Sina & the Birds
Sina Ma Ana Manulele
‘Ie Sina
An unknown woman sits on 'ie sina (white shaggy matting) with her arms on her knees facing the viewers' right. She has her hair up and is wearing a selu tuiga (headcomb), two beaded necklaces, a satin bodice, and a dark furry skirt.
Photo: Samoan girl wearing an 'Ie Sina, circa 1896 Circa 1896, Samoa, by Thomas Andrew. Gift of Alison Beckett and Robert McPherson, 1996. Te Papa (O.001187/01)
Long ago in Sāmoa there lived an extraordinary woman named Sina. Every day, Sina’s husband went fishing early in the morning and came back home with delicious seafood for breakfast. But one day, Sina’s husband did not come home for breakfast. She waited, but he did not show up for lunch either. Sina became very worried when he still wasn’t home at bedtime. Even though it was dark outside, Sina decided to go look for her husband. She lit a candlenut torch and set off into the jungle.
Sina walked and walked and walked until she saw a swamp hen with long black legs and a gloomy, gray face. “Oh Manuāli’i,” she said, “would you be so kind, have you seen the man I’m trying to find?”
The swamp hen replied, “Did he have long, black hair? If so, then I saw him on that island over there.” As a reward for its kindness, Sina gave the manuāli’i her basket of bright red lopa seeds. The excited swamp hen jumped right into the basket and ate so much that its face and feet turned bright red. Then it silently slipped back into the underbrush.
If you look closely at a manuāli’i today, you’ll see that its legs and beak are still bright red like lopa seeds.
Sina swam and swam and swam until she reached the island where the swamp hen said there was a man. But she didn’t find her husband there. Instead, she came across a fruit dove with glaring feathers that were so bright they blinded anyone who looked at it.
“Oh Manumā,” she said, “would you be so dear, can you tell me if my beloved was here?”
The fruit dove replied, “Did he have dark brown eyes? If so, then I saw him riding clouds through the skies.”
To show her thanks, Sina gave the manumā her feathery ‘ie sina skirt. The friendly fruit dove admired how it covered up the intense brightness of its feathers that had once blinded all the creatures of the forest. Then the fruit dove flew back to its perch in the canopy.
If you look closely at a manumā today, you’ll see that it has plain colored feathers around its waist, as if it were wearing an ‘ie sina mat.
Sina climbed and climbed and climbed until she reached the clouds where the fruit dove said there was a man. But she didn’t find her husband there.
Instead she spotted a colorful pacific pigeon with long, extravagant feathers on its head. “Oh Lupe,” she said, “can you spare some time to help me find this husband of mine?”
The pigeon sneered at her, “I donʻt even know you, why would you ask me? He probably drowned out there in the sea.” Insulted by its rudeness, Sina threw a rock at the lupe, hitting it square on the head. The arrogant pigeon rubbed the sore lump on its head and noticed that its long, colorful, fancy feathers had been knocked off. Then it flapped off in a huff.
Lupe (Pacific Pigeon)
Across parts of its range it will travel between islands in order to forage. Individuals may gather to form large flocks in fruiting trees and travel some distances forage. Pairs nest in high trees, constructing a concealed, unlined untidy nest of twigs.
It was hunted in prehistoric times in Tonga and Samoa with elaborate traps on stone platforms, and these hunts were of considerable cultural significance.
Summary taken from Wikipedia. Photo: © Eric VanderWerf eBird S40373720 Macaulay Library ML75641361
If you look closely at a lupe today, you’ll see that it still has short, dull feathers and a funny bump on its forehead.
Sina ran and ran and ran through the deep jungle. But she didn’t find her husband there. Instead she met a cuckoo that didn’t have a tail at all. “Oh Aleva,” she said, “can you help me please, have you seen my sweetheart walk under your trees?” The cuckoo replied, “Is he handsome and tall? If so, then I saw him behind the waterfall.”
Aleva (Long-Tailed Cuckoo)
Large cuckoo with horizontal spots and streaking and a very distinctive long tail. Gives a distinctive loud ascending screech “zzhweeet” which can be heard during the day or night as it migrates. There is potential for confusion with New Zealand Falcon; note the Koel’s straighter bill and distinctive long tail.
Summary taken from ebird.org. Photo © Jesse Gibson eBird S40528359 Macaulay Library ML 75688331
As a thank you gift, Sina gave the cuckoo her beautiful siapo sash. The grateful cuckoo tied the sash around its waist so that the ends trailed like streamers as it flew. Then it hopped off to another perch.
If you look closely at the aleva today, you’ll see that it still has a long tail that looks like strips of siapo.
Sina hiked and hiked and hiked until she reached the waterfall where the aleva said there was a man. She climbed to the top of the cliff and swam to the bottom of the pool. But she didn’t find her husband there.
Instead, she found her own sadness and exhaustion. She had followed the birds’ clues from island to island, across the skies, over the mountains, through the jungles, and under a waterfall, but Sina still hadn’t found her sweetheart.
Just as she was about to give up the search, Sina noticed a little parrot on a branch nearby. “Oh Sega,” she said, “could this be the end? Will I ever see my dear husband again?
The parrot replied, “My wings are small, but I can fly. The least that I can do is try.” Sina watched as the sega flew up into the treetops, high above the mountains, right through the clouds … so high that it touched the sky! From way up there the parrot spotted Sina’s husband and told her exactly where to find him.
It was a huge flight for the tiny bird and its face was red with exhaustion. It could have been blown away by the wind, or lost in the clouds, or caught and eaten by aitu demons … but the brave little sega was a true friend. Sina thanked the sega by giving it a place of honor among all the birds of Sāmoa.
Then the little parrot flitted off to join its flock.
Sega or Segavao (Blue-crowned Lory)
Samoa’s only parrot is only 7 inches long. In historic times, the colorful feathers were used to decorate finemats. They feed on the nectar of coconut and coral tree flowers. Despite the bright colors, they are hard to see. (Source: National Park of American Samoa)
Photo: By Tavita Togia. Taken from the Birds of the National Park of American Samoa website.
If you look closely at the sega today, you’ll see that its cheeks are still red and the top of its head is bright blue (where it had touched the sky).
Sina and her husband were happy to see each other again and they remained friends with all the manulele (birds) that had been kind and helpful to Sina.
In old Sāmoa, the swamphen (manuāli’i) and the many-colored fruit dove (manumā) were exclusive pets of Samoan chiefs, who pampered them like children.
The long-tailed cuckoo (aleva) was much admired for its beauty, and the blue-crowned lorikeet (sega) was treasured for its precious red feathers.
Indeed, it was the tiny, red throat feathers of the sega -- not the luxurious feathers of the tropicbird or the iridescent plumage of the jungle rooster -- that were used exclusively to adorn the most prestigious finely woven mats and the most sacred chiefly regalia.
MORAL OF THE STORY
And what of the rude, lazy pigeon (lupe)? Well, it did not become a pampered pet or admired friend, instead, the pigeon became a favorite meal of the Samoans, lured out from the trees for sport and hunted for food, even to this day.
CHARACTERS
Sina
Manuāli’i: Australasian swamphen or Chief’s Bird (highly favoured by the chiefs, see Kramer)
Manumā: Many-colored Fruit Dove. One of the rarest birds on Tutuila.
Lupe: Pacific Pidgeon
Aleva: Long-tailed Cuckoo
Sega: Blue-crowned Lorikeet
VOCABULARY
Lopa Seeds: red coral bean seeds were used for weighing, consumption, jewelry/fashion designs and firewood.
‘Ie Sina: finely made shaggy mat
Siapo: cloth made from bark
Aitu: spirit or demon
Manulele: birds
REFERENCES
“Familiar and Mysterious Birds -- the Rails.” nps.gov, National Park Service, www.nps.gov/npsa/learn/nature/upload/2nded05I.pdf.
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.
Moyle, Richard M. Fāgogo : Fables from Samoa in Samoan and English. 1981. Print.
“‘O Sina Ma Le `Ulafala (Sina and Le `Ulafala).” Fāgogo. Fables from Samoa, The University of Auckland, Archive of Māori and Pacific Music,
www.fagogo.auckland.ac.nz/content.html?id=1.
Muse, Corey & Shirley, “The Birds and Birdlore of Samoa”. 1982
More on Birds:
Birds of Samoa and American Samoa Tropical Pocket Guide Series by Dick Watling and James Atherton.
https://www.nps.gov/npsa/learn/nature/upload/2nded05h.pdf
Lupe:
https://pacificislandparks.wordpress.com/2011/03/14/the-pacific-pigeon-lupe-samoas-royal-bird/
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