at the Faleolo Airport is this sculpture of Samoan warriors wrestling a large sea turtle. The warriors bodies are tattooed with Samoan cultural patterns and designs known as 'Tatau'. Legend has it that the tatau came to be in Samoa when Taema and Tilafaiga, female siamese twins who were joined at the spine. When the twins were grown, they decided to travel away from Ta'u, the island of their birth. As they were swimming, the spar of a canoe struck them and severed the join between them.
After several adventures on other islands, the twins reached Fiji where they meet two tatau (tattoo) artists, Tufou and Filelei, who taught them the art of tattooing. They also taught them a song to recite when they were tattooing someone. When the twins returned to Samoa, Tilafaiga became a war goddess, while Taema became a tattooist and teacher of the art that she had learned in Fiji.
Have a look at the Samoan turtles pond in the grounds of the Malua Theological College.
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