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Marcellin College
My Cultural Heritage
My Grandfather's fue
Talofa Lava! My name is Matagi and I am a Samoan. I want to tell you about a fue that is now in our house in New Zealand.
There is a tradition in Samoa that when a 'matai' (Samoan for 'chief') is about to present a speech, he will carry a kind of whip called a 'fue' over his shoulder. This fue gives the matai the authority to speak in front of his people or a crowd of people. This fue is only carried by a chief, and the chief will be a man.
The fue is made of lots of coconut fibres, which are woven together and attached to a thick piece of wood. The piece of wood will normally have Samoan patterns carved into it.
The fue is a symbol of power over others. It is only used for ceremonial purposes and would never be used for hitting another person.The fue will always be carried over the Matai's shoulder, and will stay there until he has finished talking.
When we lived in Samoa, my Grandad was a Matai of his village and he looked after the whole family. When he passed away, my Grandad's title was passed on to my Dad, but my Dad did not take it on because he wanted to come to New Zealand. To be a Matai of a village you have to live in Samoa and look after the village from there.
So when Dad came to New Zealand, he brought the fue as a gift from his village. It is displayed in our lounge for everyone to see, so that they will know that my Grandad was a Matai.
This is a photograph of Matagi's Grandfather's fue.
(Photograph copyright Lyn Potter, 2003)
