{{Short description|Samoan novelist, poet and painter (1967–2026)}} {{Infobox writer | name = Sia Figiel | image = Sia Figiel.jpg | image_size = | alt = | caption = | pseudonym = | birth_name = Sia Figiel | birth_date = {{birth date|1967|1|6|df=y}} | birth_place = Matautu Tai, Samoa | death_date = {{death date and age|2026|1|26|1967|1|6|df=y}} | death_place = Tanumalala Prison, Samoa | resting_place = | occupation = {{hlist|Novelist|poet|painter}} | language = English, Samoan and Spanish | nationality = | citizenship = | education = | alma_mater = Whitworth College | period = | genre = | subject = | movement = | notableworks = ''Where We Once Belonged'' | spouse = | partner = | children = | relatives = | awards = Commonwealth Writers' Prize | signature = | signature_alt = | website = | portaldisp = }}
'''Papalii Sia Figiel''' (6 January 1967 – 26 January 2026) was a Samoan novelist, poet and painter. In 2024, she was charged with murder.
==Early life== Sia Figiel was born in Matautu Tai, Samoa on 6 January 1967, to a Samoan mother and a Polish-American father.<ref>[https://www.junctures.org/index.php/junctures/article/view/16/351 ''Island Lives: The Writing of Sia Figiel (Samoa) and Celestine Hitiura Vaite (Tahiti)'']</ref><ref>Sia Figiel: About the author. In: ''The girl in the moon circle''. Mana Publications, Suva, Fidji 1996, {{ISBN|982-02-0125-X}}, page 133.</ref> She grew up amidst traditional Samoan singing and poetry, which heavily influenced her writing. Figiel's greatest influence and inspiration in her career was the Samoan novelist and poet, Albert Wendt.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://samoanbios.com/sia-figiel/ |title=Sia Figiel |publisher=Samoan Bios |access-date=19 April 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130131110512/http://samoanbios.com/sia-figiel/ |archive-date=31 January 2013}}</ref> Her formal schooling was conducted in Samoa and New Zealand where she also began a Bachelor of Arts, which was later completed at Whitworth College in the United States. She travelled in Europe and completed writers' residencies at the University of the South Pacific, Suva, and the University of Technology Sydney.
==Career== Initially an artist, Figiel had her paintings exhibited in Leipzig and Berlin, Germany, where she lived from 1991 to 1994.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sia Figiel |url=https://mappingliteraryutah.org/utah-writers/sia-figiel |url-status=live |access-date=12 November 2025 |website=Mapping Literary Utah}}</ref>
Figiel's poetry won the Polynesian Literary Competition in 1994 and her novel ''Where We Once Belonged'' won the 1997 Best First Book award in the South East Asia/South Pacific Region of the Commonwealth Writers' Prize. Her works have been translated into French, German, Catalan, Danish, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish and Portuguese.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Figiel, Sia|url=https://www.read-nz.org/writer/figiel-sia/|access-date=5 June 2021|website=Read NZ Te Pou Murumura}}</ref>
In 2000, Figiel performed her Oceanic poetry at the University of Hawaiʻi's twenty-fifth annual Pacific Island Studies conference.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/23722018 |last=Hereniko |first=Vilsoni |title=Back to the Future: Decolonizing Pacific Studies |journal=The Contemporary Pacific |volume=15|issue=1 |date=Spring 2013 |jstor=23722018 |access-date=6 April 2015}}</ref> The performances of Figiel and Teresia Teaiwa were recorded at this conference and released in a joint production with Hawaiʻi Dub Machine records and 'Elepaio Press. The album is titled Terenesia.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/40003257 |title=At 4:30 in the Morning |last=Figiel |first=Sia |journal=Woman Studies Quarterly: Woman then and Now |volume=30 |issue=3/4 |date=2002 |pages=227–229 |jstor=40003257 |access-date=6 April 2015}}</ref> Figiel was also a contributor to ''The Contemporary Pacific'' journal on multiple occasions, including publications in 1998 and 2010.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/23706889 |title=Front Matter |journal=The Contemporary Pacific |last=Figiel |first=Sia |volume=10 |issue=2 |date=Fall 1998 |jstor=23706889 |access-date=6 April 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/23724736 |title=Back Matter |journal=The Contemporary Pacific |last=Figiel |first=Sia |volume=22 |issue=1 |date=1998 |jstor=23724736 |access-date=6 April 2015}}</ref>
Selected poetry by Figiel was included in ''UPU,'' a compilation of Pacific Island writers’ work which was first presented at the Silo Theatre as part of the Auckland Arts Festival in March 2020. ''UPU'' was remounted as part of the Kia Mau Festival in Wellington in June 2021.
==Personal life== Figiel was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2003. Several members of her family had the disease, and diabetes-related complications caused the deaths of both of her parents.<ref name="CNN2014a">{{cite web |url=https://www.cnn.com/2014/02/21/health/fit-nation-sia-diabetes/ |title=Diabetes Took My Teeth but Not My Life |last=Figiel |first=Sia |publisher=CNN |date=21 February 2014 |access-date=3 April 2015}}</ref> She initially kept her diagnosis private, later stating that she did not want the condition to define her as a writer or public figure. Following the deaths of family members and friends from diabetes-related complications, she began to speak publicly about the illness.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dlife.com/diabetes/famous_people/everyday_people/sia_figiel |title=Sia Figiel |last=Figiel |first=Sia |publisher=DLife |access-date=20 April 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130612051508/http://www.dlife.com/diabetes/famous_people/everyday_people/sia_figiel |archive-date=12 June 2013}}</ref> Figiel also experienced depression and bipolar disorder.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/06/03/author-charged-with-murder-the-inside-story/ |title=Author charged with murder: the inside story |last=Braunias |first=Steve |publisher=Newsroom |date=3 June 2024 |access-date=3 June 2024}}</ref>
In 2012, following her relocation to the United States, Figiel began addressing her condition more openly, making appearances at conferences and university campuses. She shared her personal experiences as part of diabetes awareness and prevention efforts, particularly in the Pacific region.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tautalatala.com/news/2013/inspirational-american-samoa-samoa/sia-figiel-s-race-beat-diabetes-leads-great-aloha-run |title=Sia Figiel's Race to Beat Diabetes Leads to the Great Aloha Run |publisher=Tautalatala |access-date=19 April 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150427161549/http://tautalatala.com/news/2013/inspirational-american-samoa-samoa/sia-figiel-s-race-beat-diabetes-leads-great-aloha-run |archive-date=27 April 2015}}</ref>
By 2014, her health had improved sufficiently for her to complete the Nautica Malibu Triathlon.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.athlinks.com/event/30274/results/Event/351231/Course/595172/Bib/86 |title=Results |website=Athlinks |date=14 September 2014 |access-date=5 June 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Wahowiak |first=Lindsay |url=http://www.diabetesforecast.org/2014/mar/sia-figiels-super-effort.html |title=Sia Figiel's Super Effort |publisher=Diabetes Forecast |date=March 2014 |access-date=19 April 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140315042828/http://www.diabetesforecast.org/2014/mar/sia-figiels-super-effort.html |archive-date=15 March 2014}}</ref> Her story was featured on CNN, where she discussed her relationship with food and the cultural challenges of managing diabetes after growing up in American Samoa, where food plays a central role in social and cultural life. After moving to Utah, she lost approximately {{convert|45|kg|round=5}}.
Figiel experienced significant complications from diabetes, including major dental problems and recurrent episodes of hypoglycemia. During this period, her young son learned how to administer insulin injections and assisted in her care, which she later described as life-saving on multiple occasions.<ref name=CNN2014a/>
===Murder trial=== On 28 May 2024, Figiel was charged with murdering Samoan academic and poet Caroline Sinavaiana-Gabbard.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2024/05/31/retired-uh-professor-stabbed-beaten-death-by-fellow-writer-samoa/ |title=Prominent Samoan playwright charged in murder of Tulsi Gabbard's aunt |publisher=Hawaii News Now |date= 1 June 2024|access-date=2 June 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.samoaobserver.ws/category/samoa/109458 |title=Prof. Gabbard was a respected academic |publisher=Samoa Observer |date=30 May 2024 |access-date=2 June 2024|last=Mika|first=Talaia}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.samoaobserver.ws/category/samoa/109442 |title=Playwright charged for gruesome murder |publisher=Samoa Observer |last=Ah Tong |date=28 May 2024 |access-date=28 May 2024|first=Matai'a Lanuola Tusani T}}</ref> The trial in the Samoa Supreme Court began in August 2025.<ref>{{Cite news |date=19 August 2025 |title=Papalii Sia Figiel’s Murder Trial Underway in Supreme Court of Samoa |url=https://samoaglobalnews.com/papalii-figiels-murder-trial-underway-in-supreme-court-of-samoa/ |url-status=live |access-date=12 November 2025 |work=Samoa Global News}}</ref> Figiel pleaded not guilty to five charges—murder, manslaughter, two counts of being armed with a dangerous weapon, and causing serious injuries. She reportedly told the court "the devil persuaded her" to commit the offences.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rivers |first=Renate |date=10 September 2025 |title=Final witness to testify in Sāmoan poet Sia Figiel's murder trial |url=https://pmn.co.nz/read/law-and-order/final-witness-to-testify-in-figiel-murder-trial |url-status=live |access-date=12 November 2025 |work=Pacific Media Network}}</ref>
In 2025, Hawaiian director Kimberlee Bassford released a documentary about Figiel, ''Before the Moon Falls'', focusing on her life since 2016, her mental health struggles and the murder charge.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Samasoni |first=Samson |date=29 June 2025 |title=Documentary portrayal of a Sāmoan author becomes deeper story about mental health |url=https://pmn.co.nz/read/arts/documentary-portrayal-of-a-samoan-becomes-a-deeper-story-about-mental-health |access-date=28 July 2025 |work=Pacific Media Network}}</ref>
==Death== On 26 January 2026, Figiel was found dead in her cell at Tanumalala Prison. She was 59.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pouoa |first=Grace |date=2026-01-26 |title=Papalii Sia Figiel Found Dead in her Cell at Tanumalala Prison |work=Samoa Global News |url=https://samoaglobalnews.com/papalii-sia-figiel-found-dead-in-her-cell-at-tanumalala-prison/ |access-date=2026-01-26 |language=en-US}}</ref>
==Novels and poetry== ===''Where We Once Belonged''=== Figiel's ''Where We Once Belonged'' is a Samoan novel set in the fictitious village of Malaefou. It is focused around the titular character, Alofa, a name that literally means love in the Samoan language, and her various encounters with violence and sex.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Ellis |first=Juniper |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/40153505 |title=Reviewed Work: Where We Once Belonged by Sia Figiel |journal=World Literature Today |volume=71 |issue=4 |date=Autumn 1997 |doi=10.2307/40153505 |jstor=40153505 |access-date=5 April 2015|url-access=subscription}}</ref> In telling this story, Figiel writes with complex prose that is highly poetic and dream-like. Her writing style is emblematic of ''Su'ife-filoi'', a Samoan form of story telling centred around the "quilt-like weaving of words".<ref>Galea'i, Jacinta. [http://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/handle/10125/11600/uhm_phd_4576...;jsessionid=18C0104732747921AB0DA56175F9FDD9?sequence=2 "A Novel In Prose and Poetry"], ''University of Hawaiʻi'', May 2005. Retrieved on 5 April 2015.</ref>
''Where We Once Belonged'' was the first novel written by a Samoan woman to be published in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kaya.com/authors/sia-figiel/ |title=Sia Figiel |publisher=Kaya Press |access-date=5 April 2015}}</ref> The novel was adapted into a play by Dave Armstrong,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Where We Once Belonged|url=https://www.playmarket.org.nz/bookshop/playmarket-manuscripts/where-we-once-belonged/|access-date=2021-06-10|website=playmarket.org.nz|language=en-US}}</ref> a 2008 production of the play winning the Chapman Tripp Theatre Award for best new New Zealand play.<ref>{{Cite web|title=PRODUCTION INFORMATION: WHERE WE ONCE BELONGED|url=https://www.theatreview.org.nz/reviews/production.php?id=1866|access-date=2021-06-10|website=theatreview.org.nz}}</ref>
===''They Who Do Not Grieve''=== In her second novel, ''They Who Do Not Grieve'', published in 2003 by Kaya Press, Figiel incorporates her poetic talents through the voices of three generations of women who descend from Samoa and New Zealand. Writing in a highly poetic medium, ''They Who Do Not Grieve'' tells the story of two twin sisters who introduce tattooing to Samoa. Through this themes of self-determination, femininity, and coming of age are addressed.
===''The Girl in the Moon Circle''=== ''The Girl in the Moon Circle'' is a collection of poetic works published in 1996 by the Institute of Pacific Studies. It depicts life in Samoan society from the point of view of a ten-year-old girl named Samoana. This semi-autobiographical collection illustrates the simplistic aspects of Samoan culture, along with the commonplace experiences of a young ten-year-old girl, such as school, friends, family, church and boy crushes.<ref>[https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/625288. 'The Girl in the MoonCircle'] ''Good Reads'' Retrieved on April 18, 2015.</ref>
===''To a Young Artist in Contemplation''=== Figiel's ''To a Young Artist in Contemplation'' is a collection of poetry and prose published in 1998 by the Institute of Pacific Studies.<ref>[https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1087344. 'To a young artist in contemplation'] ''Good Reads'' Retrieved on April 19, 2015.</ref>
===''Freelove''=== In her novel ''Freelove'', the 17-year-old protagonist, Inosia Alofafua Afatasi from the fictional Western Samoan village of Nu'uolemanusa, is sent by her mother on an errand to the city of Apia. A chance encounter there with her spiritual brother Loage Viliamu, the son of the pastor in her village and her school teacher, leads her into an unexpected and forbidden relationship. The tale comments on social and communal changes, and was published in 2017 on Kindle and in print in 2018 by Little Island Press.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/books/104317886/book-to-challenge-old-attitudes-towards-samoans-sexuality |title=Book to challenge old attitudes towards Samoans' sexuality |publisher=Stuff |date=30 May 2018 |access-date=28 January 2026|last=Guttenbeil|first=Susana|last2=Williams|first2=Lisa|name-list-style=and}}</ref>
==List of works== ;Novels * ''Where We Once Belonged'' (New Zealand: Pasifika, 1996) {{ISBN|0-908597-27-4}} * ''They Who Do Not Grieve'' (1999) {{ISBN|1-74051-010-0}}; Kaya Press, 2003, {{ISBN|978-1-885030-33-7}}
;Poetry and stories *''The Girl in the Moon Circle'' (1996) {{ISBN|2-7427-2372-2}} *''To a Young Artist in Contemplation'', Pacific Writing Forum, USP, 1998, {{ISBN|978-982-366-005-9}} <small>[http://www.trout.auckland.ac.nz/journal/6/figiel/three.htm Excerpt]</small> ;Anthologies *{{cite book| chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N6AxstVr7EQC&q=Sia+Figiel&pg=PA59| chapter=Behind the Steel Bars; Songs of the Fat Brown Woman|title= Whetu moana: contemporary Polynesian poems in English|editor1-first=Albert |editor1-last=Wendt |editor1-link=Albert Wendt |editor2-first=Reina |editor2-last=Whaitiri |editor3-first=Robert |editor3-last=Sullivan|editor3-link=Robert Sullivan (poet)|publisher=University of Hawaiʻi Press| year= 2003| isbn=978-0-8248-2756-4}} *{{cite book| chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NO9zPmh7fdMC&q=Sia+Figiel&pg=PA195| chapter=The Dancers| title=Niu Voices| editor=Huia Publishers| publisher=Huia Publishers| year= 2006| isbn= 978-1-86969-254-4}}
==References== {{reflist}}
==Relevant literature== * Ramsay, Raylene. 2018. "Indigenous Women Writers in the Pacific: Déwé Gorodé, Sia Figiel, Patricia Grace." ''Postcolonial Text'' 7.1:1-18. (2012).
==External links== * [http://www.nzepc.auckland.ac.nz/features/whetu_moana/figiel.asp Between the steel bars] poem at nzepc * [http://www.salon.com/audio/2000/10/05/figiel/ ''They Who Do Not Grieve''] recording of excerpt * [http://www.vuw.ac.nz/modernletters/bnzp/2003/figiel.htm Songs of the fat brown woman] poem * [https://web.archive.org/web/20010913015042/http://www.time.com/time/pacific/magazine/20010820/sarts.html A Garland of Exile and Belonging] Time Pacific * [https://web.archive.org/web/20120401093207/http://www.nzlf.auckland.ac.nz/author/?a_id=47 Bibliography] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20070928073152/http://www.southproject.org/profiles/figiel1.htm Sia Figiel] profile at The South Project * {{IMDb name|8162185}} * {{discogs artist|Sia Figiel}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Figiel, Sia}} Category:1967 births Category:2026 deaths Category:20th-century novelists Category:20th-century women novelists Category:20th-century women writers Category:20th-century Samoan poets Category:20th-century women poets Category:21st-century Samoan poets Category:People with bipolar disorder Category:People charged with murder Category:Samoan women novelists Category:Samoan novelists Category:Samoan women poets Category:Samoan painters Category:Samoan people of American descent Category:Samoan people of Polish descent Category:Samoan people who died in prison custody Category:Prisoners who died in Samoan detention Category:21st-century women poets