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Overview

Turner locates O Le Nifo Loa on the south side of Savaii and says it was believed to have come from Fiji. People, canoes and property from its locality could be regarded as carrying the tooth elsewhere. One story makes it visible to an old woman, who strikes it with scalding greens. The blow bends it and reduces its dangerous effect. In the recorded explanation, recovery or death is interpreted according to whether that bend lies outside or inside the wound.

Turner then describes suspicions attached to unsuccessful canoe-buyers and to the remains of a man buried after battle. Later deaths are attributed to the travelling tooth, leading in the latter case to removal of the bones beyond the reef. These reports reveal how the belief could affect dealings between places and treatment of the dead. They are not evidence that a tooth causes illness or that the mentioned deaths share one medical cause. Turner’s comparison with a Buddhist relic is his own analogy and does not give this Samoan being a Buddhist identity.

Mobile tooth representationFijian origin attributionBent by hot greensAttributed transmission through people and property
01

Origins & earliest records

George Turner, Samoa, A Hundred Years Ago and Long Before, chapter IV, entry 19; first printed London 1884, selected University of the South Pacific 1984 reprint transcription.

02

Records & interpretation

Located historical missionary collector’s account preserves a specific named representation or narrative; attributed interpretations remain identified as such.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

  1. 01

    Samoa, chapter IV, entry 19

    George Turner, missionary collector · 1884; selected reprint 1984

    Full selected numbered account; historic spelling and source-specific variants retained.

Family & connections

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References

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  1. Primary historical collected narrativeTurner: Samoa, chapter IVResearch access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

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