SAMOAN HISTORY & CULTURE

The Extent of the Tui Manu'a Empire

It is appropriate to address the topic of the purported maritime empire of the prehistoric Tui Manu'a and the extent to which this influence permeated the social-political sphere of Samoa at the time. Prior to the establishment of the great familial titles of Savaii and Upolu, the Tui Manu'a was the highest ranking title and office of all Samoa and many other pacific islands. The Tui Manu'a kings created a confederacy of tributary chiefdom's which extended Samoan influence over various island groups which provided the Tui Manu'a with tributary UMITI offerings.

Oral tradition coupled with cultural, linguistic, and archaeological evidences suggest that Samoan influence was at one time or another felt throughout all of Samoa, Tonga, the Niuas/Niue, the Marquesas, Fiji, Rotuma, the Cook Islands, Uvea, Futuna, Tokelau, and Rurutu. Polynesian outlier groups located outside of the Polynesian triangle are also linked to ancient Samoan voyaging and cultural diffusion. The Tui Manu'a Empire was referred to in Samoan lore as the Manuatele (Great Manua) and the Faleselau (House of Hundreds). The latter title referred to the hundreds of islands within the Tui Manua's sphere of influence. The Great Manu'a is mentioned as Manuatere in Eastern Polynesia and as Manuka in Tongan and Cook Islands.

Archaeological evidence suggests that these early tributary networks may have been based around the distribution of certain prestige goods or commodities such as basalt adzes (toi maa or matau) and obsidian (volcanic glass). Samoan adzes from Tutuila were anciently exported as far away as Mangaia in the Cook Islands and that basalt artifacts were being continuously imported from Tutuila to Manua for about 3,000 years. Samoan-made stone tools had also been prehistorically distributed to Tonga and Fiji, Pukapuka and Rarotonga, and polities as far off as Anuta, the Solomon Islands, Tikopia, and Pohnpei. The Tui Manua kings grew powerful by controlling and regulating interisland exchange networks from the commercial hub they established on the island of Ofu.

The Tui Manu'a confederacy had similarly taken the place of an even earlier maritime chiefdom which was ruled by the Tui Pulotu kings of Fiji. It is very likely that the growing autonomy of the Tongan and Samoan constituencies led to the demise of the Tui Pulotu federation and similar uprisings probably caused the weakening of the Tui Manua's influence as well. The decline of Manuatele allowed for greater self-determination throughout the southwestern Pacific and it seems the Tui Tonga dynasty makes its first appearance during this period.

Recorded legends and genealogies from both Samoa and Tonga indicate that the first Tui Tonga, named Ahoeitu was the son of Tui Manu'a Tagaloa.

Gilbertese genesis legends claim initial colonization from Samoa and tell of regular voyaging between Samoa and the Kiribati islands. Samoan canoes introduced Samoan traits into prehistoric Anuta. The dialects of Tikopia, Pukapuka, Uvea, Tuvalu, Nukuoro, Kapingamarangi, Nukumanu, and Sikaina are all considered Samoic languages because they originated from or have heavily borrowed from Samoan in prehistory.