Fiti Au Mua, Who Was Born in the Sea

Fiti Au Mua, Who Was Born in the Sea

(A Tale from Samoa)

Veu and Veu were the couple who held land from the chief Tufu le Mata’afa, here in Fiti uta. Veu was pregnant and had a longing for some kape which was growing in their garden. It was a good one, and ready for digging, but it was marked to go as first-fruit to the chief for using the land of his. He was having a canoe built at the time, and he wanted it for workmen's payment. Still, Veu had her longings for the kape, and she got it and ate it.

Some person of Mata'afa's family told him that the kape was eaten. Then that chief was very angry, and he drove out Veu and Veu, drove them off his land. They went off in his anger.

They took a swimming-board and swam together out to sea to find some other land. After a time they came to the place called Fanga fetau na'i on the island of Niue.

The chiefess of that place was Sinasina le Fe'e - she had no husband and was chief. It happened that two of her people were in the water fishing for an offering to go as cold - food with her kava. These two were Saumani ali’i and his wife Saumani tamaitai. They were fishing together with a hand-net.

Now Veu who was pregnant gave birth to her baby on the back of a wave, but she could not take the child up-it floated on the sea. Thus that boy was carried into Saumani's net. That man looked down. Something human was there. He poured it out again. The sea returned it to his net. He said, ‘A man is caught.’ Said his wife, ‘Then what are you looking for? Take that thing as an offering, take it as cold-food for the kava of our chiefess.’ Saumani took it to the land, to the house of their chiefess.

Veu and Veu went ashore and saw the child. They said to the chiefess who had no husband: ‘Do not waste the boy that has been born. Do not eat him. Let us take care of him as your son. Let us rear him as fondly as a pet and call him your son. Fiti au mua.‘

This was done: and an old woman was found who acted as a mother to Fiti au mua. Her own son's name was Lau foli; he was a true Niuean; he was a warrior, that foster-mother's son.

Fiti au mua grew up in the care of this woman. He went about with other boys, but they cast things up at him. 'You are a Samoan boy whose parents were driven out in anger.’

Fiti asked his parents if it were true and they replied that Mata’afa drove them away in anger. ‘You were born on a wave in the sea.’

Then Fiti was angry and prepared to fight. He cut out two clubs for himself of toa wood, one for each hand, and he practised swinging them. He came into the house swinging two clubs, and while he was practising he hit his foster-mother on the head. She died.

War club (Samoa)

Said Veu his mother: “What is the reason you have killed your mother?” He replied, ‘If only Fiti's clubs should revive at home, we would have prosperity.’

Then Fiti went with his parents to visit their homeland, and a battle was fought at once. That was the first fight. Mata'afa’s people drove them back and forth, they were driven east and driven west. Fiti was chased and pushed down. The club in his left hand fell, but the club in his right hand remained.

Then Fiti dived into the reef passage at Aumuli, and he swam beneath the sea. He came up first at Fiji. He fought at once with them. Fiji was overcome. Then Fiti swam to Tonga; fought with Tonga, overcame. He returned here to his own land in Samoa. He went inland at A’ana. He crossed over to Savai'i; fought a fight at Pu`a pu’a; continued to fight at Matautu, where Le Fanonga helped against him. Then Fiti was killed and the wars were ended.

Source:

Legends of the South Seas

Antony Alpers

1970

Page: 293-295