 | ||
Sina and the Eel is a myth of origins in Samoan mythology, which explains the origins of the first coconut tree.
Contents
In the Samoan language the legend is called Sina ma le Tuna. Tuna is the Samoan word for 'eel'.
The story is also well known throughout Polynesia including Tonga, Fiji and Māori in New Zealand.
Different versions of the legend are told in different countries in Oceania. The coconut tree (Cocos nucifera) has many uses and is an important source of food. It is also used for making coconut oil, baskets, sennit rope used in traditional Samoan house building, weaving and for the building of small traditional houses or fale. The dried meat of the coconut or copra has been an important export product and a source of income throughout the Pacific.
The legend of Sina and the Eel is associated with other figures in Polynesian mythology such as Hina, Tinilau, Tagaloa and Nafanua.
Sina is also the name of various female figures in Polynesian mythology. The word sina also means 'white' or silver haired (grey haired in age) in the Samoan language. There is also an old Samoan song called Soufuna Sina based on a Sina legend.
The story
On the island of Savai'i in Samoa, one version of the legend tells of a beautiful girl called Sina who had a small pet eel. When the eel grew, it fell in love with Sina. This made the girl afraid. She tried to run away, but the fish followed her. Sina finally sought refuge in a village, and thinking that she had escaped, went to the village pool to get water.
However, when Sina looked into the pool, she saw the eel staring up at her.
Angry, she cried 'You stare at me, with eyes like a demon!' (Samoan: E pupula mai, ou mata o le alelo!). Village chiefs came and killed the eel. As the fish was dying, it asked Sina to plant its head in the ground. Sina followed the eel's request, and planted its head in the ground. A coconut tree grew from the ground. When the husk is removed from a coconut, there are three round marks which appear like the face of the fish with two eyes and a mouth. One of the marks is pierced for drinking the coconut, and hence when Sina takes a drink, she is kissing the eel.
In Samoa, the fresh spring pool Mata o le Alelo in the small village of Matavai, Safune, is associated with the legend of Sina and the Eel. The pool is named after Sina's words to the eel in the legend. The pool is open to visitors.