The Story Of The Rat & The Octopus
ʻO le Tala o le ʻIsumu ma le Fe'e
Illustration by Leiana, Age 8
On the island of Savai'i lived three friends, ʻIsumu the rat, Tulī the plover, and ʻUga the soldier crab.
One fine day, the friends decided to sail across the Apolima Strait to visit the island of ʻUpolu. ʻIsumu scampered up a coconut tree and gnawed off a coconut with his sharp front teeth. ʻUga husked the coconut with his front claws. Tulī carried the nut high into the air and dropped it on a rock, splitting the shell in two. Choosing the larger of the two half-shells, the critters excitedly jumped into their makeshift boat and pushed out to sea.
‘Uga
Soldier Crab (Mictyris Logicarpus) Source
‘Isumu
Polynesian Rat (Rattus Exulans) Source
Tulī
Golden Plover (Pluvialis dominica) Source
The three pals soon realized that they werenʻt cut out for paddling on the open ocean. ʻUgaʻs claws were too clunky to be used as paddles, ʻIsumuʻs tiny paws were useless, and Tulī shivered as his feathers became drenched with seawater. In an attempt to dry off, Tulī stood up tall, faced the morning sun, and spread his wings out wide. Suddenly, the coconut shell boat lurched forward as the breeze filled his wings.
ʻUga yelled out, “Tulī, donʻt move! Your wings are like a sail! ʻIsumu will hold your legs and Iʻll hold onto your tail.” With their improvised sail in place and a good breeze blowing toward the east, the three cheered as they skimmed across the waves toward ʻUpolu.
But, the pleasant breeze soon turned into violent gusts as thunderclouds darkened the sky. The coconut shell boat was tossed about by strong waves and soon filled with water.
Fearing for its life, Tulī the plover abandoned his friends and flew away toward dry land. ʻIsumu shouted over the thunderclaps, “Tulī flew off! What will we do now? Ua lele le tulī e fai ʻapa'au!”
Feeling hopeless, ʻUga the soldier crab jumped overboard and sunk safely into the protection of the reef. ʻIsumu the rat called out over the raging sea, “Now ʻUga is gone! What will I do now? Ua goto le ʻuga i lalo o peau!”
The rat was terrified as the toothsome fish called Ise (needlefish) circled the sinking boat. He couldnʻt fly, he couldnʻt breathe underwater, he didnʻt know how to swim, and he was all alone against the fierce Ise. With his last breath, ʻIsumu called out in desperation, “My friends are gone! What will I do now? E lē mafai aʻu nei ona ʻau'au!”
Ise
Needlefish (Strongylura Incisa) Source
Fe’e
Octopus (Octopus Cyanea) Source
Lulu
Barn Owl (Tyto Alba) Source
Just as the rat sank into the sea, an octopus named Feʻe appeared. He had heard ʻIsumuʻs distress calls and decided to help the poor, panicked creature. Grasping ʻIsumu with a tentacle and using the others to fight off the needlefish, Feʻe squeezed the water out of the rat’s lungs and gently placed it on top of its head, safe and dry above the waves.
As Feʻe approached the shore, ʻIsumu woke up, surprised to be alive, and riding on an octopus’ head no less! But, instead of feeling grateful, the ratʻs heart filled with anger as he remembered how his “friends” had deserted him and left him for dead: “I just wanted to enjoy a nice cruise on the sea, but Tulī and ʻUga abandoned me! If this Feʻe is anything like my other friends, then I know exactly how this story ends!” Not only did the vengeful little rat not thank Feʻe for saving his life, he left a stinky, mushy parting “gift” on Feʻeʻs head.
Safely ashore, ʻIsumu yelled to the unsuspecting octopus, “Si fe'ē, si fe'ē, tago ia lou ulū! Hey Fe'e, touch your head and see what I left for you!” The octopus reached up with a tentacle and realized the ungrateful rat had gone potty on his head.
If you look closely at a fe'e today, youʻll notice that it still has colored spots and stripes where the ʻisumu had soiled himself.
Pule Taʻi Feʻe or Maʻa Taʻi Feʻe
Octopus lure made with cowrie shells, fashioned to resemble the shape of a ratʻs brown body and long tail.
Source: Octopus Lure, Samoa, maker unknown. Oldman Collection. Gift of the New Zealand Government, 1992. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Te Papa (OL000539/4)975
MORAL OF THE STORY
In old Sāmoa, stories like these served to teach children (and remind adults) of the values of camaraderie, loyalty, and true friendship, as well as the adverse consequences of seeking revenge and treating others poorly.
True friends, like Feʻe and Lulu, watch out for each other and serve each othersʻ best interests (even when separated by an ocean), while fair weather “friends” seek only to satisfy their own personal interests, even at the expense of others who are close to them.
Another message is that of the need for planning and preparation; one does not just plan a sailing expedition at the last minute and with poor equipment. A successful voyage (project, program, event, etc.) requires intentional planning, adequate resource gathering, thoughtful role delegation, and contingency planning in case something goes wrong.
CHARACTERS
ʻIsumu: rat (Polynesian Rat)
Tulī: plover (Pacific Golden Plover)
ʻUga: soldier crab
Ise: needlefish (Large needle know as A’u and smaller ones (less than 16 inches) are called Ise)
Fe’e: octopus (Octopus Cyanea)
Lulu: owl (Barn Owl)
PLACES
Photo Source: Wikipedia
Savaiʻi: The largest and highest Samoan island. Also known as Salafai.
Apolima Strait: Approximately 14 miles wide, the strait separates the two largest islands of Samoa: Savai’i & Upolu.
‘Upolu: The second largest Samoan island. Apia, the capital of Samoa is located on Upolu.
MEDIA
REFERENCES
Iosefa, Alaiseā Fa'alafi, Goodenow, Joy L and National Dissemination and Assessment Center, Los Angeles Vaea ma Tui Fiti : Fe'e ma le isumu : two Samoan legends. National Dissemination and Assessment Center, California State University, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, 1980.
Ielemia, Temukisa, Sapi S. L. Malaetā, and Murray Grimsdale. 'o Le Isumu Ma Le Fe'e: 'o Se Tala Mai Tuvalu. Uegligitone, N.Z: Lala o le Matagaleuga o Tusitusiga Tau A'oa'oga, Matagaluega o A'oga, 1990. Print.
Krämer, Augustin, 1865-1941. The Samoa Islands: an Outline of a Monograph With Particular Consideration of German Samoa. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 19941995, pp. 488-489.
Tauiliili, Pemerika. The Rat and the Bat and Other Short Stories. AuthorHouse, 2009.
More on Pacific Golden-Plover:
More on the Polynesian Rat:
https://seahistory.org/sea-history-for-kids/kiore-polynesian-rat/
https://daily.jstor.org/down-the-research-rathole-researching-sea-peoples/
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We recognize that as a result of Sāmoa’s rich oral history, it is likely that multiple versions of these stories exist. As such, we do not claim that the stories featured in this site are authoritative. As a collective we encourage both new stories and variations of stories to be shared so that we might be able to have a deeper and broader understanding.
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