Mead's account of Fa'apua'a - the woman who allegedly hoaxed her

Based on the original manuscript submitted by Mead to the NRC titled "The adolescent girl in Samoa" where real names were typed and substituted with handwritten names, it is clear that Fa'apua'a's pseudonym was Pana. This is verified with the "key to name changes" provided with the manuscript by the Library of Congress.

The following is all that was written about Fa'apua'a in Mead's Coming of Age in Samoa:

"In another household, this same title of Malae's [Tufeli's] taupo* played a different role. This was in the household of Malae's [Tufeli's] paternal aunt who lived with her husband in Malae's [Tufeli's] guest house in his native village. Her eldest daughter, Pana [Fa'apua'a], held the title of taupo of the house of Malae [Tufeli]. But Pana [Fa'apua'a] was twenty-six, though still unmarried. She must be wed soon and then another girl must be found to hold the title. Timu would still be too young. Pana [Fa'apua'a] had three younger sisters who by birth were supremely eligible to the title." (p. 52)

* Mead used the spelling taupou in her original draft. Both spellings can be found in the literature.