CROWNING VICTORY

The Samoan Tuiga endures as a symbol of cultural identity and Fa’a Samoa, says author

BY LINDA LAULU

The Samoan cultural headdress called the tuiga symbolizes power or “mana,” honor and respect passed down from generation to generation, said Samoan BYU-Hawaii alumni and students, and helps them to better understand their roles in maintaining and sharing the unique Samoan way of life.

The history of tuiga

The Samoan traditional headpiece crown or ceremonial headdress, the tuiga, “represents royalty, highness and respect,” said Julia Sio, a senior majoring in communications from Si’usega and Lepea, Samoa.

“In the 19th century, not everyone had the privilege to wear the tuiga,” she said. In Samoan culture, the tuiga was solely reserved or worn by the chiefs, their daughters or sons, and could be worn at war or for food offerings. The chief’s daughter and son are identified respectively as “taupou” and “manaia.”

However, Lanor Fuatimau, an alumnus of BYUH from Alao, American Samoa, who graduated in 2013 with a bachelor’s of arts degree, said, now “anyone can wear a tuiga. It’s not just the chief’s son or daughter, but extended families and anyone who is worthy to represent our people of Samoa in any Samoan cultural events.”

Ailona Masoe, a BYUH alumna who graduated in December 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in professional studies, said she experienced being a taupou, and it was an honor to wear the tuiga during her last Culture Night in March 2022. “The tuiga, to me, represented victory, responsibilities, and identity as a Samoan woman.”

Masoe recalled the first time she wore a tuiga, and said it wasn’t easy. “It was heavy. There was a lot of work that was put in by those who helped put it on. It took me months though, after wearing it,” she added, “to realize why it took a lot of work.”

Masoe continued, “Though wearing the tuiga for the first time was not an easy task, but it was a great experience that has reminded me of my identity as a strong woman and my role in my family, country, and village.”

Fuatimau explained, “The traditional tuiga [Samoa’s cultural headdress] is made up of five parts, which includes a bark foundation, triple staff or upright framework, a nautilus shell forehead band, a bundle of red feathers and tufts of human hair.”

Based on her knowledge about tuigas that was verbally passed down to her by her grandmother, she added, “The production of the tuiga was changed drastically to chicken feathers, beads, a shaped mirror, multi-colored feathers, and synthetic hair, and the tuiga was made as a single-piece structure after the Europeans introduction of new materials into Samoa.”

Fuatimau shared, with the establishment of a central government in Samoa and the diminishing influence of the indigenous political chiefly system, she continued, the tuiga’s use as a traditional head piece was shifted to a female-oriented featured dancer adornment rather than a symbol of chiefly rank. The tuiga is still used today in ceremonial proceedings, but its use is no longer restricted to the Samoan elite.

Taalei Si’ilata, an author of Te Tapa, from the museum of New Zealand said, “Despite the changes of the creation of tuiga today, the tuiga retains its cultural significance as an adornment which functions today as an enduring symbol of cultural identity and the Samoan way, or the Fa’a Samoa.”

Making the tuiga today

Sio is one of the tuiga creators on campus, and she shared her experience of putting together a tuiga. “When making tuiga, I would always think of an inspiration that could keep me going,” she said. “By doing this, I prepare myself mentally and physically, by making sure my mind is at peace.” Sio added when her mind is at peace, significant ideas flow consistently into her mind while she makes decisions about precisely where certain materials and ornaments for the tuiga should be placed precisely.

Sio emphasized tuiga is made specifically for special ceremonies. “I would make sure the tuiga I’m making aligns with the colors or theme of the special occasion that is made for,” she explained.

One of the tuigas Sio made during 2022 was designed especially to be used during the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) tournament half time shows in the Cannon Activities Center on Nov. 25 and 26. She said she used the main colors of red for feathers, then medium and dark brown hair was woven into the tuiga, and she added white shells. “These colors were selected depending on the color of the fine mat, and siapo [Samoan tapa made from the bark of paper mulberry trees] that was used for the costume of the chief’s daughter or “taupou” who danced the taualuga.

Dancing the taualuga

The tuiga is commonly used when dancing in the traditional Samoan dance called the taualuga. According to Masoe, “A taualuga in the Samoan language means the last top part of a Samoan building” or the roofing of a building. She explained, “This means [the taualuga] is the last part, or final dance, to conclude any occasion such as weddings, league, or any type of celebration.”

This traditional dance includes the chief’’s daughter, or taupou, she added, expressing her responsibilities, rights and identity by dancing gracefully as she represents her culture boldly. With a beautiful smile on her face, the taupou dances to the movements that have been passed down from ancestors, she said, as if she is doing chores.

Masoe explained when she first danced as the taupou at Culture Night last year, “I started with what is called a ‘mo’emo’e.’ This is a movement that is commonly used to make your way into where the performance is done, where you put both hands in a form of fists at the front of your chests and step, step, and tap your foot behind you until you reach the center of the stage.” She added, “Then from there, you bow at either side, depending on where the audience is settled.” Then depending on the music being played, she said she w¬¬ill take the lyrics of the song and what they mean and put them into her motions.

Masoe continued, “I had gracefully bent my knees and told a story through the movements I did using my hands, such as waking up in the morning, mixing the kava, cooking, doing handicrafts, and more.”

She added, “I sometimes do the ‘se’e,’ which is to slide to and fro with both feet, toes to toes, and heels to heels.” Masoe said she felt the love and spirit of her ancestors, or their “mana,” when she wore the tuiga and as she gracefully and proudly danced in the tradition of the fathers.

The chief’s son entitled the “manaia” supports the taupou in her performance of the taualuga. Bitner Lameta, a December 2022 graduate with a bachelor’s of science in information technology, said, “When I was dancing as a manaia in the taualuga last March for the Culture Night, I was proud and confident of who I am representing my ancestors who have passed on.” He continued, “Something special about my performance is the ‘palefuiono’ or headband that I wore. It was passed down by my ancestor’s generation to generation.” This special “palefuiono was made up of tapa [mulberry tree], white shells from the ocean, and triangle-shaped mirrors,” he said.

“When dancing the taualuga and showing support for my taupou, Sister Masoe, I felt the presence and mana of my ancestors surrounding us. This is how I know that we are crowned with victory, responsibilities, and identity.” •

BYUH

BY SEIKA FUJITANI

Elias Jessop, a sophomore majoring in TESOL education from Utah, is a videographer who has worked on music videos, wedding videos, commercials, movies and television shows all around the world. He said many of his projects have been good, but the ones that mean the most to him are those that have influenced people’s souls by attracting them with sophisticated camera work.

“The majority of the projects I’ve worked on have had a positive impact on people’s lives. It makes me feel like I’m bringing something good into the world,” he shared. “Many of the music videos I am involved in are capable of healing the audience because those productions have positive and uplifting tones.”

Yukina Moriya, a junior majoring in business marketing from Japan who is working with Jessop as a business consultant, explained Jessop has taught her to focus on building up her business rather than trying to gain new skills and talents in anticipation of starting her own business.

A camera operator for “The Chosen”

Jessop was involved in creating season two of “The Chosen,” which was released in the Spring of 2021. Jessop said he was lucky to have worked on “The Chosen” and explained, “I knew the right people.” “The Chosen” team needed a behind-the-scenes videographer to document the series, and he was recommended through a friend.

Moriya said Jessop is good at reaching out him, whether they are his friends or his clients. “Elias puts in [a lot of] effort to make sure to make his clients happy. For instance, he spends more than 10 hours just choosing music for the wedding videos [he creates] by taking the clients’ atmosphere and the feel of the wedding into account,” Moriya explained.

Jessop said smiling, “I’ve gotten to work with incredible people who are outstanding characters. I was able to interact with people much more successful than me. My job was like a free mentorship program even though I got paid to do it.”

He said he’s been able to receive advice, counsel with others and be inspired by people are very high achievers and are very successful, or very good at what they do, it inspires you while you’re working with them to do your best,” Jessop shared reflecting on his experiences.

Jessop said “The Chosen” production team wanted him to come back for season three, but he didn’t because he decided to come to BYU–Hawaii and get a degree.

Moriya said, “He accomplishes a lot of things that many people never do. He does things that people usually think they do not have to do.”

Black. While he was there, he also made a video for an Irish singing group called Celtic Woman, Jessop said. Later he said he went to England to film a music video for singer Patrice Tipoki and pianist Paul Cardall’s song, “Son of God,” a song about Jesus Christ’s birth told through Mary’s point of view.

In the same year, Jessop said he returned to Ireland and filmed a video with Camille Nelson, a singer and the sister of Steven Sharp Nelson, the cellist for The Piano Guys. The music video he created with her has more than 664,000 views on YouTube.

Working with Bollywood

Jessop said he has also worked as a camera operator in Bollywood, which refers to the popular genre Hindi cinema, and Tollywood, which is a form of cinema from India produced in the Telugu language. However, Jessop said he wasn’t working in India. Instead, he explained he worked with companies from India that filmed in Utah, New York and Detroit. One of his works with these companies was a Tollywood film called “Amar Akbar Anthony” in 2018, which is available on Amazon Prime.

He said, “In Tollywood or Bollywood, I had a few positions: gimbal operator, camera operator and first AC. The first AC stands for assistant camera. That means whenever the [director of photography] decided to operate the camera, I would work as a focus puller and make sure that the shots were in focus.” He added he was also in charge of setting up the camera for the set. He said he made sure all the settings were correct, the lenses were on it and everything was ready to go.

Developing new videography skills

Jessop said he has also worked on commercials for things like cars and university hospitals. He added, “I worked as a part of a team. There [were other] people who focused on lighting or focused on makeup or on set design.”

Jessop said when he worked on a commercial for Jeep, he had to make a cage on the front of the car looking into it, on the side of the car getting shots of the wheel and from behind looking under the car. He shared, “We built a contraption to rotate the camera from working this way to flip it backwards.”

Moriya added, “He doesn’t do it all. If he thinks he is not good at something, he just asks others who are more familiar with it.”

Looking to the future

Jessop said at one time, he used to work in a call center but he hated it. He decided to change his job to videography because he could make money and do something he enjoyed.

“I used to be a stuntman. Then I started filming friends who did stunts ... just [to get] videos of me and my friends,” he shared.

One of his first film projects was a wedding, Jessop said. He shared he has been doing weddings in Hawaii because they are very accessible.

Jessop continued, “In the wedding videos, I tried to do a good job of making them nostalgic and reminiscent of their wedding day. Even if you didn’t attend their wedding, for example, you could watch their video and feel like, ‘Oh, I feel like I was there. I feel like I connect with it.’”

In addition, Jessop explained videography is a pretty flexible job. He said he doesn’t like having to pick only one job and instead wants to have several jobs, including jobs as a videographer, photographer and English teacher.

Moriya said, “He is the kind of person who I have never met before. In a good way. He tries multiple things and he can manage them. For example, he had never shot videos before he started it for his business, but he managed the job.”

She said Jessop can find ways to manage new challenges since he never gives up and is always optimistic.

Jessop said in the future he wants to be able to work on projects that allow him to do an occasional documentary where he can travel the world and shoot a film for a month. However, that requires a more secure financial future, he explained. •