o le’ā tūlaga muamua, Tūmua, ma e le nofo tuāvae ‘i ā ‘Auimatagi po ‘o Lufi- lufi7 le afio’aga o Tui Atua, ‘E pei ona ‘avea o Malie ma Laumua.’e fa’apea fo’i ona ta’ua Leulumoega ‘o Tūmua. ‘E le gata ‘i lea, ‘o le suafa Tui A’ana, le suafa aupito maualuga i lenei itūmālō, b le’ā tu’uina atu ‘i le Falefitu se’ia o’o ‘i le fa’avavau.”Talu mai ai, ‘ua ta’ua pea lava Leulumoega ‘o le Tūmua o Ā’ana. I ni tausaga mulimuli ane, sā fa’apea fo’i ona tu’uina atu o lea mamalu ‘i ā Lufilufi le laumua o Atua.
I le tāusiga ma le fa’aeteete e Tutuila ma ‘Ape, fa’apea fo’i ‘Alipia ma Suluga, na tuputupu a’e le tama ma 1e tino mālosi ma 1e ‘aulelei. ‘0 ‘Alipia, o lo ‘o iai talatu’u, sā la a’oa’oina 1e tama i tala’aga ‘ese’ese o Sāmoa; ‘a ‘o isi s3 lātou a’oa’oina ‘o ia pe’ fa’apSfea ona ‘avea ma se ta’ita’i lelei, ‘a e maise aso loulouā; ‘o ia lava uiga ‘uma na sāunia ai le tama mo lona tūlaga maualuga.
‘Ina ‘ua tupu a’e le tama ma ‘avea ma taule’ale’a talavou, sā tāina loa lana tatau (mālōfie po ‘o le pe:a). ‘E ui ‘ina sā uiga ‘ese le mālosi o Tama- alelagi, sā lagona lava e ia le tigā tele o le sāusau ma le au a Pāuli, le tā-tatau lauiloa o Ā’ana, ma ‘ā na le seanoa 1e ‘auai o le taupou ma lona aualuma, ‘e i’u lava ‘ina tagi aue fi lona tTgāina tele. ‘E ui lava’ina ‘o lea, taluai ‘o_1e tatau ‘o le la’asaga tāua lea e la’asia ‘ina ‘ia ‘avea ai ma tamatāne, sā ia tau’aveina ai ma 1e leai o se leo ona tTgā ‘uma.
‘ Ina ‘ua pepe (mamafu) manu’a ‘uma sā maua mai le tāgā-tatau, sā faia se isi fo i faigā’ai tele; ma na ‘alagaina loa e ‘Alipia ma Suluga le suafa Tui A’ana. Ona_’aumaia lea o Levālasi, le tama teine a le uso o lona tinā (Leatougauga) sa nofo i Neiafu, e ‘avea ma taupou ‘i ā Tamaale1aqi ‘E 1e gata la _o Levālasi e uso o lā tinā, ‘a e feso’ota’i fo’i Levālasi ma Nā-
When Alipia and Suluga, a high talking chief of A’ana, had accepted the offer of Tutuila and Ape to take over the care of the young Tamalelagi, so that he might grow up to become the leader of the whole district, Ape said:
“Leulumoega, the residence of Tamalelagi, shall henceforth stand in the first place (tumua) and it shall not be inferior to either Auimatagi or Lufilufi, the residence of the Tuiatua. As Malie is called Laumua, so Leulumoega shall be known as Tumua (to stand in the first place, to be on top ). Furthermore, the name Tuia’ana, the great title of this district shall forever after be conferred by the Falefitu (House of the seven executive chiefs of A’ana ).”
Ever since, Leulumoega has been known as the Tumua (capital) of A’ana. Some years later, the same honorary appellation was also given to Lufilufi, the capital of Atua.
Under the devoted care of Tutuila and Ape, as well as Alipia and Sulug, the boy grew up and promised to develop into a handsome and healthy man. Alipia, the keeper of traditions, instructed him in Samoan lore, while others taught him how to become a genuine leader in peace and war. In this manner, Tamalelagi was prepared for his high calling.
When the boy was in his teens, he was tattooed. Although Tamalelagi was an exceptionally strong boy, he suffered much under the hammer and comb of Pauli, the famous tattooer of the Tuia’ana (agaiotupu). Had it not been for the presence of the taupou and her attendants, he would have cried out aloud with the intense pain. Yet, knowing that the tattooing was the stepping stone to manhood, he underwent the operation stoically and silently.
When the wounds caused by the tattooing had healed, another great feast was held, and at the end of these festivities Alipia and Sulug proclaimed him their Tuiatua. Then Levalasi, the daughter of his aunt, was brought from Neiafu to become the taupou of Tamalelagi. A Levalasi was not only his cousin, but also related to Nafanua, who had taken this girl under her special protection. The new Tuia’ana felt sure that his association with Levalasi would be both pleasant and helpful in an emergency that might arise. For this reason, he changed her name Levalasi into that of Sooa’emalagi (“may thy praise reach to heaven”).
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