Oral tradition holds that the Samoan archipelago was created by the god Tagaloa at the beginning of history. Until 1997, the western islands were known as Western Samoa or Samoa I Sisifo to distinguish them from the nearby group known as American Samoa or Amerika Samoa. The distinction was necessitated by the partitioning of the archipelago in 1899. All Samoans adhere to a set of core social values and practices known as fa'a Samoa and speak the Samoan language. The official name today is Samoa.
Samoan dance traditions reflect contact between Samoan culture and other cultures from the East and West. Influences from rap can be detected, but traditional Samoan styles of movement and traditional clothing are also used. The space in which dance is conducted has been interpreted as a microcosm of Samoan society.
The Maulu'ulu is an indigenous dance performed by the Samoan people. Contemporary maulu'ulu compositions and choreographies are generally performed by female dancers, although some villages have a tradition of men and women dancing together. The maulu'ulu was one of several dance forms (such as Taualuga) and choral song styles (including 'otuhaka) that were adopted and adapted into the Kingdom of Tonga during the late 19th century through cultural diffusion. The considerable divergence of technique and choreography now differentiate the Samoan maulu'ulu from the Tongan Ma'ulu'ulu although their common origin continues to be celebrated.
The Manu Siva Tau is a Samoan war dance, performed by the Samoan sporting teams before each match.
The national rugby union team used to perform the traditional 'Maulu'ulu Moa' on tour. Prior to the 1991 World Cup, the 'Manu' war chant was composed, it was considered to be more effective at psyching up players.The national Australian rules football team performs the Siva Tau at its International Cup appearances. In WWE, The Usos, as faces, performed the Siva Tau as part of their ring entrance.
The fire knife is a traditional Samoan cultural implement that is used in ceremonial dances. It was originally composed of a machete wrapped in towels on both ends with a portion of the blade exposed in the middle. Tribal performers of fire knife dancing (or Siva Afi or even "Ailao Afi" as it is called in Samoa) dance while twirling the knife and doing other acrobatic stunts. The towels are set afire during the dances thus explaining the name.
Dances in Samoa would reflect on everyday life activities. In the 19th century, there was an invasion of mosquitoes to the Kingdom, which later on became another part of everyday life, and it was there that the Fa'ataupati was created from when a man would forcefully slap his body.[citation needed] This dance mimics a person slapping the mosquitoes off their body when bitten. From then on it became part of the Samoan culture.
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