The myth of Taema and Tilafaiga, the Siamese twin goddesses of tattoo and war

The myth of how the practice of tattoo came to proliferate throughout Polynesia is rooted in the acceptance that it spread from Melanesia (Fiji) eastward. The general understanding of the locus from which the art form first spread, focuses on the Fijian-Tongan-Samoan archipelagos, but not necessarily in that order. In fact, the order of how tattoo spread across this region, places the origin in more or less all three areas, as is exemplified by the respective regional myths surrounding the practice of tattoo. In other words, each location (Fiji, Tonga and Samoa) has unique interpretations and representations of how the art of tattoo came to be. That being said, there are some very strong commonalities among all of the respective myths, that make defining a specific location or culture as the ‘center of it all’, impossible.

The common element that exists throughout Polynesia (Samoa, Tonga, New Zealand,  Marquesas, Cook Islands, Society Islands, Easter Island and Hawaii) in regards to who ‘instigated’ the practice of tattoo, revolve around Siamese twin sisters, that were joined back to back, at the buttocks, facing away from one another. The culture with the richest account of these demi-god twins, were the Samoans. It is from this perspective that the following myth will be told.

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The twins were born on the island of Ta’u, the smallest and most westward of the four major Samoan islands. Ta’u was also the place where the sacred ruler of Samoa, Tui Manu’a lived. Ta’u was a place of sanctuary, which could never be attacked by warriors from the other islands because of an accepted understanding of the magnitude of the sacredness of the place, despite its inhabitants being of a warlike nature.

The twin sisters, born back to back so that they could not see the other’s face, were called by the same name, Titi and Titi. Once they had grown, the twins went roaming about and came to a place by the shore, where men go to bathe themselves in the sea. One twin chose to name herself after this place, and she was thereafter called, Taema.

Upon returning home, they told their father that they wished to travel further abroad, and he gave them a magical stone to take with them.

As they swam away from Ta’u they encountered an area of the sea where the current was strong. While struggling against the sea, they suddenly saw the spar of a canoe bearing down upon them.

“This will be difficult to avoid,” they said, and indeed were struck by the canoe, severing the join between them. The other twin takes on the name, Tilafaiga in commemoration of this event. Now separated, the twins swam on to the island of Tutuila, the island immediately to the west of Ta’u.

On Tutuila, the twin, Taema, made taro grow in a rocky place, to the delight and surprise of the local inhabitants. In return for this miracle, they asked the people for masi (fermented breadfruit). They are presented with a mound of masi, which they quickly and mysteriously devour by absorbing it into their bodies. At this point the people realized that the twins were gods, and ran away in fear.

The twins then go up to the mountains where they covered themselves in yellow tumeric, a ritual used to denote high-ranking Samoan virgins. They continued to roam around.

They arrived at a tall, upstanding rock known as ‘the place frequented by warriors’. They split the rock into two halves, making two stone clubs. Using their clubs they suddenly begin to kill any and all warriors and men. During their spree, they realize that they are too close to their homeland of Ta’u, and are afraid that in their frenzy they might mistakenly kill their own people, so they decided to go away. They swim to Fiji.

When they arrived on Fiji, they encountered two male tattoo artists, Tufou and Filelei, who are on their way to work. Although they have no food for the twins, the sisters decided to accompany them anyway. Soon the twins learned the practice of tattoo from Tufou and Filelei, and are told to recite an incantation in memory of the two mentors, whenever they are tattooing.

O Fi Filelei, like a necklace of whale’s teeth

Aid us when we seek to get ready for war

And Tufou, descended from the gods, aid us

Adorn us with your victories

Tufou and Filelei offered the twins a feast to seal their partnership, which the twins refused. Instead they leave Fiji and swam back to Samoa, arriving at the westernmost Samoan island, Savai’i. Not knowing where they were, the twins roam around the island and encounter only children. When they asked the children to tell them where they were, the children only repeat, Na-fanua, Na-fanua, over and over. Tilafaiga decides to rename herself ‘Nafanua’ in commemoration of this incident.

The twins continued to wander around Savai’i and soon discover that the people of the West have been overcome by the people of the East. The chief of the West has gone away, but has left behind a sacrificial food offering, which has to be given to the conquerors from the East. Tilafaiga/Nafanua consumes the food and decided to assume the missing chiefs role in the war. She lays waste to the peoples of the West.

Tilafaiga/Nafanua decided to remain on Savai’i as chief and war goddess. She tells her sister Taema,

“You are to go back to the island of Tutuila and dwell. There you will practice tattoo. When you are tattoing, remember me and you will prosper.

I will remain here to do my work, which is fighting. You must remain neutral in the business of war.

By and by, when war reaches our country you must remain neutral, you must turn your back on our family on Ta’u, but keep your front toward me. If you do not, you will be overcome with vines.”

Taema returned to the island of Tutuila where she practiced tattoo, and heeding her sisters warning, abstained from involving herself in warfare. That is why Tutuila is called ‘the neutral party’.

The tattoo artists sing this refrain in memory of the twins:

Tupu le tane, ta le tatau

Tupu fafine, fanafanau

The man grows up and is tattooed

The woman grows up and she gives birth

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The theme of twins is sustained not only in much of Polynesian tattoo, but also in carvings, sculptures and other artifacts (clubs, canoes, bowls, etc.). Although this story is most detailed in the Samoan interpretation, the Marquesans were the culture that utilized the imagery the most. Marquesan tattoo in particular, uses the image, hope vehine, which is essentially the stylization of two women sitting back to back, buttocks touching, representing the twin goddesses. In fact, they use this image so much in their tattoo that there are many variations of the symbol itself.

Not to get too far into Polynesian cultural practices or beliefs, but the position of ‘men’ and ‘women’ were stratified because of the implementation of tapu/kapu/taboo that permeated every aspect of their lives and dictated their respective positions in society. Most people think that the tapu put on women were because of their perceived ‘unclean’ menses, but in fact the tapu was put on women because the ancient Polynesians believed that the woman was a conduit between the realm of the gods (po) and the realm of man (ao). The power of the gods flowed through the woman into the world of the living, through the vagina. What the ancients believed was that the woman was incapable of controlling this implementation of tapu that flowed directly from the gods. Therefore women had tapu put on them for almost everything because not only could the women impart the divinity and will of the gods through this process, but they could inadvertently take away this divinity as well.

You might also notice a similarity in spelling between the Samoan island, Savai’i and the Hawaiian word, Hawai’i. It was no coincidence, as the Marquesan word for the afterworld, or the place that you go when you die was, Havai’i.

Here is my modern interpretation of the hope vehine symbol used in Marquesan tattoo. I’ve included one of the many forms of the traditional symbol used, and it can be seen on the lower portion of the image.

Aloha and peace!