Fire Knife
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The Fire Knife is a traditional Samoan cultural implement that is used in ceremonial dances. It was originally composed of a machete wrapped in towels on both ends with a portion of the blade exposed in the middle. Tribal performers of fire knife dancing (or Siva Afi as it is called in Samoa) dance while twirling the knife and doing other acrobatic stunts. The towels are set afire during the dances thus explaining the name.
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[edit] History
Knife dancing has a history which goes back several generations. The modern fireknife dance has its roots in the Samoan "Ailao" - a Samoan warrior's knife dance which was done with the "nifo oti", which means "tooth of death". The Samoan's eventually combined the nifo oti with the "lave" - which was basically a hook and was used to snare parts of an enemy's body. When modern machetes became available, the Nifo Oti evovled into its current form, a machete with the tip cut off, fashioned into a hook, and then welded back on. The Ailao dance was done both pre-battle, to intimidate the enemy and to psyche up the warrior, and also post-battle as a victory dance. The hook was often used to carry and display the head of a defeated enemy.
Fire was added to the knife in 1946 by a Samoan knife dancer named Freddie Letuli, later to become Paramount Chief Letuli Olo Misilagi. Letuli was performing in San Francisco and while practising, noticed a Hindu Fire eater and also a little girl with lighted batons. The fire eater loaned him some fuel, he wrapped some towels around his knife, and the fire knife dance was born.
Although today many commercial performers perform the dance with short staffs or unbladed knives, this is not authentic fire knife dance and is unacceptable in the Samoas. The knives used by performers in American Samoa are still made of machetes, although they are often dulled for younger dancers.
[edit] Competition
Traditional competitions were hotly contested. Their exhibitionists would almost rather die than seek medical care for injuries incurred while performing. Today, modern competitions are held annually at the Polynesian Cultural Center and World Fireknife Dance Champion. The 14th annual competition was held in the spring of 2006.
[edit] Modern Use
In the mid 20th century, the ancient traditions were commercialized and westernized. Over time the performing implement has changed. The wooden handle gradually lengthened and the blade got shorter. Eventually, the exposed portion was part of the handle. Some of the moves performed in shows now are more modern and flashy than traditional battle preparations. As such, they are often performed at accelerated speeds. It is probable that the danger of sharpened blades and the demand for multiple daily shows by top performers has caused the sharpened blade to disappear entirely from commercial perfromances. Now, when one travels to Hawaii, it is quite common to see commmercial Fire Knife Dancing performed with wooden or aluminum poles wrapped in towels. These performances are often part of Luau festivities or Polynesian shows that include Poi Ball performances.
