Once upon a time, in a village in Savai’i, Samoa, there lived a kind and lovely young woman named Sina. She was famous in her village for her beauty and kindness. She had many admirers, but she did not find anyone who truly captured her heart.
The story of Sina’s beauty reached the king of Fiji. The king was curious and decided to use his magic to transform into an eel and swam to Samoa to see Sina’s beauty for himself. The king (eel) arrived at the village pool where Sina lived.
One day while Sina was walking by the pool, she saw a magnificent eel swimming in the water. It was unlike any eel she had ever seen before. Its scales were silver and shimmery, and its eyes were dark green. However, Sina did not like the way the eel was looking at her. She started feeling suspicious that the eel was following her and her anger grew. She called the eel a demon. Despite this, the eel was kind and Sina grew fond of him and decided to make him her pet.
Sina visited the pool every day to see the eel, and soon they became friends. They would swim together and talk, and Sina began to feel a deep connection with the eel. She named him Tuna, and soon, her feelings for him grew stronger and stronger.
Sina spent hours at the pool with Tuna, and eventually, she realised that she was in love with him. She could not imagine living without him. So, she decided to take Tuna home with her, carrying him in a basket.
Sina hid Tuna in her house, and she cared for him, loving him as if he were a person. But her brother eventually discovered Tuna and told the rest of the village. The village elders were angry and decided to punish Sina for her unnatural love for the eel.
They ordered her to take the eel back to the pool and release him back into the sea. Sina was devastated but knew she had no choice but to obey. She took Tuna back to the pool and begged him not to leave her. Tuna promised that he would not leave her.
Years went by, and the eel grew old and weak. He decided to reveal himself to Sina and asked her to plant his head in the ground when he died. Sina did as he asked, and a coconut tree grew from the spot where the eel’s head was buried.
From this legend, the people believed that the three marks on the coconut that look like the face of a fish with two eyes and a mouth was Tuna’s face. One of the marks is pierced for drinking the coconut, and when Sina drinks from it, she is kissing the eel.
The pool where Sina and the eel met is called the “Mata o le Alelo” which means “eyes of the eel” in Samoan.
Versions of the “tala” Sina and the Eel
The myth of origins known as “Sina and the Eel” in Samoan mythology, and also found in other Polynesian cultures such as Tonga, Fiji, and Māori in New Zealand, explains the origins of the first coconut tree. In one version of the legend from the island of Savai’i in Samoa, a beautiful girl named Sina caught the attention of the Tui Fiti, the King of Fiji. Using his magical powers, he transformed himself into an eel and went to Sina’s village to see her. When Sina discovered the eel staring at her in a pool, she initially got angry, but then she realized that the eel was friendly and made it her pet.
Years passed, and the Tui Fiti grew old and weak. He revealed himself to Sina, explaining that he was once the King of Fiji and had come to see her beauty, but knew he had no chance due to his age. He asked Sina to plant his head in the ground, and she followed his request. From the planted head, a coconut tree grew, with three round marks on the husk resembling the face of the eel with two eyes and a mouth. One of the marks is pierced for drinking the coconut, and so when Sina takes a drink, she is believed to be kissing the eel.
In Samoa, there is a spring pool called Mata o le Alelo in the village of Matavai, Safune, associated with the legend of Sina and the Eel. The pool is named after Sina’s words to the eel in the legend and is open to visitors.
Other islands versions
There are other versions of the story with variations in Rarotonga. In Mangaia, Cook Islands, the story is about a beautiful woman named ‘Ina-moe-Aitu who lived in a cave near Tamarua village and bathed in a stream in her cave.
In today’s Popular Culture
The legend of Sina and the Eel has also been referenced in popular cultures, such as in the song “You’re Welcome” from the 2016 Disney film Moana, where the demigod Maui claims to have killed an eel and buried its guts to grow coconut trees. Moana’s mother is also named “Sina” in the film’s credits, and she is shown teaching Moana how to harvest coconuts and use various parts of the coconut tree in the song “Where You Are.”
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Fa’afetai lava,
Samoa Newshub Team
