page_title: Pe'a
section_title: Lyrics Pese o le Tatau song
hierarchical_section_title: Pe'a / Lyrics Pese o le Tatau song
caption_attribution_description: English: A Samoan tattooist (left), Tufuga ta tatau and assistant (right), carrying out a traditional tatau on a man's back. The tattooist uses traditional tools. Gagana Samoa: Le ata o le Tufuga ta tatau, na pu'e e Thomas Andrew, le palagi pu'e ata na nofo ma faigaluega i Samoa. O le ata lenei tusa na pu'e i le tausaga 1895 i Samoa.
context_page_description: The Pe'a is the popular name of the traditional male tatau of Samoa, also known as the malofie, a term used in the Samoan language chiefly vocabulary and "respect" register.
context_section_description: It is known that the last verse was written in modern times, as it does not match the orthography of the first verses. Oral tradition maintains that this song is derived from a pre-colonial chant.
  
  
   
  Samoan language
  O le mafuaaga lenei ua iloa
  O le taaga o le tatau i Samoa
  O le malaga a teine to'alua
  Na feausi mai Fiti le vasa loloa
  Na la aumai ai o le atoau
  ma sia la pese e tutumau
  Fai mai e tata o fafine
  Ae le tata o tane
  A o le ala ua tata ai tane
  Ina ua sese sia la pese
  Taunuu i gatai o Falealupo
  Ua vaaia loa o se faisua ua tele
  Totofu loa lava o fafine
  Ma ua sui ai sia la pese
  Fai mai e tata o tane
  Ae le tata o fafine
  Talofa i si tama ua taatia
  O le tufuga lea ua amatalia
  Talofa ua tagi aueue
  Ua oti'otisolo le au tapulutele
  Sole Sole, ai loto tele
  O le taaloga a tama tane
  E ui lava ina tiga tele
  Ae mulimuli ana ua a fefete
  O atu motu uma o le Pasefika
  Ua sili Samoa le ta'taua
  O le soga'imiti ua savalivali mai
  Ua fepulafi mai ana faaila
  Aso faaifo, faamulialiao
  Faaatualoa, selu faalaufao
  O le sigano faapea faaulutao
  Ua ova i le vasalaolao
   
  English language
  This is the known origin
  Of the tattooing of the tatau in Samoa
  A journey by two maidens
  Who swam from Fiji across the open sea
  They brought the tattooing kit
  And recited their unchanging chant
  That said women were to be tattooed
  But men were not to be tattooed
  Thus the reason why men are now tattooed
  Is because of the confusion of the maidens' chant
  Arriving at the coast of Falealupo
  They spotted a giant clam
  As the maidens dived
  Their chant was reversed
  To say that men were to be tattooed
  And not women
  Pity the youth now lying
  While the tufuga starts
  Alas he is crying loudly
  As the tattooing tool cuts all over
  Young fellow, young fellow, be brave
  This is the sport of male heirs
  Despite the enormous pain
  Afterwards you will swell with pride
  Of all the countries in the Pacific
  Samoa is the most famous
  The sogaimiti walking towards you
  With his fa'aila glistening
  Curved lines, motifs like ali
  Like centipedes, combs like wild bananas
  Like sigano and spearheads
  The greatest in the whole world!
caption: Tattooist, tufuga ta tatau, (left) and assistant (right) tattooing a man's back, c 1895, photo by Thomas Andrew
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