Oute le fia manatua, le afiafi ole aso gafua.
Na pa ai ole ‘alaga ‘ua ta’apeape papa.
Ua tafea ‘ole tau’ofe ua gasolosolo ao
Le Vine’ula o lo’ua fa’anoa ma lota loto e ua momomo
Leafaitulagi ua tagi mai ala
O Vao Punimatagi o lo’o ua sola
Ua goto le fetuao
Peau o le vasa
Ua motusia lo’u pale sa ou tiu ai i Apia
O le fesili o le a tu vale i le faletolu le vai na lepa.
Alosina le Fuaifale fa’apea Seumanutafa.
Ua le tau osi a’u tepa i le filifili auroe o lo’u manatu
Pe moni ‘ea ua Malaga atu i le Valasi oi Togatapu
Talofa i aiga ua tagi mai ala
O Vao Punimatagi olo’o ua sola.
Ua goto le fetuao
Peau o le vasa
Ua motusia lo’u pale sa ou tiu ai i Apia
Oute le fia manatua, le afiafi ole aso gafua.
Na pa ai ole ‘alaga ‘ua ta’apeape papa.
Ua tafea ‘ole tau’ofe ua gasolosolo ao
Le Vine’ula o lo’ua fa’anoa ma lota loto e ua momomo
Leafaitulagi ua tagi mai ala
O Vao Punimatagi o lo’o ua sola
Ua goto le fetuao
Peau o le vasa
Ua motusia lo’u pale sa ou tiu ai i Apia
—
submitted by Malakosi
This song was written by the late Gatoloai Peseta Siaosi of the Tuiletufuga family in Apia. He was a high chief of the villages: Lalomalava and Iva, and also of the village Pu’apu’a, all in the island of Savai’i. That’s all I know about this song. If you want some more information about this song, you can get it from his daughter who succeeded him. Gatoloai Tilianamua To’omata. I think she’s a teacher or a principal of the University at Vaivase. I hope this infomation might help. Thanks and keep up the good work.
Can someone explain the words to this song please? It sounds so beautiful!
hha danz fo da information…
dazz kewl and interestng..
mmwahzz!!!!!!!
(Love Song by a high Woman of Apia)
I don’t want to remember Monday evening
News broke that my boyfriend had disappeared
That’s when I (Vineula) fell in despair
The storm sky, carried from afar
The windbreakers disappeared
The morning star disappearing
The ocean waves are splashing and crying
My boyfriend (my crown) has disappeared whom was known in Apia
I am asking the three families of Apia why the water is still
I’m the daughter of Fuaifale/Seumanutafa
I will not see my boyfriend (my crown, gold)
Is it true that he has gone for a girl in Tonga?
Oh, I feel for my crying families
My boyfriend (my crown) has escaped through the ocean to Tonga
The morning star disappearing
The ocean waves are splashing and crying
My boyfriend (my crown) has disappeared whom was known in Apia
I know that are verses missing and wish my mother still alive or my gradma Leafaitulangi herself as I just recently interested in her samoan connection with this song.Leafaitulangi was a very high chief of Apia married to Havea Sione fatu Veikune(Noble Tu’i(King) Ha’ateiho)of Ha’ateiho,Tungua, Tonga. Leafaitulangi’s mother Seumanutafa asked to compose this song as a farewell to her only daughter married, Havea Sione fatu.Seumanutafa’s wishes for her daughter to marry outside of Samoa was made it happened by the late Queen Salote of Tonga.Leafa and Sione Fatu were both highly educated, unmatched their chiefly titles and so as their wealth in Samoa and Tonga at the time. As a New South Wales university graduated, Havea Sione Fatu held many top ministrial positions within the Tongan government at the time of the late Queen Salote and so often he would be the representitive of the Queen when she was out of the country on many markedly occasions such as the Queen Elizabeth’s coronation.They didn’t have any children of their own but raised three of their grand nieces and a newphew as their own to pass on the family inheretance.The oldest was my mother Liumeitupou Sevelo, Tupou Moheofo Veikune is also a girl and still lives in Tonga and a boy ,Salesi Veikune whom he was titled with Noble Tu’i Ha’ateiho. Leafaitulangi and Havea Sione Fatu Tu’i Ha’ateiho burried in Mamanamau’aho cemetry, Atele, Ha’ateiho, Tongatapu, Tonga – the chiefly burial of Tu’i Ha’ateiho.My mother was taught faa Samoa by Leafa from the very first day she started talking, visited Samoa 15 times and mastered Samoan language. As a young boy, I recall the first time I heard this song was when we played “hide and seek” with my cousins at grandma’s resident “Vai Keli”,Tokomololo, Tonga.I went up to her and asked what was that song about. She laughed and told me to sit beside her and said, “This song is about me and your grandpa”. I took off as my cousin tackled me from behind…….I don’t have memory of my grandpa as he died before I was born. I now think that I might know why grandma played this song alone in the belcony. A glass of gerry as her usual,sighting her well managed garden on a fine cool evenings….perhaps she missed grandpa or perhaps her love to her motherland, Samoa or perhaps she missed them Both!!!!!
Hello, may I have your email address? I would like to connect with you regarding information on your gma Leafaitulagi, etc. My email address is silversword96@yahoo.com
15 years later of my life and i just knew about the story behind this song and it has always one of my favorite samoa traditional song to dance to up until now. Thank you for this <3 much love to the legends. RIP
The lyrics of this song tell the story of Leafaitulagi, the daughter of Vaopunimatagi who in turn is the daughter of the Seumanutafa Moepogai. Leafaitulagi married a member of the Tongan Royal Family and moved to Tonga. The song tells the tale of the sadness Vaopunimatagi felt as her only daughter Leafaitulagi left for Tonga. That is my interpretation of this song.
Leafaitulagi!! (girls name)
ua tagi mai ala o Vaopunimatagi, (Vaopunimatagi crying at the absence of Leafaitulagi)
o lo’o ua sola (She has runaway – Leafaitulagi that is….)
Ua goto le fetuao (The morning star has set)
Peau o le vasa (waves crashing)
Ua motusia lo’u pale sa ou tiu ai i Apia (she was my only link/heir/ palefeagai to the Seumanutafa family of Apia)
I always like this song, as it tells a story about Leafaitulagi of Apia village in Samoa. My mum once told me that she had seen Leafaitulagi when she came back from Tonga with her Tongan “noble” husband, and she was a very tall beautiful woman, when Leafaitulagi visited to attend the funeral of a family member, Papalii Poumau 1, at Faatoia village where we live. My mum said everyone at the funeral felt Leafa’s presence, with her Tongan husband, so regal and “mamalu” as she is tall and dignified.
Wow, that is amazing. Papali’i Poumau was my father and he died in Jan 1973 when I was only six years old. I still remember him to this day. I just returned from New Zealand where I visited my sister Melegalenu’u Papali’i and my nieces and nephews. It was a great family reunion. By the way, my name is Leafaina (better known by all as Ina). I remember growing up in Fa’atoia as a young child, but have not been back there in over 20 years.
This song is about a maiden named Leafaitulagi, her family wanted her to marry the man they had chosen, but she was in love with a Tongan man and she fled to Tonga to be with him. She was in exile in Tonga and never returned to Samoa.
Her children went back to Samoa after her death to reconnect with their Samoan heritage.
I used to sing this song during concerts as a faifeau in 1978 and ’79. It has recently been recorded beautifully by a band in Hawaii named Crosscurrents. (BYUH)
The translation of this song is wrong. The song is not about the boy friend is about Leafaitulagi, married to the son of the King Tonga.
i think that everytime i hear this song, it gives me a nice flow because they sing my name. But yet its a wonderful feeling because i learn alot more just frm a song.
Im doing some family History.And I know I have no connection to the seumanutafa Clan.and I know this song is about the granddaugther.But theres stories in my family that my great great grandmother was also a daughter of Seumanutafa Pogai the first her name was Fanuaea Eleitino. Who marriedEdwin Gurr I was wondering if any one had more info on that.I see a few of you are heirs of seumanutafa.I would really appreciate your help.Ive searched many different websites and came across different stories.But i hope this helps
i love this song guy god blesss all of yous
This song was written by Pu’auea Hunkin of Apia from the Tuiletufuga family
Malo lava. Manaia le talanoaga ‘ua amataina e uiga i le fatupese (composer) o le pese lea o Leafaitulagi. My grandmother Pua’auea Tuiletufuga (Hunkin) was the composer (fatupese) of this song. The late Leuatea Sio, a respected leader & Church Minister (PIC) in Auckland spoke at a seminar in Auckland in the late 1990s that his younger brother, Siaosi who later became Gatoloai Peseta was an apprentice to Pu’auea, and learnt to become a composer as well as faikoniseti under her tutelage and support. Happy to share more light on this. Manua le fefa’asoa’iga (sharing).
Faafetai i lau Afioga i le Aloalii mo le faamaonia o le tusitala o lenei pese. Manuia le tau faaiu o lenei tausaga.
Hi, can you explain the meaning behind this song, specifically the whole story behind this legend? I would love to connect through email v.mauafu05@gmail.com
This songs was indeed written by Pua Hunkin. I know this as im related to both Pua and Gatoloai. Pua is my great grandma and Gatoloai is related to other great grandma by the name of Fuluiole Peseta Sio Meleisea. She was also a composer writting such songs as Falealili uma
i just love this song …. and i dont care who ever writ ote
I think it’s important to get the correct facts and history of any songs and acknowledge the person who wrote the song.
I agree with u all…this song is a luvly song n I’m proud to say that my family has talent….I’m the granddaughter of fuluiole sio meleisea…
talofa lava anevili, I’m interested in the history behind the song falealili uma, that’s believed to have been composed by your grandmother Fuluiole Sio Meleisea…please email me letupumatautia@gmail.com
o se pese e uiga foi lona manaia
michael…there are so many versions of this song…I agree it’s a beautiful song and with a story to go with it. I’ve listened to the one posted by Alofatunoamatua, posted several years ago…sung by a woman and harmonized back voices. Would you have any idea who the artist is? You were the last and recent post here to this song.
Every time I hear this song it takes be back to our Village in Apia, with our Tuiletufuga, Seumanutafa aiga, a place I will forever call home and this song is a reminder of who we are and where we are from in Samoa. I always love it when I hear people say ‘Keige o le Vine’ – and I relate to that very much, we were there last year in October, swam at the Fui pu’a and visited our family grave there and every fond memory of my childhood came floating back, I remember those gone before us and my heart melted as I remember their fights during the Mau stories told by my mum as someone who grew up in Apia during the Mau, the depression and the Wars – always a proud Samoan and every time I hear a Samoan song puts a smile on my face and remember where I came from, faafetai for sharing about this song, song I grew up with and know where it comes from and proud to have been part of this history.
Vaopunimatagi has passed away while her dearest daughter, Leafaitulagi is in Tonga.
The words,
“Ou te le fia manatua, le afiafi o le aso Gafua”
I do not want to remember the evening of Monday.
“Na pa ai o le alaga, ua taapeape papa”
It was made known that one has passed on.
“Ua tafea o le tauofe, ua gasolosolo ao”
The bundle of bamboos have floated away, the clouds are slowly moving on,
(taapeape papa, tafea le tauofe, gasolosolo ao, always, always, always refer to the departure of one’s soul)
Le Vineula o lo’o ua faanoa ma lo ta loto ua momomo e,
Vineula are sorrowful and my heart is also shattered.
( Vineula is the collective name of “The Women’s Committee of Apia.”)
Tali – chorus
Leafaitulagi ua tagi mai ala,
Leafaitulagi is mourning from overseas,
(tagi mai ala always, always, always refer to someone who is absent from the place where a loved one has passed on.)
O Vaopunimatagi o lo’o ua sola,
Vaopunimatagi has passed on.
“Peau o le vasa”
Waves of the ocean – we are separated by the vast ocean
“Motusia lo’u pale, sa ou tiu ai i Apia”
My crown has gone, the one that has been my pride in Apia.
O le fesili o le a tuvale, i le Fale Tolu, le Vainalepa
Alo Sina le Fuaifale, faapea Seumanutafa
The question to you Apia
(Faletolu…. Seumanutafa are the accolades of Apia)
Ua le tau o si au tepa, i le filifili auro e o lo’u manatu
I cannot see our golden chain
Pe moni ea ua malaga atu i le malosi oi Togatapu?
Is it true that she has gone to the might in Togatapu?
Talofa i aiga, ua tagi mai ala
Relatives are mouning from afar
(rest of what is posted are the same as in the chorus).
I grew up in Apia.
I missed: “Ua goto le fetu ao”
The morning star has set
“Peau o le vasa” etc
Please I have some questions for you, about this family. Would be able to help me out. It’s for a project I’m working on
I lover this song cause it has a part of my genealogy, my mother Tiana Tamaseu Havea was adopted by Leafaitulagi and Havea from Apia when she was 2 yrs old and raised her, she married to a Tongan Haloti Lotulelei and she take care of Leafaitulagi until she passed away than moved back to find her biological mother Sela Tamaseu from Tauese. Finally, got to learned how to speak Samoan. I still remembered Leafaitulagi sitting together on the dinner table and eat at our house at tokomololo, Vaikeli. She was a beautiful women and don’t say much, I always get nervous around her. Missed her so much.
Starlight, could you please share some more info on your mother please. I would love to know lore about her and her mother Leafaitulagi
Vaisalalua@yahoo.com
Hi please could you contact me eseta3@hotmail.com….regards.
Hi all,
I really hesitated to share on the internet…with all the hackers and what have you…one has to be careful. But today after watching our 6:00 pm kvzk news and hearing our “taupou manaia” entertainment group planning on putting a performance tomorrow, Dec. 29 2020 at our Lee Auditorium and mentioning “Leafaitulagi”…I just had to go on the internet to find out what is posted on this story. So here is my story…based on my mother ( Fausagaoleva’afauese Toomata-Reese) God rest her soul ( Jan. 29, 2019 ).
Leafaitulagi comes from a royal family in Apia ( Seumanutafa and Vaopunimatagi are her parents ) Vaopunimatagi’s father is Tuisila ( Tuisila has many wives…those days…they call it ‘…o le avi ia…)
Back in Tutuila ( I think before it became American Samoa )…there is a woman by the name of Fausagaoleva’afauese from the village of Iliili, ( her brother is this Tuisila that I mentioned. ) Pulou To’omata Tuitele from Leone married Fausagaoleva’afauese from Iliili and they had only one child…….”Iava To’omata” ( my mother’s father )
This makes Tuisila and Fausagaoleva’afauese… brother and sister and makes Leafaitulagi from Apia, and Iava To’omata from Tutuila 1st. cousins. One of my mother’s sisters is Leafaitulagi ( God rest her soul ) and is named after Leafaitulagi from Apia. My mother tells me that she remembers Leafaitulagi coming all the way from Tonga with two female servants to our house. She asked Iava To’omata ( my grandfather ) if she could take younger Leafaitulagi as her daughter, but my grandfather refused. My mother would say during Leafaitulagi’s short visit with her servants…everywhere she would go in the house…they would throw ‘pedals’ or something of the sort.
My mother ( woman of church and ALWAYS “OSI AIGA”…She was so very proud of who she was and where she came from …every time we hear this song…when I was in my young twenties…I started getting interested in family tradition, heritage, what you should or should not do in front of family, church and everything in life.
So one day and many times after that, I asked my mother, ” Mom, o le ea le uiga o le pese lea, Leafaitulagi ? Aisea le mea ua fai ai lea pese pe fa’anoanoa ea tagata? ” ( Mom, what is the meaning of this song? Why was this song written like people are sad? ) She told me, ” Well…Vaopunimatagi comes from a royal family and she is married to Seumanutafa who is also royal from Apia. They have only one daughter, Leafaitulagi. Then a royal from Tonga by the name of Havea comes and asks for her hand in marriage. They leave for Tonga. Then Vaopunimatagi passes away. This makes the villagers really heart-broken and so the story is told through this song.
I have a picture of Leafaitulagi dressed in her Tongan outfit. It was given to me by one of my good friends , committed history educator and always shared our Tongan lineage side ( Tei Brown-God rest his soul). One of my 1st. cousins is named after Leafaitulagi ( Leafa Su’e in Hawaii ). My middle name is Leafaitulagi.
In conclusion, I think the story behind the song is very touching, loving, caring, and gives us a reason to connect and appreciate our culture. Thank you so much for writing this song so that in the end…we know that we are FAMILY. God Bless and Happy Holidays
Rev. Leautea Sio, whom I worked with while I taught in Auckland in NZ many years ago, confirmed publicly at a conference that it was Pu’auea who composed this song. Moreover, Peseta Siaosi and Maiava Pouono Hunkin were young composers who followed and went with Pu’auea wherever the Vineula koniseti group went.