘a e fepa’ia’i ‘ilātou ‘ina ‘ua taumafai e tagata fou na fa’ato’ā taunu’u mai ona ‘ave fa’amālosi ni lau’ele’ele aupito mānanaia i le talafātai. Mai se tasi o nei taua’imisaga, na le’i pine ona fofoa mai ai o se taua tele, ma ‘o lona uiga’ese, na mānumālō tagata na fa’a- to’ā taunu’p mai, e ui ina fa’atoluina e to’aitiiti ai ‘ilātou. ‘0 le mea- moni, ‘o tagata na fa’ato’ā taunu’u mai, na matuā a’oa’oina lelei i le faiva o tau na lātou a’oa’oina mai Melei.
Masalo fo’i po ‘ona ‘o le legālulue fa’atasi ma ‘au’aumea fa’atasi Ulua’isāmoa, po ‘ona ‘o le tele l’ava o le tōmai o ‘ilātou na fa’ato’ā taunu’u mai i le faiva o tau. ‘Ona ‘o lō lātou atamamai i le faiva o tau, ‘ātoa ma lo latou tōmai e fe’alo’alofa’i, na māfua ai ona fa’aigoa ‘ilātou ‘e Ulua’isāmoa, ‘o Togafiti, ‘o lona uiga, ‘o tagata na lātou maua le sini ‘ona ‘o le popoto ‘o a lātou togafiti ‘a e le ‘o so lātou lototetele. Talu mai ai, ‘o ‘ilātou ‘e a’afia i lenei vāega lona lua na malaga mai, ‘e ta’ua pea ‘o Togafiti (Ghūrehi11).
Peita’i, ‘a ’o fa’agāsolo atu pea lava aso, na i’u ai ‘ina fefa’auōa’i nei vaega e lua ma, na ‘avea ai lava _ma tagata e tasi ‘ilātou ‘uma, na o’o atu ai ‘i le tupulaga soso’o, fa’apea ma ni isi fo’i, ‘ua to’atele ai pea ma i’u ai ‘ina la’itiiti Sāmoa mō ‘ilātou.
‘I nā lava aso anamua, sā fetōa’i pea tua’ā o Sāmoa ma ni osofa’iga fai so’o ma, na sōsola solo ai ‘ilātou ma fōlau atu e sā’ili le filemū ma ni nofo- aga fou. Peita’i, ‘o aso nei, ‘ua fōlau lava ‘ilātou ‘i o lātou loto mālilie, p?’fa’amālosia fo’i ‘i o lātou agaga fia sā’ili mālō po ‘o le ta’a’ina atu fo’i e le vasa laolao tele o le Pasefika. ‘0 le_mea lea, mai Sāmoa, ‘ua pei o le ‘ogātotonu lea sā lātou fōlau atu ai ‘i mātū ma toga, ‘i sasa’e fo’i ma sisifo, ‘ona ‘o le fia maua o ni lau’ele’ele fou, ma fia_maua fo’i ni la’au ma ni meaola e aogā mo le soifuaga. So ^o se motu lava lātou te maua, ‘e au- ‘ili’ili sā’ili’iliga ina ‘ia iloatino pe lelei mo ni nofoaga o tagata. ‘0 lea uiga na lātou maua ai ni motu tuā’oi se tele; sa nonofo ai ma fai ma nofo- āga o Polenisia na malaga atu ‘i Sāmoa.
Peita’i, ‘o sea fa’atasitasiga na fausia i ni motu e tele sā’ salalau solo na le’i tūmau. ‘0 le meamoni, na o’o loa ina ‘ua ‘ainā motu mamao ma ‘ua to’a tele tagata, na lātou iloa ai ‘ua lava lo lātou mālosi e gālulue ai lava lātou ‘0 lea sā fa’atū ai loa fo’i lo lātou lava mālō. ‘0 tupulaga lā na mulimuli atu ai, sā āga’i lava ina seāseā ona toefeiloa’i, ma na i’u ai ina ‘avea lātou ‘o ni tagata-‘ese.
While the scholars will search feverishly to uncover the precise origin of the Samoan people, and chart the paths of their migration to Samoa, others unquestionably accept what Brother Fred Henry writes, i.e. there was no migration at all, since “. . the old Samoan chiefs and orators firmly believe that the Samoans had always been in Samoa. In proof of it, they will remind us about the myths in accordance with which Samoa and the Samoans were created by Tagaloa, the highest of their gods.” (see History, p. 4-5)
The original ancestral home was Pulotu, (the home of the gods), and the place where they return after their earthly experiences were completed. It is known as the “world of darkness” (lalo fonua).
According to the Samoan tradition, Pulotu was situated far, far towards the west, in their original home, while the scholars have evidence that “westernmost” extended as far as Havaiki (Hawaii), and even as far west as the ancient lands of Mesopotamia. Samoan lore places Pulotu at the westernmost point of the westernmost island: the Village of Falealupo in Savai’i.
One legend narrates that later seafarers, while on the high sea, constantly met with the souls of those who had already died, as they travelled west to Pulotu. Some of these souls were weeping, some laughing and singing, and some even playing different instruments, especially the flute. Once they reached Polutu, they entered a lake whose water conferred immortality.
While we are unconcerned with how Pulotu was located, Samoan lore is settled that one entered the mystical road to Pulotu leading to a pool at Fafa, on the extreme west of Upolu, where the souls needed to enter through the correct entrance, one of which was reserved for the chiefs (Lualotoali’i) and the other for ordinary people (Lualototufanua). An aitu, named Leosia, watched to ensure that every soul entered through the correct hole into the abyss.
Pulotu was ruled by the cannibal god Saveasi’uleo, who lived as half man- half eel and ate all of his brothers but the youngest, Ulafanuase’e (Ula). Ula was the father of Tilafaiga (and therefore of her conjoined twin sister Taema). In some versions, when Tila and Taema finally departed one another to go their separate ways, Tila married Saveasi’uleo and gave birth to Nafanua, the warrior goddess.
Pulotu is also where, according to legend, the first war began. The four sons of Saveasi’uleo went on a journey to Papatea, where the fearful Papateans, anticipating an attack, struck one man named Ua on the neck, which act is considered a great insult. When the sons returned to Puleto and reported on this outrage, their King Elo became enraged and set about to completely destroy the Papateans, which he succeeded in doing with only three exceptions. Everyone who fled inland was conquered and killed, but those who set to sea survived and swam away: Tutu and his wife Ila (Tutuila), U and his wife Polu (Upolu) and Sa and his wife Vaila (Savai’i).
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