Fue (fly whisk)

This fue (flywhisk) is an item of regalia important for a Samoan tulafale (talking chief). High chiefs would also carry them but only when appearing as orators. Said to resemble fly switches in appearance, fue are usually made from lengths of braided coconut fibre attached to a short wooden handle. However, by the 1920s it had become the custom to use horses hair exclusively for high chiefs.

Construction

This horsehair fue has a short handle of polished wood that is circular in section. Yellowed horsehairs have been gathered into many short three ply braided strands that are attached to one end of the handle. After a few centimetres the braiding ends and the running ends of the horsehairs are left to form long tufts. There is a string wound around to secure hair at the top of the handle. 

Lauga (oratory) in Samoa
In Samoa, lauga is usually presented in two main settings: either indoors within a fale (house) or outdoors on the malae (village green). There are different conventions for presentation and content in each context. Fue with short tassels were made for use inside fale, while those with long tassels were made for use outside. An orator using a fue will often make several movements with it before he commences his speech.

Form and content
Lauga is the strongest and most prestigious of the language arts in Samoa, and has produced some of Samoa's great leaders, thinkers, and powerbrokers. Performances maintain and enact important social and cultural values. On a practical level, lauga present a protocol for proceedings at ceremonial and formal gatherings. Speakers will acknowledge ancestors and remember the past while at the same time dictating and managing the course of events. The style of lauga varies with context: sometimes speakers must stick closely to established protocols, sometimes occasions allow for more informal and competitive expression.

Acquisition History

This fue was donated to the museum by F. Foster.