Ruby Tui, the culture of the athlete

For one of Aotearoa’s top professional sports athletes, Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa is a reminder of identity, ancestry and alofa.

Black Fern, Ruby ​'Tui-Much' Tui has just landed back in Aotearoa from a visit to her motherland, Sāmoa where she received matching tatau (tauvae) with her cousins.

“I learned another lesson about who I am. It’s not actually so much about what it looks like - even though it’s aulelei - it’s more about the tatau or the pain you go through.

“It’s difficult to explain in English but it’s an experience, it’s painful and you go through it but it’s to show you love your family. Like the pe’a and malu are sacred parts of our culture.”

Tui says feeling the pain was symbolic of unwavering mana for family and culture.

“There’s no way to say 'I love my family and I’m here for my community' than going through something like that. The pain actually becomes this action of love.”

In her Instagram post, Tui has the tattoo gun in hand and with a steady hand and a smile etches a few strokes onto herself.

“That’s catfish as! I’m a tagi pepe low key but I just wanted to try it aye.”

The theme for this year’s Vaiaso o le Gagana Sāmoa is Mitamita lau gagana, maua’a lou fa’asinomaga - Be proud of your language and grounded in your identity. 

As one of the most celebrated rugby players in Aotearoa, Tui embodies cultural pride on and off the field, often using gagana Sāmoa in her sports commentary and interviews.

“I love this week. We try to push our culture everyday, 685 to the world baby! This is such a beautiful reminder of our identity. It’s cool to see everyone from the P.I world, not just Sāmoans, everyone gets behind it and celebrates and we give that alofa back."

The Sāmoan rugby icon has been a trailblazer in women’s professional sports and when asked who her hero is she responds with outpouring love and admiration for her grandad, known as Tui.

“He brought our family together. He had four matai titles. He guided my family out of poverty. What we say about my granddad is ‘the wise man plants the tree knowing that he will not sit in its shade’.

“Sometimes we do things and go through things that are hard but we can take solace and happiness out of the fact that perhaps our descendants will one day reap the benefits out of the seeds we sow.”

Tui stands for visibility, representation and being comfortable in her skin as an Afakasi Sāmoan part of the LGBTQIA+ community.

When it was announced Aotearoa's female rugby athletes will finally feature in the Weet-Bix Stat Attack Collector Cards, Tui was denied her request to feature a rainbow flag on her card.

The makers of Weet-bix, Sanitarium, is owned by the Seventh Day Adventist church which strongly opposes same-sex partnerships.

New Zealand Rugby reportedly withheld Tui's request saying they feared it created a "dangerous precedent".

With nothing set in stone yet, Tui says negotiations are continuing.

“There are still some conversations that I’d like to have before we address it properly. I don’t want to disrespect anybody but separate from this whole card thing, everything we do in this life has an effect, some things more than others.”

Political commentator Richard Pamatatau weighed in on the Tui, NZ Rugby, Weet-bix card stoush.

He says it’s ridiculous that in this day and age such a celebrated New Zealand rugby player like Ruby Tui can’t be seen for who she is, what she’s done and represents.

“Let’s think about the impact of a ‘Ruby Tui’ for every young person who is questioning their identity, sexuality or where they might fit in the world. She is the perfect example of how you can be a number of things at the same time.”

Tui is on a six month sabbatical from New Zealand Rugby and has signed with the San Francisco Golden State Retrievers to play in the Premier Rugby Sevens Championship being held in the United States next month.