The Earth story

There once lived a couple named Iu-tane and Lu-fafine (Lu the man and Lu the woman.) and they had two daughters named Aloalo Alela and Sautia. They had as their matai or guardian the sun. They lived for a great many years and their two daughters were very beautiful. There came a day when the sun said to Lufafine and Lutane “bring your daughter Aloaloalela, I wish to marry her.” The couple replied “very well but let the other daughter who is working also come.” The old father then said to his daughter Aloalo Delhi “The Sun now comes for you, he has told me to tell you to go to live with him.” Aloaloalela then began to cry. Some time later on she went to live with the sun and the old couple died. The other daughter Sautia then journeys to the place where her sister lived with the sun. Some time later on, Aloaloalela became pregnant and when she told her sister it was suggested that they escape from the Sun. They ran away and jumped into the sea and continued swimming for a long time. Suddenly Sautia cried out “alas, my leg has been bitten off by a  shark.” Aloaloalela encouraged her to swim on and be strong and they would find a place where the water was shallow and rest. Some little while later Aloalo All cried out “Alas, I am about to give birth to a child.” Sautia said “but there is nowhere when such an event can properly take place.” Aloaloalela then gave birth to nothing but clotted blood in the sea and continued to swim on. Tagaloalagi from his place in the sky noticed this blood floating on the ocean and he said to Uatea and Uaale go down below and bring me my son who is floating on the sea. Uatea and Uaale did as ordered and brought the boy up to Tagaloalagi. As soon as they returned Tagaloaalagi grabbed hold of the lifeless mass and alternately blew on it and dipped it into the ocean. The boy suddenly came to life and began to cry. The girls who had escaped continued to swim on and ultimately found a shallow place in the ocean where they stood up and rested. It was a very small place but it grew slowly until it was sufficient to become an island and it is a Samoan belief that this first piece of land in the world was the island that is now known as Manual and it became the Island of the two ladies who first occupied it, Aloaloalela and Sautia. The boy who had been saved by Tagaloaalagi continued under his care and grew to man- PAGE 23nood. Tagaloaalagi said to him one day “go below with my water bottles and fill them for me.” The boy went as he was bidden and the tagatia party of the sister of Tagaloalagi (children of this sister who played the game of Tagatia which consists of throwing a stick along the ground) called to him to play also. He stopped and they further explained that if he lost in the game they would have the right to beat him with the stick used in the game and if they lost he would enjoy the same right. The children of the sister of Tuatagaloaalagi threw their stick and it sailed for a long distance through the air. He then took his turn and threw the stick further thereby winning the privilege of hitting the other boys with his stick. He continued to treat them and they began to cry so loudly that the sister heard them and came to see what the trouble was. She saw that the boy continued to thrash her children and she jumped forward and asked him what he meant by thrashing them. He explained that he had thrown the stick further than her boys and thereby won the right to hit them with his throwing stick. The lady then jumped at the boy and began to thrash him exclaiming that he was not a real son of Tagaloalagi and that he was very cruel. He commenced to cry and then went to fill the water bottles of Tagaloalagi. When he returned Tagaloualagi saw that he was crying and asked the reason for his tears. The boy explained what had happened and that the lady had told him that he was not a true son of Tagaloalagi. He asked Tagaloaalagi to tell him who his true parents were. Tagaloaalagi admitted that he was not his real father and asked him to listen whilst he explained. He described then how the boy's real mother lived with the Sun and became pregnant and then ran away with her

sister and jumped into the sea. He further explained that Aloaloalela gave birth to him whilst swimming and he sent his two sons Uatea and Uaale to carry him up from the sea. He told the boy how he had saved his life and cared for him. He then promised to show him his mother and her sister who had run away. He told him to look down and he would see them. The boy did so and beheld his mother and her sister down below. He said “alas, my poor mother and sister, they are being burned by the sun and drenched by the rain - let me go down below to them.” Tagaloaalagi replied “very well, get ready.” He then called Uatea and Uaale and told them to PAGE 24conduct the boy to his mother. They did so and the women were startled to see him. The following conversation then ensued-the boy said to his mother “where do you two come from and the mother replied we ran away from the Sun who was our matai.” The boy then asked “where is your son” and the mother replied that she had given birth to a son whilst swimming in the sea with her sister, She was further asked where the son was now and received a reply that the mother had left it floating on the surface of the sea. The boy then said “I am your son - I was found floating on the surface of the sea by Tagaloaalagi and he sent Uatea and Uaale to pick me up and take me to him.- I was brought to life by Tagaloaalagi and cared for by him until the present time.- Tagaloaalagi one day told me to go below and fill his water bottles. As I was doing this the children of his sister asked me to join in the game of Tagatia and it was decided that whoever the game would have the privilege of hitting the other party with his throwing stick. I won and I thrashed the other boys as agreed upon. The mother of the boys heard the cry and came to see what the trouble was. When she discovered me thrashing them she told me I was a bad boy and commenced to thrash me and told me that I was not a true son of Tagaloalagi. When I returned with the water mater bottles to Tagaloalagi I asked him to tell me the truth and he told me that my real father was the sun and that you were my real mother. I then asked him to let me go to you and here I am, I will return to him and ask him to make your Island beautiful. When the boy returned Tagaloaalagi asked him what he had come for and the boy replied that he had returned to ask Tagaloalagi to be kind and make the Island of his mother and her sister beautiful and provide them with everything they wanted. Tagaloaalagi promised to do so and sent trees of every kind and rain so that the Island became very beautiful and it has remained so down to the present.