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When Joeseta Fatuesi told her father as a high school senior that she wanted to get a tattoo, his eyes welled up with tears, she said.
But not from the despair that other American dads might feel in that scenario.
Tears of pride.
Utah's freshman center is the daughter of Junior Fatuesi, high talking chief for the Satoafaiga clan, from the village of Aasu on the north coast of American Samoa's main island, Tutuila.
By telling him that she wanted to receive the malu, a tattoo traditionally reserved for high-born Samoan women, Joeseta was saying that she'd help him keep alive their heritage, and assume the responsibilities that come with being his daughter.
So, yeah, it's not your average tattoo.
"I love the fact that she's trying to learn," Junior said. He grew up in American Samoa and knows it can be more difficult for U.S.-born Samoans to see the importance of their roots. "A lot of the kids, they either detest or disengage themselves from the cultural upbringing."
Junior came to the U.S. on a football scholarship in 1986, speaking little English. He played at Eastern Oregon, Long Beach City and Hawaii before becoming a social worker and a rehabilitation counselor.
Since he was named high talking chief, it has fallen to him to preside at gatherings of his far-flung clan and to speak on behalf of the clan's high chief.
In a given year, he estimates, that can involve flying from his home in Santa Clara, Calif., to as many as 10 funerals and weddings. He recently attended funerals in Modesto, San Francisco and in the Los Angeles area, coincidentally, while his daughter visited USC and UCLA and totaled 13 points and 16 rebounds. He has another wedding at the end of this month.
English is not spoken in the Fatuesi household — or, at least, not while Junior is within earshot. He believes the loss of the language is tied to the waning influence of Polynesian culture, which in some instances has led stateside Polynesians to seek their identity in gangs.
Junior said there are also many Samoans who feel that the chief system — or fa'amatai — is outdated, and who reject the aristocracy. But, "I think you can be progressive and still hold onto your cultural identity," he said.
Joeseta was sent to American Samoa at age 7, spending over a year learning the language and customs.
Now she has pledged to go back for the second time during a future offseason, and to be tattooed from her upper thighs to just above her knees.
The malu "signifies a rite of passage," Junior said.
It's a physical ordeal. A tattoo artist will hammer soot from burnt candlenut deep into Joeseta's skin using a wooden mallet and a comb fashioned from serrated bone or shell. Unlike the pe'a, the traditional men's tattoo, which can take weeks, the malu can often be completed in one day, but it can still cause profuse bleeding or infection.
More daunting, though, are the duties that Joeseta will inherit. She must know her history and correctly perform her roles at gatherings, or "it's kind of a waste," she said, and can harm the reputation of her clan.
That's a lot of pressure. More, even, than playing 22 minutes per game as a true freshman in the Pac-12.
But she's up for it, she said.
Joeseta was riding a shuttle bus on Utah's campus when she saw another young Samoan woman who had the malu, and the two struck up a conversation in Samoan.
Her face lit up recalling this. It's one of the highlights of her freshman year, and she hopes to run into the shuttle passenger again, she said.
"I told her how proud I was to know a girl that has a malu."
Someday soon, she will have it, too.
Twitter: @matthew_piper —
Joeseta Fatuesi
From • Santa Clara, Calif.
Height • 6-foot-4
Season highs • 16 points (twice), 10 rebounds (three times), two 3-pointers, three steals and three blocks
Off-court • Sociology major wants to work someday as a probation or a parole officer. —
Washington at Utah
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