Chief Sielu Avea (Chief Sielu in short) is a Samoan-born comedian and ambassador of Polynesian culture. Since 2012 he has been the producer and host of Chief's Luau, a Hawaiian Lūʻau on Oahu.
In 1993, Chief Sielu became the first World Fireknife Dance Champion, a title given to the winner of the World Fireknife Championships held annually in Laie, Hawaii. Since then, he has performed fire-knife in dozens of countries. Chief Sielu has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Tonight Show, MTV, BBC Television, Drunk History, Impractical Jokers, and the Miss Universe Pageant. In 2002, he threw the flaming spear that ignited the ceremonial torch at the Stadium of Fire event prior to the opening ceremony of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
Chief Sielu's formal title, awarded to him by the Head of the Independent State of Samoa, is Malietoatauasa Faamoetauloa.
Early life
In 1981, Chief Sielu moved to Oahu to attend Brigham Young University-Hawaii. While studying there to major in mathematics, he worked part time at a nearby cultural museum, where he honed his entertainment skills. The experience changed the direction of his life.
At 25, he was tapped by the elders of Samoa to return to endure a weeklong tattooing ceremony, after which he was awarded the esteemed title of High Chief. The title was bestowed upon him by the Head of the Independent State of Samoa.
Career
While a student at BYU Hawaii, Chief Sielu taught himself the art of fire knife dancing and pioneered a comedic routine for coconut husking and fire making cultural demonstrations. He performed regularly at the Polynesian Cultural Center in Laie until leaving the center in 2002. During his tenure there, he became the first official World Fire Knife Dance Champion and was recognized as one of Hawaii's premier cultural ambassadors and performers perpetuating traditional Polynesian culture through his charismatic charm and humor.
BYU Magazine observed that Chief Sielu was a born comedian whose entertainment skills are "so captivating, his audiences do not realize how much they are learning". The writer described how he climbed a coconut tree barefoot with only a loop of cloth to aid him after starting a fire with the aid of just two wooden sticks and some coconut fiber, striking poses for photos on his way up to a steady stream of laughter. His fire knife dance routine involves juggling flaming knives while occasionally tossing them high above the crowd. At a certain point he adds a second knife, twirling them both while jumping and doing handsprings over them. A final observation by the writer noted that the fire knife dance "was appropriately named, as Chief Sielu's arms and hands are covered with scars and burns".
Chief Sielu is recognized by the Samoa Tourism Authority as an international Polynesian celebrity and tourism ambassador, a status achieved through his three decades of entertaining tourists at luaus on Oahu, most recently in 2012 at his main production, Chief's Luau in Honolulu, where he shares his Polynesian culture with visitors to Hawaii.
Earlier in his performing career, Chief Sielu had performed his fire knife dance at other luaus on Oahu, including Germaine's Luau and Paradise Cove Luau. In 2014, Chief Sielu took a one-week hiatus from his Honolulu luau to headline Samoa's 24th annual Teuila Festival accompanied by his group of 20 luau performers at an invitation from the nation's Prime Minister.
Chief's Luau is now a prominent Hawaii activity on Oahu. Chief Sielu was the featured entertainer at Samoan Heritage Week in Honolulu in 2010.
Chief's Luau
The foundation for Chief's Luau was laid in the late 1980s when Chief Sielu was performing daytime cultural demonstrations. During that time, he was approached by Eddie Sax and Charlotte Sax, founders of the Honolulu Comedy Club (now operating as the Waikiki Comedy Club at the Hilton Waikiki Beach).
After seeing Chief Sielu's comedy coconut husking and fire making presentations, the Saxes asked him to appear at their comedy club alongside the stand-up comedians they brought to Hawaii from Los Angeles and New York including George Wallace, Jeff Foxworthy, Brad Garrett, Jeff Dunham, and George Lopez. His working relationship with the Saxes expanded in 2012 when they partnered to create Chief's Luau.