The Legend Of Sina and The Eel
The myth of Sina and the Eel tells the tale of how the first coconut tree came to the islands.
The legend tells of a beautiful girl called Sina, from the island of Savaii, who had a small pet eel. When the eel grew, it fell in love with Sina. This made Sina afraid so she tried to run away, but the eel followed her. Sina finally sought refuge in Moata’a, where Taumeasina is located today. Sina thought she had finally escaped and one day when gathering water from the village pool, she was shocked to find the eel staring up at her. Angry, she cried ‘You stare at me, with eyes like a demon!’ (Samoan: E pupula mai, ou mata o le alelo!).
The village chiefs came and killed the eel. Before dying, the eel asked Sina to bury its head on Taumeasina. With remorse, Sina agreed to the eel’s request. From the site where the eel’s head was buried a coconut tree grew. When removing the husk from the coconut, there are three distinct round marks, which appear like the face of the eel - two eyes and a mouth. One of the marks is easily pierced for drinking the juice from the coconut. Legend suggests that every time Sina drank from the coconut she kissed the eel.
Taumeasina Island Resort is named after the Legend of Sina, with Taumeasina meaning "Landing place of Sina". Our fine dining restaurant has been named after the legend. There are different versions of the tale, some of which claim that Sina is from Matavai village in Savaii. In the Samoan language, the legend is called "Sina Ma Le Tuna". Tuna is the Samoan word for 'eel'