The tale of the turtle and the shark – a Samoan legend
Posted by Maris on 2nd Oct 2023
Samoans relate the story of Fonueau, an elderly blind woman from Salega, Savaii (Western Samoa). She has one child, a lovely little girl named Salofa.
A devastating famine struck villages close to her house one year. Fonueau was unable to find food due to her eyesight. After many days of extreme hunger, she and her daughter noticed the lovely aroma of soi baking in the village’s ground ovens. Foneau and Salofa waited for villagers to bring them food, but it never appeared.
The mom and her daughter were desperate enough to hurl their fate into the water. The mother grabbed her child’s hand and plunged off the cliff into the surf below.
Their bodies changed as they swam to the surface. One evolved into a turtle, while the other into a shark. They swam away from the villagers who were unconcerned about them. When they landed in Vaitogi, an American Samoan community, they resumed their human bodies. Chief Letuli and his people greeted them with food and clothing.
The two women were so moved by the chief’s careful care that they vowed to return to the ocean and dwell just beyond the cliffs, only returning when summoned to dance and entertain the villagers. They left a wonderful song for the Samoans to utilize when the shark or turtle were required. It is reported that when locals congregate along the shore of that renowned place and sing the charming melody, a turtle and a shark come.