The Samoan Story of Creation

Author: Traditional

Time Period: 1001 CE–1500 CE

Country or Culture: Polynesia

Genre: Myth

PLOT SUMMARY

In the beginning, there is no land or sea, only a vast expanse. The great god Tagaloa, who created the universe, eventually becomes tired from traveling in this expanse and decides to raise a rock on which to stand; this rock is called Manu’a-tele (greater Manu’a). Tagaloa splits the rock open to create different types of rock. He splits it open again, and out pours the sea, surrounding the rocks. He splits the rock again, and fresh water pours out. He splits the rock yet again, and the sky emerges, followed by Tui-te’e-langi, the god who holds aloft the sky. Next come Ilu (immensity) and Mamao (space). Ilu and Mamao give birth to Po (night) and Ao (day), who in turn create the sun and stars. These occupy the first heaven. Then, Ilu and Mamao give birth to Le-lagi, the second heaven, and Le-lagi brings forth seven more heavens. In all, nine heavens are created, each one propped up by Tui-te’e-lagi. When Tui-te’e-lagi is unable to keep the sky from falling on his own, he uses two umbrella-shaped plants found on the islands to help him hold it up.

Tagaloa then returns to Manu’a-tele to create the various islands of the Pacific. First, he creates the eastern islands of Samoa, including the islands of Manu’a (Ta’u, Ofu, and Olosega). Then, he creates the islands of Fiji and Tonga. Finally, he returns to Samoa to create the western islands, including Savai’i and Upolu. He discovers that the distance between Savai’i and Manu’a is too great and creates another island between them, Tutuila.

After this, Tagaloa sets out making the islands hospitable for humans. He gives them water and clouds, as well as vegetation and other natural resources. He then plants a type of vine, called fue, throughout the islands. As the vine sits out in the sun, its leaves decay and fall away, and wormlike creatures come out of the juice of the leaves. Tagaloa gives these creatures heads, arms, legs and beating hearts, and they become people. Most importantly, Tagaloa gives the people spirit, heart, will, and thought. On each of the islands he creates, Tagaloa places a male and a female so that they will populate the earth.

Tagaloa decides that these people need to be governed by a chief. He chooses Manu’a, a son of Po and Ao, to serve this purpose. Today, because of the great reverence shown to Manu’a, people are expected to look to the island group that bears his name as the central authority of the island nation. This group is also considered the spiritual center of not only Samoa but all of Polynesia as well.

SIGNIFICANCE

There are a number of versions of the Samoan myth of creation, reflective of the geographical diversity in the Samoan archipelago. In some versions, the son of Tagaloa (also spelled Tangaloa), Tuli the plover, is the one who travels to and from the surface, returning to his father to ask for the creation of land, vegetation, and even humanity. In others, Tagaloa himself comes down from the heavens. In some stories, Tagaloa makes the islands rise from the waters, while in others, he throws down from the heavens sacred rocks that form the islands when they land. These variations can be explained by the distance between Samoan islands as well as the diversity of cultures not just in this particular archipelago but in Polynesia as a whole.

Despite the various differences in these stories, there are common themes. One of the most important themes concerns Manu’a. According to the story, Tagaloa delivered Manu’a to the people to serve as their king. This figure, who was the brother of the sun and moon, governed the people and resided on the first islands that Tagaloa created, which today share his name. In honor of this original king of Samoa, the islands of Manu’a became the spiritual and cultural center of Samoa. Subsequent ruling chiefs of Manu’a were given the title Tui Manu’a and were said to be descended from Tagaloa himself. The title was retired following the cession of Manu’a to the United States in 1904 and the death of the last Tui Manu’a in 1909. Attempts to revive the position in 1924 were suppressed by the US government.

Also significant in this story is the role of rock. Before creating the sky, the earth, and all life on the planet, Tagaloa placed rocks in the ocean. These rocks split and transformed, providing the basis for all of the natural resources on which humans would rely. Rock therefore acts as the foundation of the earth and the life it would sustain.

Finally, the story provides an organic basis for humanity. The earliest humans, according to the myth, were worms that emerged from the decayed fue, a creeping vine native to Samoa. Although they were produced from natural elements, Tagaloa shaped them and, most importantly, imbued in them such critical elements as spirit and heart. Such supernatural gifts underscore the distinctiveness of humans from the other creatures in the world.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Craig, Robert D. Handbook of Polynesian Mythology. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2004. Print.

Fraser, John. “The Samoan Story of Creation: A ‘Tala.’” Journal of the Polynesian Society 1.3 (1892): 164–89. Print.

Harding, Thomas G., and Ben J. Wallace, eds. Cultures of the Pacific. New York: Free, 1970. Print.

McLachlan, Craig, Brett Atkinson, and Celeste Brash. Rarotonga, Samoa & Tonga. 7th ed. Oakland: Lonely Planet, 2012. Print.

“The Samoan Creation Legend—National Park of American Samoa.” National Park Service. US Dept. of Interior, n.d. Web. 25 June 2013.