*0 Tut Toga F.akapouri ‘o se uō mamae lava a ie Tuf Manu’a sā nofo i aso ia i Fitiuta. ^Ona ‘o lea fefa’auōa’iga, sā mafai ai ona feasiasia’i le tasi ‘i le isi.
‘0 se tasi o ana āsiasiga e masani ai i Fitiuta^ na fa’apea atu ai Fakapouri ‘i le Tui Manu’a, “Tui, la’u uō* ‘ua tele lava ni aso ‘o tā nonofo pea. Ma ‘ua o’o nei ‘i le itūaso e tatau ai ona ‘ou toefo’i atu ‘i lo’u atunu’u, se’i ‘ou va’ai po ‘o fa’apefea mai o’u tagata.”Sā tali atu le Tui Manu’a, “‘Ua lelei, pe ‘ā fai ‘ua ‘e lagona e tatau ona ‘e malaga, Ma ‘o le’ā ‘ou sāunia fo’i mea ‘uma mo lou toefo’i atu,”

Sā” fa’afetai atu Fakapouri mo le tausiga lelei o lana āsiasiga, ma ‘ua ‘avea lana tāfaoga ‘o se fiafiaga tele mo ia. ‘0 lea na ia toe fa’apea atu ai, “Tui la’u uō, ‘o lo ‘o iai lava le mea lenei e tasi ‘ou te tagi atu ai ‘ou te fiamaua maiiāte’oe. ‘0lemealālenei:’Outefiatā’eleilouVaisā’ae’oute le’i malaga ‘ese atu.”

Sa tali atu le Tui Manu^a, “La’u uō’ peleina, ‘o mea ‘uma lava ‘o iai i ā te a’u, ‘e mafai ona ‘ou ‘avatu, ma ‘e te pule fo’i ‘i ai. Peita’i, ‘e le mafai ona ‘ou fa’atagaina ‘oe *e te ta’ele i lo’u vai-tā’ele. ‘0 lea Vaisā e_matuā fa’asāina ma leoleoina fa’apitoa lava mo le Tui Manu’a. ‘0 le mea lea, sāuni pea lau malaga e toefo’i ‘i Toga; ma ‘ā mavae se māsina, ona ‘ou asiasi atu fo’i lea e pei ona tā māsani ai.”

Na mavae aso e lua, ‘ona tu’uva’a ai lea o le Tui Toga mo Toga. Peita’i, na lilo atu loa Fitiuta i le lātou va’ai, ona fa’atonuina loa lea e le Tui Toga le ‘auva’a’ina ‘ia afe ane le va’a ‘i le nofoaga o lo ‘o nofo ai le tagata e igoa ‘i ā Faitolo. M) Faitolo^, ‘o ia lea o lo ‘o leoleoina le Vaisā.

Sā- malaga atu loa Fakapouri ‘i le fale o Faitolo, ma_ta’u atu M ai, ‘o ia ‘ua mana’o tele e fia tā’ele i 1e vai-tā’ele ‘e igoa ‘i ā Vaisa. Sa jte i ma fe- tōa’i le māfaufau o Faitolo ina ‘ua ia fa’alogo atu ‘i lenei niea, ma sa ia faiatu ai ‘i le Tui Toga, “Tui Toga e, fa’amolemole lava, ‘aua ne’i ‘e faia lena uiga, ‘auā ‘ā fai ‘e te fa’ataunu’uina lou mana’o, ‘e le taumate ona tele se fa’alave Fave e o’o ‘i ā te ‘oe.” ui lava ‘i lea, sa tonu pea i le māfaufau o le Tui Toga, ‘e le mafai ona iafo’iatu’iToga’aele’itā’eleileVaisā. ‘0lemealeanaiaosoailoa ‘i totonu o le vai ma lona le popole lava i se mea ‘o le’a tupu.

‘A e pagā! ‘0 le taimi lava na papa’i ai lona tino”i le suavai ,_na maliu ai fo’i. Ma ‘ina ‘ua va’ai atu tagata Toga ‘ua maliu lo latou Tupu, sa latou laue loa ma tafuti o lātou lauulu. Sa lātou tatu’i fo’i o latou ulu l ma a.

‘Ina ‘ua va’ai atu Faitolo ‘i le mea ‘ua tupu, sā ia fa atonu F’a tagata, Toga e sōia le sāga fetāgisi ma tatu’i o lātou ulu. ‘A e peita’i sa le āmana ia
‘o ia e tagata Toga, ‘a e ‘ua ātili ai a lātou tāgisaga tetele.

‘0 le taimi lava na maua ai e tagata Toga le tino-maliu o lo lātou tupu, sa lātou fa’ata’atia loa i luga o ni launiu, ma sāuni ai e f?ta i o iātou ua^ Na ‘uma lea gāoioiga, ona lātou fata fa’ata’amilo lea o le tino-maliu o lo lātou tupu, ma pepese fa’apea:’Auā, ’aue, Tui Toga_e, Mānava se, Tui Toga e, Tū, tū ia, Fakapouri e! ’lna ‘ua fa’alogoina e Faitolo nā pesega, sā ia tu’ua loa tagata Toga ‘a e fa’ata’alise atu e mōlia lenei fa’alavelave ‘i le Tui Manu’a. Na va’aia loa e le Tui Manu’a le leoleo o lona Vaisā, sā ia mete’ia loa le mea ‘ua tupu, ‘0 1e mea lea na ia fa’apea atu ai ‘i a Faitolo, “Faitolo, ‘ua ‘ou iloa le ala ‘ua ‘e sau ai. ‘A e tala maia po ‘o ā gāoioiga a tagata Toga o 1o ‘o fai.” Ona fa’amatala loa lea e Faitolo āmioga uiga ‘ese a tagata Toga o io ‘o fai, fa’apea fo’i ma 1e lātou pese fa’a-Toga, ‘Ina ‘ua māe’a ona_tala atu o nei mea e Faitolo, sā fa’apea atū loā le Tui Manu’a, “Faitolo, ‘ia ‘e toefo’i atu nei ‘i le Vaisā ma ta’u atu ‘i nai tagata Toga, ‘ia sui le lātou pese fa’a-Toga ‘i le pese lenei:

Tui Manu’a e, lo’u ali’i e, Tui Manu’a e, lo’u ali’i e, ‘Aua ‘a fai lātou te pepese fa’apenā, ‘o le’ā le pine ona toe fa’afo’i ane le ola i lo lātou tupu alofagia.
‘0 lea na toefo’i atu ai loa Faitolo ma ta’u atu lenei fa’atonuga a le Tui Manu_a i tagata Toga. Sa mālilie tagata Toga ‘i le fa’atonuga a le Tui Manu’a Ma sa atou ō ane loa ua tofu ma le si’usi’u launiu e ‘u’u i 1ima e lua ma sā vavali fa’ata’amilomilo i le tino-maliu o le Tui Toga, ma pepese fa’apea:

Tui Manu’a e, lo’u āli’i e, Tui Manu’a e, lo’u ali’i e”, Fa’auta ‘a ‘o le’i māe’a ona lātou fa’ata’amilo fa’atolu, ‘a e tūla’i mai loa ‘i luga le Tui Toga. Ma sā ‘ālalaga loa tagata Toga ‘uma’i le fiafia ‘ona ‘ua toe ola lo lātou tupu. Na ‘āmata mai ai i ‘inā ona ‘avea ma masani i Tutuifa ma Sāvai’i, ‘ā fai e maliu se ali’i-sili, ‘e sāvavali fa’ata’amilo ni matai i le fale ‘o iai le tino-maliu, ma ‘ave si’usi’u launiu i o lātou lima, ma lātou pepese ai i se ieo fa’apafl fa’apea:
Tui Manu’a e, lo’u ali’i e! Tui Manu’a e, lo’u ali’i e! Peita’i, ‘ua tauau’ina mou atu lona mālosi i nei aso.

The Tuitonga (King of Tonga) Fakapouri was a great friend of the Tuimanu’a (King of Manu’a), who then lived in Fitiuta.  Because of their mutual friendship, they often visited each other.

On one of his regular visits to Fitiuta, Fakapouri said: “Tui, my friend, many are the days that I have spent with you. It is time to return to my own country to see how my people are getting along.”“Well,” answered the Tuimanu’a, “If you really must leave me, I shall prepare everything for your return”.

Fakapouri thanked him for all he had done to make his stay in Manu’a such an agreeable one. Then he added, “Tui, my friend, there is however, one more favour I would like to obtain from you. It is this. I would like to bathe in your Vaisa (pool) before I go”.

The Tuimanu’a said: “My friend, all I have is at your disposal, but I cannot allow you to take a bath in my pool. That Vaisa is strictly reserved for the Tuimanu’a. Prepare for your return to Tonga and after a month’s time, I shall return your visit to me here.”

After two days had passed, the Tuitonga prepared to set sail for Tonga. However, as soon as Fitiuta was out of sight, he ordered his crew to call Faitolo who was the guardian of the Vaisa.

Fakapouri went straight to the house of Faitolo and told him that he intended to bathe in the sacred bathing pool called Vaisa. Faitolo was quite upset when he heard this, and so he said, “Tuitonga, please don’t do it, for if you do it, great harm will befall you”.

However, the Tuitonga made up his mind not to return to Tonga without having taken a bath in that sacred pool. So he jumped into the pool, fearing nothing.

But alas! As soon as he came in contact with the forbidden water, he was smitten with death. As the Tongans saw that death had overtaken their great king, they tore out their hair, beat their heads with stones, and cried bitterly.

When Faitolo saw what had happened, he told the Tongans to stop their foolish crying, but the Tongans did not pay attention to him and went on crying louder than ever.

By this time, they had succeeded in recovering the dead body of their king. Presently they laid him on some palm leaves and then they turned his body round and round while they sang,

Aue, aue, Tuitoga e, Manava se, Tuitoga e Tu, tu ia, Fakapourie! Alas, alas, King of Tonga, Breathe again, King of Tonga, Stand, stand up, Fakapouri!

When Faitolo heard this, he left them in order to report the incident to the Tuimanu’a. As soon as the Tuimana saw the guardian of his Vaisa, he guessed what had happened. So he said: “Faitolo, I know why you came. Tell me only how his Tongan crew is behaving.”  Then Faitolo told him about their strange behaviour and their singular Tongan song. When Faitolo had ended his story, the Tuimanu’a said: “Faitolo, return to the Vaisa and tell the poor Tongans to exchange their Tongan song for the following:

“Tuimanu’a e, lo’u ali’i e, Tuimanu’a e, lo’u ali’i e”. “Oh, King of Manu’a, my lord, Oh, King of Manu’a, my lord. If they sing these words, their king will return to life.”

Thereupon, Faitolo returned and told the Tongans what they had to do in order to revive their beloved chief. The Tongans agreed and each taking hold of the top-end of a coconut leaf, they went round and round the king and sang: “Tuimanu’a e, lo’u ali’i e! Oh King of Manu’a, my lord, ” over and over again. And behold! Before they turned round three times, the Tuitonga stood up, all hail and sound. Ever since, when a high chief has just died, it has been the custom in Tutuila and Savai’i to walk round his house with the top-end of a coconut leaf while singing in a low solemn voice: “Tuimanu’a e, lo’u ali’i e! Oh, King of Manu’a, my lord”! But alas! Somehow the song has nowadays lost its efficacy.

(By Lafai)

Note: this story is taken almost verbatim from Brother Fred Henry, History of Samoa, 1979 (K. R. Lambie) edition.