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The Kaumaile is a wooden spear treasured by the people of Nanumea, Tuvalu. According to Nanumean myth it was brought to the island by Tefolaha, from Samoa or Tonga, and had been used in battle, including to kill giants. The spear is central to Nanumean traditional history, as their most important ancestral relic, and is featured on the letterhead of the Nanumean kaupule and the letterhead of Nanufuti, a community of Nanumeans in Funafuti.

Description

The Kaumaile is approximately 1.8 meters long (5 feet and 11 inches), heavy, and made of a dense, dark brown, fine-grained wood from an Australian pine tree. It's blade is flared and had raised welts where the handle widens to become the blade. The spear was made circa. 1070 A.D. It is considered a mea Taaua by the Nanumeans, which means it is highly valued or precious.

History

The Kaumaile is believed to have been brought to Nanumea by Tefolaha (circa 1375 AD), from either Samoa or Tonga, where he had used it valiantly in battle. Upon arriving in Nanumea, Tefolaha is said to have found it inhabited by two women, Pai and Vau. Tefolaha made an agreement with Pai and Vau that he could have Nanumea if he could guess their names and they could guess his, because in Polynesian culture to know someone's name was to have power over them. Tefolaha would climb a palm tree and use a wooden hook on a piece of twine to trick the women into shouting their names. He would guess their names correctly but they would not be able to guess his and would be forced to leave. Upon Tefolaha's death, his descendants would inherit the spear, and upon their death, their descendants would, which continued for ~23 generations.

One of Tefolaha's descendants was Lapi. Lapi would use the Kaumaile to slay the giant Tuulapoupou on Nanumea's southwestern reef flat. While doing this, Lapi had to call the spirit of Tefolaha for help, via saying the phrase, "Tefolaha tou hoa!" This phrase is thought to hold magical power for Nanumeans and can help one even if they so much as think it. Today, Nanumeans will pour the last of their drink on the ground (if the drink is pi or kaleve/coconut sap) and say the miraculous phrase, as a way of honoring Tefolaha.

In the either the late 1890s or early 1900s, G. B. Smith Rewse, a British colonial administrator, came to know about the Kaumaile. He would then take the spear from Teuki, a descendant of Lapi, and would bring it to England. The Kaumaile was given up willingly, the Nanumeans likely hoping the officials would provide them with more information on the spear's age and where it originated. Later, in 1936 or 1937, Teuki's descendant, Manuella, who was working in the phosphate mines on Banaba, would spot the Kaumaile in a Mr. Barley's office. He would reclaim the spear and bring it back to Nanumea sometime during the late 1930s.

In 1974 the Kaumaile was entrusted to Seselo by his adoptive father, Manuella.

References

1. "More about the Kaumaile". nanumea.net.
2. Franz, Angelika (May 30, 2014). "Südsee-Speer: Hamburger Forscher bestimmt Holzart" – via www.spiegel.de.
3. https://nanumea.net/PDF%20files%20used%20in%20NEA%20website/Kaumaile%20Radiocarbon%20Dating%20Results,%202pp%20combined.pdf
4. "2D Animated Short Film "Pai & Vau" | Tales From Nanumea: Episode 1". November 13, 2008 – via YouTube.
5. https://nanumea.net/PDF%20files%20used%20in%20NEA%20website/Kaumaile%20test%20results%20fax%20from%20Heta%20Lazrus%20(translated%20by%20Lopati).pdf

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