Saturday,Feb 28 2009, 03:31:29 AMLe Nifo Oti, the weapon of choice by ancient Sam..

Le "Nifo Oti" the weapon of choice of the Samoan warrior.

Le Nifo Oti. By Tim Tufuga

 

 

The weapon of choice of the ancient Samoan warrior in time of war. This same weapon was used to drive out the Tongan invaders of Samoa. It has been so deftedly used by the Samoan warrior to bedazzle and overwhelm the Tongan warrior in hand to hand battle. The Tongans armed with larger cumbersome weapons were completely out manuevoured by the parrying, cut, and thrust manouvres of the faster weaponry skills of the Samoan Toa. The lightening skills of the weapon skills of the Samoan would eventually drive the bravest Tongan toa from the Samoan islands once and for all. In the end the vanquished would submit to the superior weaponry skills of the Samoan by declaring Malie Tau, Malie Toa, O Samoa". The highest paramount chiefly title in Samoa during the Tongan-Samoa war of independence would be bestowed a Tongan title, the title of Malietoa.

  The typical view of a Samoan warrior during this period illustrated as so.

 

The modern day machete is more familiar to Samoan warriors of old in modern hand to hand combat or 'close quarter combat' forays. This illustration is a more accurate description of what Samoan warriors looked like and how they were conditioned for combat. Athletic, steely determination, slim and very fit, which was the true Samoan warrior physique. In old footages of Samoan warriors doing 'Kata forms' similar to Bushido Japanese warriors, they lined up and used their nifo oti in synchronicity forms with other warriors and danced and sang in uniformed formation.

 

The north western region of Savai'i in Neiafu, and Vaisigano Pule illustrates a particularly popular design version of the nifo oti which has been duplicated elsewhere in Samoa.

 This is the version that was the prime prototype weapon design of the Nifo Oti made from Hardwood and other modern versions, introduced during European contact in the early 19th century and used during skirmishes during the Matafa Iosefo and his rivals conflicts, circa1889-99, have been crafted in steel. 

 

The functionality of the weapon has been difficult to explain except according to the Pitt River Museum;

 

"Numerous fanciful interpretations have been postulated for what use the hook could serve as part of a nifo‘oti. Some thought it was for impaling the removed head of a defeated enemy in order to take it home in triumph, whilst others assumed it was for hooking under the enemy’s ribs, in order to pull him from the front of battle, so that he might be attacked more easily". (Pitt River Museum)

Perhaps, more practically considered, would be the parrying of an opponents weapon away from the the combatants hands before inflicting the final death thrust and penetration blow upon the enemy combatant, which would be considered as more to the true functional use for the 'hook' at the end of the 'Nifo Oti' design. To 'catch' a weapon, or rather to 'hook it', whilst parrying, can easily be conceived with a flick of the wrist by the Nifo Oti weapon handler, allowing the weapon to engage the enemy's own weapon, thus, unsuspectingly disarming him, rendering the enemy weaponless and vulnerable to the Nifo Oti's lethal blows. 

 

The movie 'Lord of The Rings', which was filmed in New Zealand, and directed by a local Porirua, North of Wellington, resident, Mr. Peter Jackson, seemed to have a duplicated version of the Samoan 'Nifo Oti' weapon, as was used by the 'Orks' against Middle Earth. I wonder whether Samoans may have been an inspiration for this weapon for the Orks? Peter Jackson does not like Samoans, methinks?

 

Ia soifua tatou

 

Tim Tufuga

February 2009

 

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Monday,Feb 23 2009, 04:40:18 AMTUFUGA defamed by bigoted used car salesmen.

A Samoan with the surname of TUFUGA, defamed needlessly, by used carsales men, at Motor Finance Wizard, at Slacks Creek; Uwin Wholesale Cars, at Compton Road, at Underwood; and Auto Outlet Centre, cnr Compton Road and Ewing road, Underwood. I have been to three used car yards in the Logan City area, in search of a car and car finance.

Unfortunately, to my disappointment, my family name of TUFUGA, is considered discredited in the following car yards. Motor Finance Wizard, in 1 Monte Street, Slacks Creek, Qld 4127; Auto Outlet Centre, cnr, Compton and Ewing Road, Underwood; and, Uwin Wholesale Cars, in 16-22 Compton Road, Underwood. At the abovementioned car yards, my sister and I, have never conducted any business dealings with them in the past, in the twenty seven years living in Queensland. I am surprised with how our family name of TUFUGA had earned disreputable record with these businesses. It is shocking and diasappointing that the surname TUFUGA has been associated with a purported bad credit by the following car dealership companies of the Wizard finance group; the MCM finance group (Auto Outlet Centre) and or the Uwin wholesale Cars. I am bitterly disappointed with this situation, in one instance, I had been quoted with a $1,000 deposit deal and for $140 per week repayment schedule for three and a half years, as pre arranged by the Wizard finance group, this was considered necessary due to the disrepute associated with the surname of TUFUGA. Furthermore, the Auto Outlet Centre, in Compton Road, had declined my sister's application for finance due to the expectant inability of my sister to meet the repayment schedule of 48% interest per annum on a car loan. Once again this is due to the purportedly considered austere financial situation of my sister's situation as well as due to the purported disrepute of the TUFUGA surname.

Unfortunately, I am proud of my family name and my heritage, although I am poor I am not ashamed of my heritage. Unlike the poor white trash who are the used car salesmen with their audacious attitude such as the men at the Auto Centre who deliberately mispronounced my surname and said that my sister was too poor as well as stating that her email correspondences were considered offensive and the salesman named Phil would not elaborate further. I had considered that the loan contract was in itself offensive with the 48% interest per annum which would indeed warrant an indignant response by any rational human being.

I am an Australian citizen and already I have realised that citizenry democratic rights are nominal tokenistic gesture by a predominately monoculturalist hate group throughout the community determined to sow the seeds of hatred into the community. I have considered that the true purveyors of community anxiety are people whom prey on the misfortunes of the community vulnerable, in order to incite, provoke and to stir emotive response to feed their pernicious intentions. I have considered that these men whose reputations are based on usuary criminal extortion is considered as a process that will deprive us with certain liberties. It is true that people are burdened with certain unrealistic car loan repayment schedules, based on outrageous loans repayment schedules, such as 48% ir on top of the actual principle of the cost of the car, plus running costs, as was the AUTO Outlet Centre, with their MCM car loan repayment schedule. Auto Outlet Centre's business dealings with my sister is nothing short of a criminal business transaction, Auto Outlet Centre, in Comton road logan City, for a Samoan person, is having to deal with shonky used car salesmen with their equally shonky used vehicles.

Then, there is the Uwin Wholesale Cars, whose carsales representattive, a large thick set man, considered even with a deposit, the financial situation considered was considered too meagre in order to meet the car repayment schedule.

Moreover, as well as the lack of financial assistance, what has exacerbated the situaion further, and it has come to my conclusion, that in Queensland at least, the surname of TUFUGA is considered defiled. It is just as well that my sister is not going to take a vehicle from any of these car yard thieves.

On a personal note, however, and what seems very shocking to me, is the defamation associated with the TUFUGA surname, which has really astounded me, which inadvertantly meant that the surname of TUFUGA, which is considered unwelcomed by these carsales yard. The pronounciation of my surname by these men included tutugaga, fufufaga, tufaka, fufaka, and tu-fucka, which I feel that the humour is not appreciated nor is it considered fair and it is certainly unwarranted.

I would like to make note that as a proud Samoan man I am easily offended by people who do not know anything about my culture, my heritage, my history and my life, then trampling upon my heritage needlessly. It is like the old biblical passage in Matthew chapter 7 verse 6, " Do not cast pearls amongst swines, for they shall trample upon them...". If I were a Christian I would have been so offended that I would have reacted according to my cultural pride. These are true 'swines', who deserve to be treated as we in Asau, Savai'i, Samoa, would like to treat them. We kill them, quarter them, roast them, and then devour them. I would not like to cannibalise a white man but they do give us a very good reason from time to time. Cannibalism is not practised in Samoan culture, however, during the war between Malietoa Vainu'upo and the A'ana and Atua districts, in circa1830, Malietoa, and some of his warriors, had cannibalised the highest ranking warriors of A'ana and Atua, in a sign of defiance and absolute victory. My ancestors from Asau, from the 'Itu O Tane', 'The side of men', had fought alongside Malietoa Vainu'upo, it is just as well that Malietoa Vainu'upo embraced Christianity soon after the war.

Car salesmen in Queensland continue to defile my family name they defile our heritage and who we are and why we are the way we are!

You will keep.

You evil racist white people, and your sycophantic toadies, have never defeated me spiritually, psychologically, religiously, emotionally and physically!

Ia soifua

Tim TUFUGA

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Friday,Feb 20 2009, 01:53:26 AMAn old footage of Asau, Savai'i, Samoa

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Saturday,Feb 14 2009, 09:54:25 AMSalute, the movie: The Peter Norman story.

Perhaps, the only great Australian sporting legend not invited to the Sydney Olympics as well as to compete in the subsequent 1972 Munich Olympics. Peter Norman was also the Australian sprinting record holder over the 200 metres running distance, a white Australian who was inadvertantly caught up in the civil rights political issues surrounding the 1968 Mexico Olympics.

The White Australia outrage resonated with its complete denial of Peter Norman's unmatched 200 metre Australian record having, to this day, been ignored by media and sporting commentators, save only the producers of this documentary movie, namely Matt Norman, et al.

White Australia would never forgive Peter Norman even after he was dead and buried in 2006 he, Peter Norman, was not honoured by the Australian media. In a picture which says more than words can, we see the only evidence of Peter Norman's inadvertant support of his fellow competitors with wearing a human rights badge on his Australian track suit top. A move that would end his sporting career and his socio-political acceptance by white Australia.

It seemed paradoxical that Cathy Freeman would hold the torch for the Australian games and the social conscience of Australia was purportedly appeased whilst at the same time one of its fellow citizens, a white Australian as well, was well and truly suppressed and denied for being a pioneering catalyst for the Australian race relations reconciliation process decades earlier.

Australia has come along way since 1968, the indigenous people were given the right to vote by white Australia in 1967 and the 2,000 Mexican students were murdered by its own government so as to suppress the global civil rights movements during the tumultuous 1960s period, culminating with the political facade of a harmonious Mexico City Olympic games in 1968. Martin Luther King jr would fall to an assassins bullet on April 4th, 1968. Today, we have an Afro-American as the President of America and surely if Peter Norman were with us today he would have felt much more at ease with his fellow man. To Peter Norman, the accidental Black Power recruit. such a fine man.

Ia manuia lou malaga.

soifua

Tim Tufuga

 Brisbane Australia

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Monday,Feb 9 2009, 01:55:38 AMAustralia mourns.

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