Different Legends

• One well known legend relates that Taema and her sister Tila faiga
  Tilafaiga
  According to a legend in Samoan mythology Tilafaiga was one of the siamese twin sisters who brought the art of tatau to Samoa from Fiti...
  
   (Tila the sportive) were the goddesses of tattooers. The sisters brought the art of tattooing to Samoa
  Samoa
  Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
  
   from Fiti. As they swam, the sisters sang a song that women get the tattoo, not men. But as they neared the village of Falealupo
  Falealupo
  Falealupo is a village in Samoa situated at the west end of Savai'i island from the dateline. The village has two main settlements, Falealupo-Uta, situated inland by the main island highway and Falealupo-Tai, situated by the sea...
  
   at the western end of the island of Savai'i
  Savai'i
  Savaii is the largest and highest island in Samoa and the Samoa Islands chain. It is also the biggest landmass in Polynesia outside Hawaii and New Zealand. The island of Savai'i is also referred to by Samoans as Salafai, a classical Samoan term used in oratory and prose...
  
   in Samoa, they dived underwater to get a clam. When they emerged, their song changed. Only men get the tattoo, not women. However, Samoa has traditional tattoos for both males and females. The traditional male tattoo is the pe'a
  Pe'a
  The Pe'a is the popular name of the traditional male tattoo of Samoa, which was originally called the malofie, a term used in the Samoan language chiefly vocabulary and 'respect' register .-Description:...
  
  . The female tattoo is the malu
  Malu
  Malu can refer to:* Malu, a Samoan tattoo* Malu, Nepal* Malu, Giurgiu, a commune in Giurgiu County, Romania* Malu, a village in Bârla Commune, Argeş County, Romania* Malu, a village in Godeni Commune, Argeş County, Romania...
  
  . In a similar legend, Taema's sister Tilafaiga was the mother of the Samoan goddess of war, Nafanua
  Nafanua
  Nafanua is the name of the revered Goddess of War in Samoa and a deity in Polynesian Mythology.According to Samoan mythology, Nafanua was the daughter of Saveasi'uleo, the God of Pulotu, Samoa's spirit world. In one legend, Nafanua's mother was Tilafaiga the sister of Taema.-Background:Nafanua is a...
  
  , the daughter of Saveasi'uleo
  Saveasi'uleo
  Saveasi'uleo is the God of Pulotu, the underworld of spirits or Hades in Samoan mythology.He is the father of Nafanua the Goddess of War in Samoa...
  
  , god of the underworld Pulotu
  Pulotu
  In the mythology of parts of western Polynesia , Pulotu is the underworld, the world of darkness ....
  
  .

• Taema was the name of a war god, incarnate in the kingfisher bird and was an omen in war.

• Taema was a war god present in a bundle of sharks' teeth.

• Taema and Titi were the names of two household gods in a family at the east end of the Samoa Islands. Taema and Titi were Siamese
  Conjoined twins
  Conjoined twins are identical twins whose bodies are joined in utero. A rare phenomenon, the occurrence is estimated to range from 1 in 50,000 births to 1 in 100,000 births, with a somewhat higher incidence in Southwest Asia and Africa. Approximately half are stillborn, and a smaller fraction of...
  
   twins, their bodies joined back to back. They swam from the east and a wave struck them and separated their bodies. Everything double such as double yams or bananas, were sacred.

• Taema was the name of a goddess found by fishermen swimming between the islands of Upolu
  Upolu
  Upolu is an island in Samoa, formed by a massive basaltic shield volcano which rises from the seafloor of the western Pacific Ocean. The island is long, in area, and is the second largest in geographic area as well as the most populated of the Samoan Islands. Upolu is situated to the east of...
  
   and Tutuila
  Tutuila
  Tutuila is the largest and the main island of American Samoa in the archipelago of Samoan Islands. It is the third largest island in the Samoan Islands chain of the Central Pacific located roughly northeast of Brisbane, Australia and over northeast of Fiji. It contains a large, natural harbor,...
  
  . The fishermen covered her with fine native cloth, took her to land in the bush, and built a temple for her.

• Taema was the founder of a high ranking chief title on Tutuila.