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The Legend of Nafanua
By Jordan Kwan Once upon a time, long ago, a war never seen before was waged in Savai’i between warriors from the East (Lea’ea-Sasa’e) against warriors from the West (Lea’ea-Sisifo). Leading the Lea’ea-Sasa’e warriors was High Chief Liloma’iava, whose goal was to claim all of Savai’i for his side. After a prolonged and hard fought battle, High Chief Liloma’iava overwhelmed the Lea’ea-Sisifo warriors and emerged victorious. He enslaved the Lea’ea-Sisifo warriors and the people from the west, including those from the village of Falealupo, and put them to hard labour. As a strange form of punishment against his enemies, Chief Liloma’iava forced his captives to climb coconut trees feet first and head pointed to the ground as means of demonstrating his power, as well as bringing great shame to those who had defied him. One of Chief Liloma’iava’s captives was Chief Tai’i from Falealupo. As he did with his other captives, Liloma’iava ordered Tai’i to climb a coconut tree feet first. As Tai’i made the climb, he lamented its difficulty and let out a loud sigh. So loud was the sigh of Tai’i that it was heard in all corners of Savai’i, and even reached the depths of the spirit world, Pulotu. Unbeknownst to Liloma’iava, Tai’i was the brother of Saveasi’uleo, the God who presided over Pulotu. |
Zita Martel as the famed Nafanua of Samoan legend.
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Saveasi’uleo heard the sigh of his brother, and became enraged. With thunderous voice that shook the earth, he awakened his daughter Nafanua from her deep slumber. “My daughter! My daughter! Go forth into the land of the living and right the wrong that has been done to our people. But first, go to the Toa tree and cut it down. From it, fashion four weapons that you shall take with you into battle.”
The Toa tree was the only living thing which thrived in the depths of Pulotu.
Nafanua found the Toa tree, and, gathering her energy, she extended the left palm of her hand and struck it down in one swift motion.
She then began the difficult task of fashioning four elaborate weapons from the Toa tree, infusing it with the spirits of Pulotu. These powerful weapons, once completed, were then given the names ta fesilafa’i, fa’auli’ulito, ulimasao and fa’amategataua.
Before Nafanua made her journey, her father made one last request. “You may fight your enemies, and drive them out of the west, but once you reach the edge of Fualuga, you must stop, for there lives your kin – your mother’s own flesh, her brother Seali’itu.”
Bearing this in mind, Nafanua used the weapon ulimasao, fashioned in the shape of a paddle, and traversed the deep waters that separate Pulotu from the living world.
The Toa tree was the only living thing which thrived in the depths of Pulotu.
Nafanua found the Toa tree, and, gathering her energy, she extended the left palm of her hand and struck it down in one swift motion.
She then began the difficult task of fashioning four elaborate weapons from the Toa tree, infusing it with the spirits of Pulotu. These powerful weapons, once completed, were then given the names ta fesilafa’i, fa’auli’ulito, ulimasao and fa’amategataua.
Before Nafanua made her journey, her father made one last request. “You may fight your enemies, and drive them out of the west, but once you reach the edge of Fualuga, you must stop, for there lives your kin – your mother’s own flesh, her brother Seali’itu.”
Bearing this in mind, Nafanua used the weapon ulimasao, fashioned in the shape of a paddle, and traversed the deep waters that separate Pulotu from the living world.
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The journey was long and treacherous. Once Nafanua reached the living world, she lay her head down and fell into a deep sleep along the shores of the village Falealupo.
A couple named Matuna and Matuna from the village happened across a sleeping Nafanua. Matuna and Matuna became awestruck – Nafanua was surely a sight to behold! But their awe soon gave way to fear, for they realized Nafanua was asleep at the entrance of Pulotu. Was she human? Or was she a spirit? |
Nafanua awakened and found Matuna and Matuna staring curiously at her.
“Who are you?” both Matuna’s asked.
“My name is Nafanua. I am the daughter of Saveasi’uleo, God of the Underworld, and I come today to aid my people of Falealupo.”
Matuna and Matuna fell to their knees. “A warrior has come to deliver our salvation! But pray, tell, where is your army? We have no more able-bodied men to aid in this cause.”
“I need not an army, for I come with weapons from Pulotu that will deliver your salvation,” replied Nafanua.
“With no army of your own, then we offer ourselves in aid of this worthy task!”
Nafanua agreed.
She then presented Matuna and Matuna with the weapon fa’auli’ulito, and brought out the ta fesilafa’i for herself to use. But she made clear instructions. “You shall both take one side of the main road, and I alone the other. Do not venture to my side, for I will not be able to distinguish you from our enemies. I have given you the fa’auli’ulito, infused with spirits that demand that you show no mercy. Yet, like the weapon I hold in my hand, I ask that you instead strike with courtesy. If your enemies beg for mercy, then mercy you shall show.” For Nafanua’s chosen weapon, ta fesilafa’i, meant exactly that – to strike with courtesy.
They left for the front, and thus the next chapter in the Great War began. Day after day, a hoard of Lea’ea-Sasa’e warriors would arrive, and would be overwhelmed by Nafanua and both Matuna’s. It soon became evident that Nafanua was no ordinary woman, and she wielded no ordinary weapon. She fought tirelessly, and methodically, killing her enemies with ease, yet showing mercy to those who surrendered.
One day, in the midst of the battle, Matuna and Matuna forgot Nafanua’s warning. A warrior surrendered, and begged for his life from Matuna and Matuna. But they were overcome with the whispers from the spirits in the fa’auli’ulito which demanded they show no mercy. Matuna and Matuna ventured into Nafanua’s war path in pursuit of the warrior, and came in close proximity of Nafanua’s weapon. With one fell swoop of her club, Nafanua struck Matuna and Matuna to their deaths. Thus the proverb was born, “Ua ola i fale le la’au a Nafanua,” or translated, “The club of Nafanua is used on her own.” This proverb is commonly used by orators to chastise their kin for wrongdoings, or for disobeying explicit orders.
Nafanua fought, and drove the enemies of the west right up to the edge of Fualuga. She stopped. She stood on the crest of the hill Fualuga, and looked down at her enemies in the nearby village, yet she would go no further. She remembered her father’s words about her uncle who lived in the village and decided not to pursue the men further.
Just then, a strong gust of wind came and lifted up the tiputa Nafanua wore, thus exposing her breasts – the men shrieked in shock! For they were under the impression that they were fighting against a man, yet the wind had evidently shown otherwise.
All the men surrendered in shame, for a lone woman had decimated them.
All the captives were soon released from bondage, and cries of jubilee soon filled the air as the people of Falealupo celebrated the victory of their Warrior Princess, Nafanua, who delivered their salvation.
Now meet Vaimasenu’u Zita Martel, pictured here, as the famed warrior Nafanua.
WHO IS ZITA?
Zita is many things. She’s a Samoan businesswoman, keen sports figure, community leader, wife to Francois, mother to four boys, and recently, the designer of an exciting new phone app, to name a few. She is also the Honorary French Consul to Samoa, and speaks good French. Putting aside for a moment her great community service to the people and youth of Samoa, she’s also done great service to France, going on to be awarded the highly prestigious President of the Republic of France Award – Officer of the National Order of Merit – in 2013, given to individuals for distinguished services to the country.
In the 2013 Year of Women, the University of Hawaii awarded Zita with the prestigious Star of Oceania Award for Courage Leadership and was one of only 8 women, and the first Samoan woman to have been the recipient of the Star of Oceania.
As a businesswoman, she is the owner of Polynesian Xplorer, a destination management company that has been a fixture in the Samoan community for the last 20 years. “I started it back in 1994 after returning from overseas with my husband Francois,” says Zita. “There was no other business like it at the time.”
“I didn’t have any experience in the tourism industry when I first started, but I had a fair idea of what an overseas market would want in a holiday destination after traveling Europe, the Caribbean and North America.”
Upon being asked why the interest in tourism; “Samoa is beautiful beyond description. It’s a rewarding part of the job, creating experiences of our homeland for tourists, because there’s no other place quite like it in the world. And bringing in tourists is important, because the people of Samoa benefit immensely when they come and spend serious money here.”
Since its inception, Polynesian Xplorer has grown and become an established company on island that handles tourists’ travel plans, straight from their arrival to the airport right up until they leave.
“We do everything – hotel bookings, transfers, as well as tours around island,” says Zita.
But that’s not all. Polynesian Xplorer has been a key player in bringing big events to Samoa, including conferences, as well as various international sporting events. Speaking of sporting events, Zita Martel is very big on sports.
At one point she tried her hand at archery, and went on to represent her country at the 2007 South Pacific Games. Such is her dedication to excellence that, after only two months training, she went on to score a silver and two bronze medals at the games against far more experienced players. She then followed this up with a gold and bronze medal win at the 2011 Pacific Games in New Caledonia.
She is also a keen supporter of rugby, judo and outrigger canoeing. This love for sports has filtered down to her children, where her four sons are ardent participants within the sporting community. For example, her eldest son, Xavier, went on to play for the Manu Samoa 7’s team, and another, Thierry, went on to play for the Canadian under 20’s rugby team. Xavier, Thierry, and her other son, Guillaume, have also represented Samoa overseas in judo.
But perhaps Zita’s most exciting venture into the sporting arena, and the one she is most well known and loved for, is her legendary feats on the ocean captaining the Segavao fautasi.
“Becoming skipper of a fautasi was a total surprise,” says Zita. “My church at Siusega, Our Lady of the Rosary, held a meeting back in 2001 to find a new skipper for the Segavao. The former skipper had run off with the consolation prize winnings, and our church was left to find a new captain for the boat.”
“I was in the kitchen preparing morning tea for the people in the meeting, and when I came out holding my serving tray, I was blindsided – apparently the congregation had made the decision that I would be the new captain.”
Zita was, of course, shocked. For one thing, fautasi racing was a men’s sport, and she couldn’t understand why they had chosen her, a woman. For another, she had no experience to speak of helming a fautasi. Her only experience came from her love of outrigger canoeing, but it is one thing to go from rowing an outrigger canoe, to commanding a fautasi with 40 plus rowers.
“In my shock, I said no outright,” says Zita. “But the Prime Minister Tuila’epa, who was the chairman of the meeting, said to me, ‘Doesn’t the lady from Aleipata have the guts?’’. After that, of course I said yes! But I made sure to tell the congregation, ‘Teuila Festival is only three weeks away, so if I am going down with the Segavao, then you are all going down with me’”. Zita recruited 39 members of the congregation, ten of them women – the only boat who had a mix of both men and women.
WHAT WERE THE REACTIONS TO HER HELMING THE SEGAVAO?
As fautasi racing was widely known as a man’s sport, Zita was left with the difficult task of bringing people around to the idea of a woman taking part.
“My church was very supportive, but there was no guarantee that my family or community would get on board with it.”
So her first call was her mother. “I was nervous. I called my mum who was in New Zealand at the time and said, ‘Mum, I have something to tell you. The church just had a meeting and made me the new captain of the Segavao’.”
But it seemed Zita’s nervousness was misplaced. “All my mum said was, ‘Zita, your church has blessed you with this task. If you’re going to do it, make sure you do it well. If your father was still alive, he would be so proud of you. He would be following you around making sure you were well prepared.’”, says Zita. “After that conversation, I just bawled my eyes out.”
But perhaps what stuck out most for Zita was that her mother never mentioned anything to do with her being a woman. “My mum was a traditional woman, yet also had a very independent character about her. I suppose she didn’t care whether I was a woman or not, only that I made sure I did the job well.”
Regardless, her mother made sure she spoke to her brothers and sisters about it too, who also ended up mirroring her mother’s support.
But this support didn’t extend to others within the community.
“Once I was named as the skipper of the Segavao, the guild of skippers got together and drafted a letter, which they all signed, saying that it was highly inappropriate that I participate, purely because I was a woman. They said I had no business taking part in the sport.”
This letter was delivered to Zita’s parish priest at the time, Fr. Sanele Utualuga. “Our priest was renown as one who doesn’t mince words and told the guild of skippers that I was chosen by the church, and I will
stay as the chosen Skipper of the Segavao.”
Zita’s first race that year, the Segavao came dead last. But in true fashion of the perpetually positive and glass-half-full outlook that is Vaimasenu’u, she shows humility in the loss. “It was understandable. We had only started preparing three weeks out from the competition, while other teams spent much longer than that. But I loved it. I loved the rush of the race, but more than that, I loved the sense of team work, and working alongside my fellow church members. And it was a good place to start building from.”
But this failure was short-lived. Zita and her crew went on to win various races in subsequent years, even being invited to American Samoa in 2006 to compete against the notorious fautasi’s made from fibre-glass, which are lighter and faster on the water. Despite having to compete in a new environment, and despite the fact that, unlike Samoa where the races always takes place within the lagoon, Zita was forced to compete out in the open ocean, where swells on the day were forecast to reach up to 15 feet. Zita and her crew did the unthinkable. Despite the odds against them, they won.
What’s the key to her success? “It’s a combination of a lot of things,” says Zita. “Team work is very important, and building that bond with the crew is essential to winning. If you don’t have that bond, then it doesn’t matter how great your fautasi is, you’ll lose. In fact, if I haven’t built that bond yet prior to the race, I stress out because I need that bond to ensure that once we’re on the boat, we’re one.” This fits in with their motto of ‘one beat’.
This was proven to be highly challenging for Zita and her crew of Don Bosco boys. “It was initially difficult to build a bond with these boys, because they’re very macho and find it hard to share their feelings and their emotions. And, because I am a mother of four sons, I guess I brought with me an approach where I treated them like my own children. I treated them with love and respect. I encouraged them to share their feelings, and encouraged them to drop the macho attitude and be more open – to be able to say to one another, ‘Hey, I appreciate you and your hard work,’ or being comfortable enough to hug each other. I think my feminine instincts is part of the winning formula. “
“The reason why it’s so important for me to not only build a bond with the boys, but make sure that they build a bond amongst themselves as well, is so that we are all attuned to each other. Being attuned to each other and understanding how one another thinks is essential once you’re on the boat.”
Hearing Zita talk about the Segavao, you can tell a lot of skill goes into helming it. Her knowledge of the ocean and skippering is obviously intimidating. Not only does Zita know how to rally her troops once on the ocean, but she’s also highly skilled at navigating the fautasi. “You have to learn how to surf the waves in open ocean racing,” says Zita.
According to her, knowing how to surf the waves is very important. For one thing, the swells alone can hinder the speed of the boat, and in many instances, lead to its demise.
“The fautasi is a very long boat with 45 rowers on board and at 100 feet in length – it’s very challenging,” says Zita. “For example, once the boat is sitting on the top of a crest of a wave, the weight is distributed on either end – and that could break the boat in half, as has happened in the past with other fautasi’s. So there’s a lot of nuances involved – executing the right strokes, using the right length oars, being able to read your crew all the time so that they don’t burn out too fast.”
The more Zita talks about the race, it becomes clear that, while a lot of team work is involved, she ultimately calls the strategy of the race. “Once you have a great boat and crew in place, then whatever failure falls onto the skipper.”
It turns out that Zita’s knowledge of the ocean is so extensive that she herself designed the two Segavao II and Segavao III fautasi, ensuring its resilience on the water. She isn’t forthcoming when prompted on the design. “I shouldn’t be sharing my design secrets, but let’s just say that it’s modelled heavily after the outrigger canoe, or the paopao and its manoeuvrability,” she says, laughing. But many other skippers from both Samoas have taken their cue from Zita, and have modelled their own fautasi’s much like the Segavao.
With so many wins under her belt, Zita has unwittingly become a highly inspirational figure, generating positive discussion about the ability of women to transcend limitations that our society sometimes places on its own people.
Zita, much like Nafanua, teaches a compelling lesson. It is no secret that we live in a society that is heavily patriarchal, and there are certain expectations that revolve around the roles of both our men and women. Yet Zita, like the legend of Nafanua, has demonstrated so convincingly how we should focus less on gender, and more on the merits and ability of a person to do an assigned job, and do it well.
Zita’s congregation reached the decision to let her helm the Segavao because they believed in her abilities. This belief has evidently paid off, with Zita becoming the most exciting thing that has ever happened in the history of fautasi racing.
And one of the key outcomes of Zita’s foray into fautasi racing is the change in mind-set of people. Those who initially had reservations of Zita, those who thought a woman wouldn’t be able to triumph based on her gender, now have a newfound respect for her and her skills on the ocean.
Our women have built a resilience that is inherent of their shared experiences growing up in Samoa. We are now seeing a trend where more and more of our women are traversing roads less travelled and becoming leaders in their families and communities. And it’s a trend we must continue to foster.
Our women have come a long way, yet there is still a longer way to go. For example, we are still lacking women representation in government, and seeing an over-representation of women at the Samoa Victim Support Group. Why is this so? The answers are complex. But in order to answer these complex questions and find solutions, we must first ask these hard questions. We must generate positive and constructive discussions about it and go from there.
Let us build a world where our young children, especially our young girls, are able to rise up and meet their aspirations, aspirations that don’t necessarily fit into the current status quo – and not have to worry whether they would be prevented from achieving these aspirations due to any issues over their gender.
As I’ve mentioned, Zita is many things – she can now add being a modern day warrior to that list.
WHAT IS NEXT FOR ZITA?
No one can ever accuse Zita of not being ambitious – she has another project in the works she’s been thinking about for a very long time, but I’ve been sworn to secrecy. “I don’t want to broadcast it just yet, since there’s a lot to consider, and a lot of details to work out.” But what I can say is, Zita’s next project is definitely another exciting venture – perhaps her most exciting yet – and reflects her deep love and appreciation for the environment. It may or may not involve a fautasi. Stay tuned.
In the meantime, check out Zita’s new mobile app on both Google Play and Iphone App Store (both Android and IOS handsets) called ‘Samoa Smart Guide’. Believe it or not, Zita designed and built it herself. And it’s officially Samoa’s first app! Not bad for a lady from Aleipata.
“Who are you?” both Matuna’s asked.
“My name is Nafanua. I am the daughter of Saveasi’uleo, God of the Underworld, and I come today to aid my people of Falealupo.”
Matuna and Matuna fell to their knees. “A warrior has come to deliver our salvation! But pray, tell, where is your army? We have no more able-bodied men to aid in this cause.”
“I need not an army, for I come with weapons from Pulotu that will deliver your salvation,” replied Nafanua.
“With no army of your own, then we offer ourselves in aid of this worthy task!”
Nafanua agreed.
She then presented Matuna and Matuna with the weapon fa’auli’ulito, and brought out the ta fesilafa’i for herself to use. But she made clear instructions. “You shall both take one side of the main road, and I alone the other. Do not venture to my side, for I will not be able to distinguish you from our enemies. I have given you the fa’auli’ulito, infused with spirits that demand that you show no mercy. Yet, like the weapon I hold in my hand, I ask that you instead strike with courtesy. If your enemies beg for mercy, then mercy you shall show.” For Nafanua’s chosen weapon, ta fesilafa’i, meant exactly that – to strike with courtesy.
They left for the front, and thus the next chapter in the Great War began. Day after day, a hoard of Lea’ea-Sasa’e warriors would arrive, and would be overwhelmed by Nafanua and both Matuna’s. It soon became evident that Nafanua was no ordinary woman, and she wielded no ordinary weapon. She fought tirelessly, and methodically, killing her enemies with ease, yet showing mercy to those who surrendered.
One day, in the midst of the battle, Matuna and Matuna forgot Nafanua’s warning. A warrior surrendered, and begged for his life from Matuna and Matuna. But they were overcome with the whispers from the spirits in the fa’auli’ulito which demanded they show no mercy. Matuna and Matuna ventured into Nafanua’s war path in pursuit of the warrior, and came in close proximity of Nafanua’s weapon. With one fell swoop of her club, Nafanua struck Matuna and Matuna to their deaths. Thus the proverb was born, “Ua ola i fale le la’au a Nafanua,” or translated, “The club of Nafanua is used on her own.” This proverb is commonly used by orators to chastise their kin for wrongdoings, or for disobeying explicit orders.
Nafanua fought, and drove the enemies of the west right up to the edge of Fualuga. She stopped. She stood on the crest of the hill Fualuga, and looked down at her enemies in the nearby village, yet she would go no further. She remembered her father’s words about her uncle who lived in the village and decided not to pursue the men further.
Just then, a strong gust of wind came and lifted up the tiputa Nafanua wore, thus exposing her breasts – the men shrieked in shock! For they were under the impression that they were fighting against a man, yet the wind had evidently shown otherwise.
All the men surrendered in shame, for a lone woman had decimated them.
All the captives were soon released from bondage, and cries of jubilee soon filled the air as the people of Falealupo celebrated the victory of their Warrior Princess, Nafanua, who delivered their salvation.
Now meet Vaimasenu’u Zita Martel, pictured here, as the famed warrior Nafanua.
WHO IS ZITA?
Zita is many things. She’s a Samoan businesswoman, keen sports figure, community leader, wife to Francois, mother to four boys, and recently, the designer of an exciting new phone app, to name a few. She is also the Honorary French Consul to Samoa, and speaks good French. Putting aside for a moment her great community service to the people and youth of Samoa, she’s also done great service to France, going on to be awarded the highly prestigious President of the Republic of France Award – Officer of the National Order of Merit – in 2013, given to individuals for distinguished services to the country.
In the 2013 Year of Women, the University of Hawaii awarded Zita with the prestigious Star of Oceania Award for Courage Leadership and was one of only 8 women, and the first Samoan woman to have been the recipient of the Star of Oceania.
As a businesswoman, she is the owner of Polynesian Xplorer, a destination management company that has been a fixture in the Samoan community for the last 20 years. “I started it back in 1994 after returning from overseas with my husband Francois,” says Zita. “There was no other business like it at the time.”
“I didn’t have any experience in the tourism industry when I first started, but I had a fair idea of what an overseas market would want in a holiday destination after traveling Europe, the Caribbean and North America.”
Upon being asked why the interest in tourism; “Samoa is beautiful beyond description. It’s a rewarding part of the job, creating experiences of our homeland for tourists, because there’s no other place quite like it in the world. And bringing in tourists is important, because the people of Samoa benefit immensely when they come and spend serious money here.”
Since its inception, Polynesian Xplorer has grown and become an established company on island that handles tourists’ travel plans, straight from their arrival to the airport right up until they leave.
“We do everything – hotel bookings, transfers, as well as tours around island,” says Zita.
But that’s not all. Polynesian Xplorer has been a key player in bringing big events to Samoa, including conferences, as well as various international sporting events. Speaking of sporting events, Zita Martel is very big on sports.
At one point she tried her hand at archery, and went on to represent her country at the 2007 South Pacific Games. Such is her dedication to excellence that, after only two months training, she went on to score a silver and two bronze medals at the games against far more experienced players. She then followed this up with a gold and bronze medal win at the 2011 Pacific Games in New Caledonia.
She is also a keen supporter of rugby, judo and outrigger canoeing. This love for sports has filtered down to her children, where her four sons are ardent participants within the sporting community. For example, her eldest son, Xavier, went on to play for the Manu Samoa 7’s team, and another, Thierry, went on to play for the Canadian under 20’s rugby team. Xavier, Thierry, and her other son, Guillaume, have also represented Samoa overseas in judo.
But perhaps Zita’s most exciting venture into the sporting arena, and the one she is most well known and loved for, is her legendary feats on the ocean captaining the Segavao fautasi.
“Becoming skipper of a fautasi was a total surprise,” says Zita. “My church at Siusega, Our Lady of the Rosary, held a meeting back in 2001 to find a new skipper for the Segavao. The former skipper had run off with the consolation prize winnings, and our church was left to find a new captain for the boat.”
“I was in the kitchen preparing morning tea for the people in the meeting, and when I came out holding my serving tray, I was blindsided – apparently the congregation had made the decision that I would be the new captain.”
Zita was, of course, shocked. For one thing, fautasi racing was a men’s sport, and she couldn’t understand why they had chosen her, a woman. For another, she had no experience to speak of helming a fautasi. Her only experience came from her love of outrigger canoeing, but it is one thing to go from rowing an outrigger canoe, to commanding a fautasi with 40 plus rowers.
“In my shock, I said no outright,” says Zita. “But the Prime Minister Tuila’epa, who was the chairman of the meeting, said to me, ‘Doesn’t the lady from Aleipata have the guts?’’. After that, of course I said yes! But I made sure to tell the congregation, ‘Teuila Festival is only three weeks away, so if I am going down with the Segavao, then you are all going down with me’”. Zita recruited 39 members of the congregation, ten of them women – the only boat who had a mix of both men and women.
WHAT WERE THE REACTIONS TO HER HELMING THE SEGAVAO?
As fautasi racing was widely known as a man’s sport, Zita was left with the difficult task of bringing people around to the idea of a woman taking part.
“My church was very supportive, but there was no guarantee that my family or community would get on board with it.”
So her first call was her mother. “I was nervous. I called my mum who was in New Zealand at the time and said, ‘Mum, I have something to tell you. The church just had a meeting and made me the new captain of the Segavao’.”
But it seemed Zita’s nervousness was misplaced. “All my mum said was, ‘Zita, your church has blessed you with this task. If you’re going to do it, make sure you do it well. If your father was still alive, he would be so proud of you. He would be following you around making sure you were well prepared.’”, says Zita. “After that conversation, I just bawled my eyes out.”
But perhaps what stuck out most for Zita was that her mother never mentioned anything to do with her being a woman. “My mum was a traditional woman, yet also had a very independent character about her. I suppose she didn’t care whether I was a woman or not, only that I made sure I did the job well.”
Regardless, her mother made sure she spoke to her brothers and sisters about it too, who also ended up mirroring her mother’s support.
But this support didn’t extend to others within the community.
“Once I was named as the skipper of the Segavao, the guild of skippers got together and drafted a letter, which they all signed, saying that it was highly inappropriate that I participate, purely because I was a woman. They said I had no business taking part in the sport.”
This letter was delivered to Zita’s parish priest at the time, Fr. Sanele Utualuga. “Our priest was renown as one who doesn’t mince words and told the guild of skippers that I was chosen by the church, and I will
stay as the chosen Skipper of the Segavao.”
Zita’s first race that year, the Segavao came dead last. But in true fashion of the perpetually positive and glass-half-full outlook that is Vaimasenu’u, she shows humility in the loss. “It was understandable. We had only started preparing three weeks out from the competition, while other teams spent much longer than that. But I loved it. I loved the rush of the race, but more than that, I loved the sense of team work, and working alongside my fellow church members. And it was a good place to start building from.”
But this failure was short-lived. Zita and her crew went on to win various races in subsequent years, even being invited to American Samoa in 2006 to compete against the notorious fautasi’s made from fibre-glass, which are lighter and faster on the water. Despite having to compete in a new environment, and despite the fact that, unlike Samoa where the races always takes place within the lagoon, Zita was forced to compete out in the open ocean, where swells on the day were forecast to reach up to 15 feet. Zita and her crew did the unthinkable. Despite the odds against them, they won.
What’s the key to her success? “It’s a combination of a lot of things,” says Zita. “Team work is very important, and building that bond with the crew is essential to winning. If you don’t have that bond, then it doesn’t matter how great your fautasi is, you’ll lose. In fact, if I haven’t built that bond yet prior to the race, I stress out because I need that bond to ensure that once we’re on the boat, we’re one.” This fits in with their motto of ‘one beat’.
This was proven to be highly challenging for Zita and her crew of Don Bosco boys. “It was initially difficult to build a bond with these boys, because they’re very macho and find it hard to share their feelings and their emotions. And, because I am a mother of four sons, I guess I brought with me an approach where I treated them like my own children. I treated them with love and respect. I encouraged them to share their feelings, and encouraged them to drop the macho attitude and be more open – to be able to say to one another, ‘Hey, I appreciate you and your hard work,’ or being comfortable enough to hug each other. I think my feminine instincts is part of the winning formula. “
“The reason why it’s so important for me to not only build a bond with the boys, but make sure that they build a bond amongst themselves as well, is so that we are all attuned to each other. Being attuned to each other and understanding how one another thinks is essential once you’re on the boat.”
Hearing Zita talk about the Segavao, you can tell a lot of skill goes into helming it. Her knowledge of the ocean and skippering is obviously intimidating. Not only does Zita know how to rally her troops once on the ocean, but she’s also highly skilled at navigating the fautasi. “You have to learn how to surf the waves in open ocean racing,” says Zita.
According to her, knowing how to surf the waves is very important. For one thing, the swells alone can hinder the speed of the boat, and in many instances, lead to its demise.
“The fautasi is a very long boat with 45 rowers on board and at 100 feet in length – it’s very challenging,” says Zita. “For example, once the boat is sitting on the top of a crest of a wave, the weight is distributed on either end – and that could break the boat in half, as has happened in the past with other fautasi’s. So there’s a lot of nuances involved – executing the right strokes, using the right length oars, being able to read your crew all the time so that they don’t burn out too fast.”
The more Zita talks about the race, it becomes clear that, while a lot of team work is involved, she ultimately calls the strategy of the race. “Once you have a great boat and crew in place, then whatever failure falls onto the skipper.”
It turns out that Zita’s knowledge of the ocean is so extensive that she herself designed the two Segavao II and Segavao III fautasi, ensuring its resilience on the water. She isn’t forthcoming when prompted on the design. “I shouldn’t be sharing my design secrets, but let’s just say that it’s modelled heavily after the outrigger canoe, or the paopao and its manoeuvrability,” she says, laughing. But many other skippers from both Samoas have taken their cue from Zita, and have modelled their own fautasi’s much like the Segavao.
With so many wins under her belt, Zita has unwittingly become a highly inspirational figure, generating positive discussion about the ability of women to transcend limitations that our society sometimes places on its own people.
Zita, much like Nafanua, teaches a compelling lesson. It is no secret that we live in a society that is heavily patriarchal, and there are certain expectations that revolve around the roles of both our men and women. Yet Zita, like the legend of Nafanua, has demonstrated so convincingly how we should focus less on gender, and more on the merits and ability of a person to do an assigned job, and do it well.
Zita’s congregation reached the decision to let her helm the Segavao because they believed in her abilities. This belief has evidently paid off, with Zita becoming the most exciting thing that has ever happened in the history of fautasi racing.
And one of the key outcomes of Zita’s foray into fautasi racing is the change in mind-set of people. Those who initially had reservations of Zita, those who thought a woman wouldn’t be able to triumph based on her gender, now have a newfound respect for her and her skills on the ocean.
Our women have built a resilience that is inherent of their shared experiences growing up in Samoa. We are now seeing a trend where more and more of our women are traversing roads less travelled and becoming leaders in their families and communities. And it’s a trend we must continue to foster.
Our women have come a long way, yet there is still a longer way to go. For example, we are still lacking women representation in government, and seeing an over-representation of women at the Samoa Victim Support Group. Why is this so? The answers are complex. But in order to answer these complex questions and find solutions, we must first ask these hard questions. We must generate positive and constructive discussions about it and go from there.
Let us build a world where our young children, especially our young girls, are able to rise up and meet their aspirations, aspirations that don’t necessarily fit into the current status quo – and not have to worry whether they would be prevented from achieving these aspirations due to any issues over their gender.
As I’ve mentioned, Zita is many things – she can now add being a modern day warrior to that list.
WHAT IS NEXT FOR ZITA?
No one can ever accuse Zita of not being ambitious – she has another project in the works she’s been thinking about for a very long time, but I’ve been sworn to secrecy. “I don’t want to broadcast it just yet, since there’s a lot to consider, and a lot of details to work out.” But what I can say is, Zita’s next project is definitely another exciting venture – perhaps her most exciting yet – and reflects her deep love and appreciation for the environment. It may or may not involve a fautasi. Stay tuned.
In the meantime, check out Zita’s new mobile app on both Google Play and Iphone App Store (both Android and IOS handsets) called ‘Samoa Smart Guide’. Believe it or not, Zita designed and built it herself. And it’s officially Samoa’s first app! Not bad for a lady from Aleipata.