A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

Overview

Turner records Taema and Tila fainga travelling from Fiji with knowledge of tatau. Samuel Ella's 1897 discussion likewise calls the sisters amphibious goddesses and records a version in which they obtain implements from Tufou and Filelei. These published witnesses differ in emphasis, and their sweeping claims about who receives tattoos should not replace evidence for actual men's and women's traditions.

The Australian Museum presents another version: the sisters begin joined at the spine, leave Taʻu and are separated when a canoe spar strikes them at sea. They learn from two artists in Fiji. Returning to Samoa, Taema becomes a practitioner and teacher while Tilafaiga takes a war role. This profile follows public origin narratives without reproducing ceremonial songs, designs or instructions. Their bodies and journey belong to particular accounts, rather than a medical explanation for religious figures.

Sea-travelling sisters associated with tatauJoined bodies separated in one museum versionDifferent teaching and war roles in that version
01

Origins & earliest records

Turner's 1884 collection and Samuel Ella's 1897 published discussion supply historical witnesses, while the Australian Museum presents a separately framed origin narrative. The selected Turner text is a 1984 reprint. Publication dates identify versions, not the first oral telling or the beginning of the living practice of tatau.

02

Records & interpretation

The texts supply named sea-travelling sisters and differing accounts of the knowledge they bring. The museum supplies a specific joined-body separation episode and later roles. These are narrative and interpretive evidence, rather than medical diagnoses or zoological specimens. Ceremonial verses, designs and practical instructions are excluded from this profile.

In the literature

“They swam from Fiji to introduce the craft to Samoa”
George Turner · Samoa, a Hundred Years Ago and Long Before
Chapter IV §33(4), journey of Taema and Tila fainga · Turner’s historical English rendering

The sentence locates the craft-bearing sisters’ journey without reproducing their song.

Selected bibliography

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

  1. 01

    Samoa, a Hundred Years Ago and Long Before

    George Turner · 1884; selected 1984 reprint

    Chapter IV, section 33, paragraph 4, Taema and Tila fainga; separate conjoined Taema-and-Titi paragraph is not treated as a verified alias.

  2. 02

    'O le tala ia Taema ma Na-fanua

    Samuel Ella · 1897

    Journal of the Polynesian Society 6(3), pp. 152–155; printed p. 153 notes the amphibious sisters and separately obtained knowledge.

Family & connections

A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.

Located primary passages

Specific passages supporting details in this entry, grouped by their published witness.

Primary source witness

George Turner, first printed London 1884; selected hosted text explicitly identifies the Institute of Pacific Studies, University of the South Pacific 1984 reprint. Chapter/numbered-section locators used because printed page numbers are not retained. Historical missionary-mediated accounts; differing village and household traditions remain distinct.

  1. Turner reports Taema and Tila fainga swimming from Fiji to bring tattooing, reversing the instruction about which sex should receive it during their journey. The adjacent Taema-and-Titi conjoined-twin account is a separately named household tradition, not a proved alias for this pair.

    Chapter IV §33(4), tattooing sisters; distinct from §33(5)

Specified numbered sections and complete episodes read; this is not a claim to have read the whole book. Turner’s missionary judgments and comparative labels are not adopted as contemporary Indigenous testimony. Prayer/song formulas omitted; no universal morphology or current practice inferred.

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

  1. Primary textGeorge Turner: Samoa, selected 1984 reprint of 1884 textResearch access: 2026-10-05
  2. Primary textSamuel Ella: 'O le tala ia Taema ma Na-fanua, 1897Research access: 2026-10-05
  3. MuseumAustralian Museum: The Meaning of Ta TauResearch access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

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