We Are Samoa Festival hosted the World Fireknife Championships at the Polynesian Cultural Center last week. Excited guests arrived early to enjoy food from the marketplace vendors and awaited nightfall.
As the sky went dark, the performers came onto the stage and began painting the dark stage with flames.
There were 18 competitors wearing lavalava, pale headdresses and ula nifo (tooth necklace) around their necks. Each took a turn spinning Samoan war clubs called nifo oti (tooth of death) flaming from both ends.
The drummers kept the beat going nonstop throughout the event.
Fireknife dancing is a relatively new Samoan cultural practice. According to the documentary “JERI,” Paramount Chief Olo Letui from American Samoa performed his nifo oti spinning techniques at an expo in San Francisco in 1946.
Inspired by the light bulbs and flame shows at the expo, he wrapped both ends of his nifo oti, doused them in gasoline — and began to dance with fire.
The World Fireknife Championships have been held annually at the Polynesian Cultural Center since 1993. Competitors have been performing their best spins and throws for nearly 30 years.
Competitor Alexander Galeaʻi said the judges give points based on the speed of the spin, the height of the throw, and the difficulty of the overall performance.
"And if you drop your knife, that would deduct points from you because as a warrior, you need to have your weapon on you at all times, and if you drop your knife or your weapon, then you already lost the battle," Galeaʻi explained.
His grandfather Pulefano Galeaʻi is the founder of the World Fireknife Championship. Alexander has known the art of fireknife his whole life.
On the other end of the spectrum, Garrett "Asuoleafi" Cheney has been dancing for only two and a half years.
He recently moved to Hawaiʻi from Utah to further pursue his career in fireknife dancing.
"I think a lot of people don’t realize that it’s an actual knife. It’s kinda funny cuz it’s in the name," Cheney said. "One side is an actual blade with a hook on the end. So you’re not only spinning with fire but you’re spinning with a knife as well."
"And not only that but it’s also a Samoan cultural dance. For me, especially being a white kid from Utah, it's really special for me to be able to do this dance and have all these Samoan people and Polynesian people accept me into their culture," Cheney told HPR.
Hale Motuʻapuaka from ʻAiea won the World Fireknife Championship this year. This is his third year winning the title.
But winning the competition isn’t the most important part of fireknife dancing, Galeaʻi said.
"The most important part of fireknife dancing that a lot of people miss is the stage presence. Your essence. Do you display the fireknife warrior, you know? Cuz it’s a war dance. If you’re not showing that you’re a warrior, then it defeats the purpose of fireknife dancing," Galeaʻi told HPR.
