Nafanua

Example of tiputa (shirt), similar to the one worn by Nafanua during the wars

Nafanua was a historical aliʻi (chief/queen) and toa (warrior) of Samoa from the Sā Tonumaipeʻa clan, who took the four pāpā (district) titles, the leading aliʻi titles of Samoa.[1] After her death she became a goddess in Polynesian religion.

There are historical and mythological traditions about Nafanua's family and life. She reportedly played a crucial role in the civil wars between the districts of eastern and western Savaiʻi.

  1. ^ Tuimalealiifano, Morgan (2006). O Tama a ʻāiga:The Politics of Succession to Sāmoa's Paramount Titles. Suva: University of the South Pacific. ISBN 9789820203778.