SOME FOLK-SONGS AND MYTHS FROM SAMOA. 107 



caught in the net, became the wife of Tangaloa, and was subsequently 

 the mother of men and spirits. Of her children Le-Fanonga was the first 

 born and Ta'e-o-Tangaloa the next/' 



" After the birth of Ta'e-o-Tangaloa and Le-Fanonga, Tangaloa-a-Ui 

 constantly attended the councils of heaven, and was therefore called Le 

 Folasa, ' the prophet/ When Ta'e-o-Tangaloa was old enough, his father 

 used to take him up with him, but left Le-Fanonga below, for he was 

 very unruly. This boy, however, learnt from his mother where his father 

 and brother were gone to, and made his way up to heaven. His presence 

 there caused consternation, and, in consequence, he was sent to bring to 

 the council the 'avafe'ai, * the fierce kava/ in the expectation that he 

 would perish in doing so. But he went to the place where it was, and 

 subdued it, and brought it back in triumph. The council then deliber- 

 ated, and resolved to send Tangaloa-a-Ui down with the ao (supreme 

 power) and all kingly privileges, including the fale-ula (palace) and the 

 fono (the holding of councils for deliberation and justice). Tangaloa-a-Ui 

 gave the ao, or royal dignity and universal rule, to Ta f e-o-Tangaloa, who 

 was therefore the first on earth that held the title, dignity and authority 

 of Tui o Manu'a ma Samoa atoa, ' king of Manu'a and the whole of Samoa/ 

 Le-Fanonga retained his portion of the e ava fe'ai." 



" After these things, Le-Fanonga and La f a-mao-mao, another son of 

 Tangaloa, made an oven of food for him, that is, according to the Samoan 

 fashion, they prepared the yams, put them on the hot stones and covered 

 them up ; but they then went to sport on the rollers which break over 

 the reef. When the oven was ready, Tangaloa, their father, sent to call 

 them to uncover the oven. They said, ' Wait a while till the yams are 

 better done/ Again he sent. After a while, they came and uncovered 

 the food, but it was all burnt ; the yams were spoiled ; some were red hot, 

 others blackened. Tangaloa said, ' Bring them here ; let me see them/ 

 They were brought ; then he was very angry with Le-Fanonga and La'a- 

 mao-mao ; he seized one of the burning yams and flung it at Le-Fanonga 

 so that his body was burned reddish in several places ; his emblem is the 

 ( owl,' and that is the reason why the Samoan owl is so red ! At La'a- 

 mao-mao he threw a blackened yam ; that struck his neck which was thus 

 blackened and elongated. His emblem is the ' black heron/ and that is 

 why it is black and its neck long ! Le-Fanonga flew to Sale-i-moa in 

 Upolu and became its war-god. La f a-mao-mao, in the form of the black 

 heron, flew to Manono and became the war-god there." 



In a note on the Solo o 'Ava a Tagaloa-le-Mdna, Mr. Powell explains : — 

 " This solo has reference to the first planting of the kava. Tangaloa-le- 

 Mana came down to earth, and, desiring some kava to drink with the fish 

 which his two attendants, Telemu and Malifai, had caught for him, he 

 sent them to heaven to bring down such portions of the kava plant as 

 would be required for the preparation of the beverage ; but they brought 

 him not only the root, but also the stem and the leaves. Then Tangaloa 



