‘Being a Sāmoan by birth, blood and sentiment'

Invincible Strangers 34 Chapter 14.3

The most successful man in commercial life was Olaf Nelson. That mattered little to New Zealand officials who saw only that he was blended race. When the New Zealanders arrived he had the chiefly title of Toleafoa from Lefagaoali‘i in Sāmauga, Savai‘i. From 1923 he held the ali‘i or high chief title of Ta‘isi, bestowed by the village of Āsau. The title came through his mother Sinagogo Masoe. It was the title he was to use the rest of his life. His wife, Rosebel, was one of Harry Moors’ daughters. Ta'isi, who made his fortune during the Great War, marked it by building Tua’efu, a home and estate that surpassed Vailima. It had tennis courts and a Methodist chapel. It was ideal for the lavish entertainment Ta’isi offered. Unlike those up the hill at Vailima, Ta’isi was not racially discriminating among his guests.