Taema is the name of a female figure referred to in different legends in
Samoan mythology.[1]
Different Legends
One well known legend relates that Taema and her sister
Tilafaiga are the Matriarchs of Samoan tatau. The sisters brought the art of tattooing to
Samoa from
Fiji.[2] As they swam, the sisters sang a song that women get the tattoo, not men. But as they neared the village of
Falealupo at the western end of the island of
Savaiʻi in Samoa, they dove underwater to get a clam. When they emerged, their song changed. Only men get the tattoo, not women. However, Samoa has traditional tattoos for both males and females. The traditional male tattoo is the
Soga'imiti. The female tattoo is the
malu. In a similar legend, Taema's sister Tilafaiga was the mother of the Samoan goddess of war,
Nafanua, the daughter of
Saveasiʻuleo, god of the
underworldPulotu.
Taema was the name of a war god, incarnate in the kingfisher bird and was an omen in war.
Taema was a war god present in a bundle of sharks' teeth.
Taema and Tilafaiga were the names of two household gods in a family at the east end of the
Samoa Islands. Taema and Tilafaiga were
Siamese twins, their bodies joined back to back. They swam from the east and a wave struck them and separated their bodies. Everything double such as double yams or bananas, were sacred.
Taema was the name of a goddess found by fishermen swimming between the islands of
Upolu and
Tutuila. The fishermen covered her with fine native cloth, took her to land in the bush, and built a temple for her.
Taema was the founder of a high-ranking chief title on Tutuila.[3]
References
^[1], Samoa, A Hundred Years Ago and Long Before by George Turner, ISO-8859-1
Taema is the name of a female figure referred to in different legends in
Samoan mythology.[1]
Different Legends
One well known legend relates that Taema and her sister
Tilafaiga are the Matriarchs of Samoan tatau. The sisters brought the art of tattooing to
Samoa from
Fiji.[2] As they swam, the sisters sang a song that women get the tattoo, not men. But as they neared the village of
Falealupo at the western end of the island of
Savaiʻi in Samoa, they dove underwater to get a clam. When they emerged, their song changed. Only men get the tattoo, not women. However, Samoa has traditional tattoos for both males and females. The traditional male tattoo is the
Soga'imiti. The female tattoo is the
malu. In a similar legend, Taema's sister Tilafaiga was the mother of the Samoan goddess of war,
Nafanua, the daughter of
Saveasiʻuleo, god of the
underworldPulotu.
Taema was the name of a war god, incarnate in the kingfisher bird and was an omen in war.
Taema was a war god present in a bundle of sharks' teeth.
Taema and Tilafaiga were the names of two household gods in a family at the east end of the
Samoa Islands. Taema and Tilafaiga were
Siamese twins, their bodies joined back to back. They swam from the east and a wave struck them and separated their bodies. Everything double such as double yams or bananas, were sacred.
Taema was the name of a goddess found by fishermen swimming between the islands of
Upolu and
Tutuila. The fishermen covered her with fine native cloth, took her to land in the bush, and built a temple for her.
Taema was the founder of a high-ranking chief title on Tutuila.[3]
References
^[1], Samoa, A Hundred Years Ago and Long Before by George Turner, ISO-8859-1