Estate of Fuimaono

CANBY,

Acting Associate Justice:

*111This appeal arises from a decision of the trial division determining heirship in the estate of Tuinanau Fuimaono.1 Tuinanau died intestate in 1984. Those claiming to be heirs include: Fa'alua Fuimaono, who was held out as Tuinanau’s wife for a period of 37 or 38 years prior to his death; Saumaleato ("Ato") Fuimaono, Fa'alua’s son by a prior marriage, who had been raised as a son of Tuinanau and Fa'alua; and Sapati Fuimaono, a son of Tuinanau’s by a prior marriage. The disputed claims are those of Fa'alua and Ato; there is no dispute over Sapati’s claim, although…