Title: Sina and the Eel

General information about the item:

• Myth
• Language: English
• Country of Origin: American Samoa
• Informant: Malouamaua Tuiolosega
• Date Collected: 21 May 2020

Informant Data: Malouamaua is my father. He was born and raised in American Samoa where he currently lives. He joined the military out of High school and pursued a medical degree afterwards. He is now a medical practitioner who runs a private clinic and is a father of three.

Contextual Data: 

• Social Context: Malouamaua heard this story when he was young as a bedtime story told by his elders and in primary school. He said that it’s also told when you’re husking or cleaning a coconut around somebody who doesn’t know the myth.
• Cultural Context: In Samoan myth it’s common for the gods to come to humans in the form of animals. Sina means white, it’s a common name in Samoan. The name is usually given to a beautiful woman. Tuna in Samoan means eel. The nut part of a coconut has three dots on one end, two smaller and one larger, it resembles a face.

Item: There’s a beautiful maiden, the daughter of a high chief, named Sina. Sina likes to go bathe in a creek or water pool. It just happens that in the water pool also lives eels and the prince of the eel kingdom watched this human woman and fell in love with Sina. The name of the prince eel is Tuna. He moved up to the woman and he proposed his love to Sina. Sina was so horrified she took off running, but Tuna followed her and begged that he wants to marry her. Sina of course rejected and was able to get her father to kill the eel. As the eel died Tuna tells Sina that he had one wish, “obviously you did not accept my love, but I have one wish, if you could please grant it to me before I die. Cut my head off, dig a hole, and plant it in the dirt. Out of my head will grow a tree and it’s fruits will be a reminder to me.” Sina, heartbroken for killing this creature, cut the head off and buried it in a hole. The next day up came a chute. It started to grow into a trunk, it grew it grew and it bared fruits, the coconut. When they opened the coconut there was the head of the eel, two eyes and a mouth.

Collector’s name: Jack Tuiolosega

Tags/keywords:

• Myth
• Coconut
• Pacific Islands