IN MY OPINION THE NIFO OTI IS THE CLUB THAT BEST REPRESENTS SAMOA AS ITS FORM IS NOT FOUND ON OTHER ISLANDS AS FAR AS I KNOW. THE METAL KNIVES EVOLVED FROM THIS AND THE DANCES WITH TWO OF THESE KNIVES LATER EVOLVED INTO THOSE USED IN THE FIRE DANCES POPULAR IN POLYNESIAN SHOWS TODAY. THE USE OF THESE TEETH THAT HAVE 4 SIDES IS MOST NOTED AS A SAMOAN FEATURE FOUND ON SEVERAL DIFFERENT TYPES OF CLUBS. I WILL GET BACK TO THIS SAMOA POST WHEN TIME ALLOWS AS I AM STILL WORKING ON FIJI AND WILL HAVE TO REGROUP FOR SAMOA. GOOD POST AND INFORMATION
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I HAVE ADDED SOME PICTURES OF THE CLASSIC FORM OF WOODEN NIFO OTI CIRCA 1920 TO 1930'S. THERE IS A PICTURE OF TWO SAMOANS WITH THE WOOD VERSION OF THE STEEL BLADED LATER FORM AND AN EXAMPLE OF THE STEEL BLADED FORM FIRST USED FOR THE SAMOAN KNIFE DANCE AND A PICTURE OF THE MORE SHOWY FIRE DANCE. ACTUALLY THE OLD KNIFE DANCE WAS MORE DANGEROUS UNLESS YOU ACCIDENTALLY CAUGHT YOUR COSTUME OR THE CLUB ON FIRE.
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A CLOSE UP OF THE 4 SIDED TEETH I AM NOT SURE WHEN THIS FORM STARTED OR IF IT WAS PRECEDED BY A MORE ROUNDED FORM OF TEETH ON OLDER CLUBS.