Discover how the Samoan Fireknife dance relates to the gospel of Jesus Christ for seven youth in Hawaii, USA.
Photographs by Leslie Nilsson and Marissa Couto
Some people play the piano. Some like to read books. Others do gymnastics, soccer, or chess. Less commonly, and even a little hard to believe, some people like to dance while spinning knives that are on fire.
The History of Fireknife Dancing
Samoan fireknife dancing, or ailao afi, is a modern take on a traditional war dance. It’s a unique talent, a form of art and expression, and, for many, a way to honor their culture.
Here’s how three youth from Hawaii, USA, explain it:
Vivian, 18: “Traditionally, it was something warriors did with just a knife. Later, fire and the twirling were added. It’s pretty similar to baton twirling, just with fire on both ends.”
Tui, 12: “Fireknife dancing involves a lot of heat. It’s a lot of spinning too. You even toss the knife and move it around while it’s spinning.”
Joseph, 18: “When the fire is moving, the wind is whistling, and the drums are playing, it’s pretty loud. But to be honest, it’s kind of a silent spiritual moment for me, because it has so much meaning to me. Fireknife is a way I connect with my family and my culture.”
For these youth, fireknife dancing is not just an amazing and rare talent. It has also taught them many valuable life lessons about staying close to the Lord by living the gospel and helping others.
Trusting in the Lord
Joseph A., 18
When you’re dancing fireknife, a lot of things can go wrong. Gasoline can get all over the handle, making it slippery. The wind can also change things up and make the knife difficult to catch. Trusting in the Lord while dancing has been a huge help for me.
One of my favorite scriptures is Proverbs 3:5, which talks about trusting in the Lord with all your heart. I think that’s important because in the moment of performing you realize that you put in all that practice, but it really comes down to just you, the fireknife, and Heavenly Father.
I like to pray to Heavenly Father, “OK, I’ve put in the work, now please guide my hands.”
Making Room for the Lord
Gary K., 16
There’s a lot of preparation that goes into fireknife competitions. I practice every day for about six months leading up to the competition.
It can be hard, too, because my schedule is so busy. But I always make room for the Lord by going to church, Young Men activities, and seminary and by reading my scriptures and praying. When I do these things, I notice a difference in my day. Everything just works out.
I definitely feel that Christ is there for me. If you trust in the Lord and strive to put Him first, He will help you with whatever you need to do.
Gaining Confidence and Inspiring Others
Vivian K., 18
Growing up, I watched my uncles and cousins dance fireknife. I thought it was really cool, but I didn’t know if I could do it myself. In high school, I made it one of my goals to learn how to do it. After I learned, I made my goal more specific: I wanted to compete in a fireknife competition.
Fireknife has helped me gain confidence in myself. When you’re dancing, there’re certain moves where you throw the knife up, watch it in the air, and then catch it. I used to run away from the blade after I threw it up. My dad taught me that I needed to commit to the move and be confident in myself.
Inspired by her family members, Vivian has gained confidence to carry the flame.
Over time, I started carrying myself more confidently while performing and in everything else. It’s really great now because sometimes girls come up to me after performances and say they were inspired and also want to try fireknife dancing. I’m so excited that I’m inspiring other people to do something they thought they maybe couldn’t do.
“Praying protects me and helps me have a good dance,” says Tui.
Overcoming Fear through Prayer
Tui M., 12
When I perform, I don’t feel nervous. I feel a thrill. I’ve learned that even if I mess up, I can turn it into something beautiful. It’s almost like painting. When a painter makes a mistake, they might make it into something new. Sometimes I drop my fireknife, but I pick it back up and keep dancing.
Self-encouragement has helped me a lot with my fears. Instead of having thoughts like, “What if I mess up?” I try to have more thoughts like, “Well, what if I do good!”
It’s also become a routine for me to say a small prayer every time before a fireknife performance. Praying protects me and helps me have a good dance. When I pray, I feel confident that I’m going to do good.
Manasseh T., 12
Before I perform fireknife, I’m usually nervous. Every time before I go on, I say a prayer. Once, before I went on I said a prayer, and I felt warm and not scared. When I danced, I felt like somebody was standing there beside me.
Prayer really helps me not feel nervous. After I pray, I realize that I’m just having fun!
Sharing a Message of Love
Kawiki A., 15
This past summer, we performed fireknife in Romania and Bulgaria. My papa always has us learn “Love at Home” (Hymns, no. 294) in the language of the countries we visit. We do this so we can sing it together as a family after we perform.
I think the message of love at home is important because it reminds us to have love everywhere we go. I feel like I’m uplifting other people and making them happy. And even though sometimes they can’t speak my language, I know that they have felt the gospel shared through our talents.
Nainoa A., 13
The message of love at home is important because if people don’t know that there’s love around them, then they might be miserable. When there’s love at my home, I feel peaceful and calm.
Sharing Light through Talents
Fireknife dancing is one way these youth shine their light and share their talents with others. “I get to perform and share my talents all around the world with my family. It makes me feel happy inside knowing that if you share your talents, then you’ll lift others up,” Nainoa says.
Nainoa’s older brother, Kawiki, says fireknife dancing reminds him of how light overtakes darkness. To him, sharing his talents is like sharing his light with others.
Joseph says that when we shine, we shine for Heavenly Father. “When we share what we have, not only do we bless ourselves, or bless those who we are sharing our talents with, but we also kind of give praise to our Heavenly Father.”
Vivian says her grandpa always shares the scripture Matthew 5:16, which talks about letting our light shine before men. “I think it’s a good scripture because you don’t have to be good at just fireknife to share the gospel. You can be good at anything and use your talents to share the gospel in that way.”