Edward Everett Root Publishers Co. Ltd.
EER
Tattooing Sina
The Battle to Save Samoa’s Treasure Island
A Novel
Moneka Tupua Knight
About this book
This inspiring book explores the lives of the women in the Samoan Women’s
Mau resistance movement and the warriors who fought against the New
Zealand colonisers to achieve Samoa’s independence.
Sina’s tattoo, the malu is a rite of passage she endures after the death of
the grandmother, the village healer. As the taupou, or ceremonial virgin of her
village, the sacred symbols inked onto her skin allow her to perform at the
kava ceremonies. But when the missionaries discover it, she is expelled from
school and her father, a high chief, is ordered to pay a hefty fine.
To help pay the fine, Sina works at Vailima for Fanny Stevenson, wife of
famed Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. Fanny had her own literary
ambitions, but she faces criticism from her husband’s London literary circle
that she is sabotaging his career by moving to Samoa. She is haunted by
rumours she forced him to burn the draft of his novel The Strange Case of Dr.
Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, which he wrote in a cocaine-induced fury. She claims to
be his most influential critic, muse and collaborator. She says the Samoan
climate will heal his sickness and save his life. As their islander life unfolds,
they could never have predicted the significant role they would played in
Samoan politics.
At Vailima, Sina become politically active and develops her gift for writing. After her Uncle Tupua Tamasese Lealofi III the leader of the Mau is assassinated, the men are forced into hiding from the New Zealanders.
Sina and other female warriors take over the battle and create the Women’s Mau resistance movement. She draws on the spirit and guidance of her ancestors, Queen Salamasina, Samoa’s most powerful ruler, and Nafanua the Goddess of War. The Women’s Mau becomes the key to Samoa achieving independence.
A powerful story of cultural pride and women’s resistance.
About the author
Moneka Tupua Knight is a former journalist who set up journalism training in Samoa and lectured at the National University of Samoa. She also worked in the media and as a media consultant. She is currently a senior school teacher in Tasmania.
Available February 2026
ISBN 9781915115737 Hardback £34.99
ISBN 9781915115744 Paperback £14.99
ISBN 9781915115751 eBook £14.99
216 x 140mm. 254 pp.