A World of Difference

Welcome back to Term 3! After a very different Term 2 we were very excited to get back to our Immersion Assemblies to see what our inquiry is for this term.

This term we are travelling around the world. Different teams in our school covering things from different food, schools, languages and cultures from around the world.

In Team 5, our teachers performed a beautiful story about Sina and the Eel from Samoa. Mrs Tele'a explained that we were covering myths and legends from around the world. Specifically, we are looking at myths and legends that help to explain land forms, monuments or pieces of nature.

The story of Sina and the Eel goes like this. Once upon a time there was a beautiful girl named Sina. She befriended an Eel as she spent more time near the water.

As time went on, the Eel got bigger and bigger. He told stories of once being a handsome prince and one day they would live happily ever after. But as he grew bigger and stronger and his affection for Sina grew stronger, sadly Sina did not return this same feeling. She ran away to her relatives. However, as she was near the water, the Eel popped up everywhere she went.


She became frightened and ran to her uncle who ordered his son to deal with the Eel once and for all. The warrior sliced the eels head off. The eels dying wish was for Sina to bury his head in the ground. From that grew a coconut tree.

The coconuts have two eyes and a nose which resembles the face of the eel. This way, every time Sina would take a drink from the coconut, she would be kissing the eel. This is the story of how the coconut tree came about through the story of Sina and the Eel.