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Samoan Material Culture

Tops

Tops

Tops (moa) shaped like European whip tops were made. A small coconut was used with the muli end sharpened to a point. The top was spun by winding a strip of fau bast round it and then jerking it sideways. The fau strip was called 'afa in spite of its not being coconut fibre. The side jerk is termed se'i. Sometimes the top is jerked downwards (tongi) to strike another. The spinning of the top is vilivili and the following refrain is chanted as it is spun.

Vilivili moa moa, vilivili moa moa, Spin top, spin top,
Aumai lau moa tau ma la'u moa. Let your top come to fight with my top.
Vilivili moa moa, vilivili moa moa, Spin top, spin top,
Sau le itu le avenga moa. The spirit comes with a burden of tops.

Stone was never used for making playing tops though stones shaped exactly like tops were used to form squid lures. Tops were only spun with the bark strip. No whip was used to keep them going.

Teetotums. A game similar to teetotum spinning is described by Turner (41, p. 128). A coconut was spun in the center of a seated circle of players and whoever the three eyes at one end of the coconut pointed to had to pay a forfeit. The forfeit usually consisted of performing some manual task. It was also used as the method of casting lots designating one to accomplish a particular duty, the group was unwilling to undertake voluntarily. It was also used to point out a thief when one of a party was charged with a crime.