Father of the Fire Knife

Freddie Letuli, (April 30, 1919 as Uluao Letuli Misilagi in the village of Nu'uuli in American Samoa – 2003), originated the fire knife dance in 1946 at the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, previously dancing in Hawaii and Los Angeles with two knives. Along with performing, Freddie was also the teacher to the early fire knife dancers.

Dating back from the 40's to the 60's, Freddie Letuli performed throughout the US and Europe with his dance troupes formerly known as "Freddie Letuli and the Flaming Sword of Samoa, showcasing his talents and his island. Additional dance troupes (such as the Samoan Warriors, Freddie Letuli and his Wild Polynesians, Freddie Letuli and the Samoans, and Freddie Letuli and the Hawaiians) were formed to fill his contracts and to keep up with the demand for the Polynesian shows. They performed regularly at various venues in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, Reno, Italy, Chicago, Kentucky, Washington, Australia, and New York.

Freddie's great talents and expertise got him on movies like "Pagan Love Song", the 1953 Rita Hayworth film "Salome", and "Sailor Beware", just to name a few. Aside from other movies, he was also seen on television shows and had recurring roles on "Adventures in Paradise" and "The Bob Cummings Show".

With the urging of Governor H. Rex Lee, Freddie returned home to American Samoa where he joined the Department of Education and taught numerous school children the art of Polynesian dancing.

Freddie Letuli served as Assistant Director of Tourism, and later served as a Senator in the Legislature of American Samoa, and as an Associate Judge in the High Court of American Samoa. Letuli held the High Talking Chief title of "Olo" for 40 years. In 2001, he was bestowed as the Paramount Chief title of "Letuli", becoming one of only five Paramount Chiefs in American Samoa.

Freddie died in Honolulu, Hawaii in 2003.

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