Tongan mythology
Encyclopedia
Tongan mythology is a variant of a more general Polynesian mythology
in Tonga
.
; and between them was a rock called Touiao Futuna. On the rock lived Biki and his twin sister, Kele, Atungaki and his twin sister, Maimoao Longona, Fonua'uta and his twin sister, Fonuavai, and Hemoana and his twin sister, Lupe. Biki lay with his own sister and she bore him two children, a son, Taufulifonua, and a daughter, Havea Lolofonua; Atungaki also lay with his sister, who bore him a daughter, Velelahi; and Fonuauta lay with his sister and she bore him a daughter, Velesii.
When Taufulifonua grew to manhood, his sister, Havea Lolofonua, bore him a son, Hikule
o
, Tangaloa
and Maui
divided the creation between them. Hikuleo took as his portion, Pulotu, Tangaloa took the sky and Maui the underworld. Hemoana, whose form the sea snake, and Lupe, whose form was a dove, then divided the remainder between them, Hemoana taking the sea and Lupe taking the land.
Tangaloa had several sons in the sky: Tangaloa Tamapouli Alamafoa, Tangaloa Eitumatupua, Tangaloa Atulongolongo and Tangaloa Tufunga. Old Tangaloa grew tired of looking down from the sky and seeing nothing but sea, so he sent down Tangaloa Atulongolongo in the form of a plover to see if he could find land. All Tangaloa 'Atulongolongo could find was a reef below the water, where Ata is now. So old Tangaloa told Tangaloa Tufunga to throw down into the sea the chips from the wood carving on which he was working. Tangaloa Tufunga continued to do this for a long time, and on two occasion Tangaloa Atulongolongo flew down in the form of a plover to see if anything had happened, but found nothing. On the third occasion, however, he found that the chips had formed an island. This was [[ʻEua|Eua]]. Later, Tangaloa Tufunga threw down more chips to form the islands of Kao
and Tofua
.
Tongatapu
and most of the other islands were the work of Maui. One day maui visited Manuka (Sāmoan
: Manua) and there an old man, Tonga Fusifonua, gave him a fish-hook. Maui went fishing with this hook, but when he tried to pull in his line he found it was caught. He exerted all his strength and succeeded in hauling the line in, to find that he had dragged up Tongatapu from the bottom of the sea. Maui continued fishing with this wonderful hook and so pulled up from the deeps the rest of the islands of Tonga, and some of those of Fiji
and Samoa
as well.
Ata
began as a reef below the water and slowly rose out of the sea. One day Tangaloa
Atulonglongo visited Ata in the form of a plover and dropped a seed from the beak upon the island. the next time he visited 'Ata he found that the seed had grown into a creeper that covered the island. He pecked at the root of this creeper until it split in two. Then he returned to the sky. A few days later he returned to find that the root had rotted and a fat, juicy worm was curled up in it. He pecked the worm in two. From the top section a man was formed called Kohai. The bottom section also turned into a man called Koau. Then the plover felt a morsel left on his beak; he shook it off and it turned into a man called Momo. Kohai, Koau and Momo
were the first men in Tonga. Maui brought them wives from Pulotu and they became the ancestors of the Tonga people
.
Polynesian mythology
Polynesian mythology is the oral traditions of the people of Polynesia, a grouping of Central and South Pacific Ocean island archipelagos in the Polynesian triangle together with the scattered cultures known as the Polynesian outliers...
in Tonga
Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...
.
Creation myth
In the beginning there was just the sea, and the spirit world, PulotuPulotu
In the mythology of parts of western Polynesia , Pulotu is the underworld, the world of darkness ....
; and between them was a rock called Touiao Futuna. On the rock lived Biki and his twin sister, Kele, Atungaki and his twin sister, Maimoao Longona, Fonua'uta and his twin sister, Fonuavai, and Hemoana and his twin sister, Lupe. Biki lay with his own sister and she bore him two children, a son, Taufulifonua, and a daughter, Havea Lolofonua; Atungaki also lay with his sister, who bore him a daughter, Velelahi; and Fonuauta lay with his sister and she bore him a daughter, Velesii.
When Taufulifonua grew to manhood, his sister, Havea Lolofonua, bore him a son, Hikule
o
Hikule'o
In the mythology of Tonga, Havea Hikuleo is the god of the world, Pulotu. The islands of Kao, Tofua, Hunga Haapai, Hunga Tonga, Late and Fonualei came from stones thrown down from the skies by Hikuleo. They are all volcanic islands...
, Tangaloa
Tangaloa (Tongan mythology)
Tangaloa was an important family of gods in Tongan mythology. The first Tangaloa was the cousin of Havea Hikuleo and Maui, or in some sources the brother or son or father of them. He was Tangaloa Eiki Tangaloa was an important family of gods in Tongan mythology. The first Tangaloa was the cousin of...
and Maui
Maui (Tongan mythology)
In Tonga, Maui drew up the Tongan Islands from the deep: first appeared Lofaga and the other Haapai Islands, and finally Vavau. Maui then dwelt in Tonga. Maui had two sons: the eldest, Maui Atalaga, and the younger Kisikisi. The latter discovered the secret of fire, and taught people the art of...
divided the creation between them. Hikuleo took as his portion, Pulotu, Tangaloa took the sky and Maui the underworld. Hemoana, whose form the sea snake, and Lupe, whose form was a dove, then divided the remainder between them, Hemoana taking the sea and Lupe taking the land.
Tangaloa had several sons in the sky: Tangaloa Tamapouli Alamafoa, Tangaloa Eitumatupua, Tangaloa Atulongolongo and Tangaloa Tufunga. Old Tangaloa grew tired of looking down from the sky and seeing nothing but sea, so he sent down Tangaloa Atulongolongo in the form of a plover to see if he could find land. All Tangaloa 'Atulongolongo could find was a reef below the water, where Ata is now. So old Tangaloa told Tangaloa Tufunga to throw down into the sea the chips from the wood carving on which he was working. Tangaloa Tufunga continued to do this for a long time, and on two occasion Tangaloa Atulongolongo flew down in the form of a plover to see if anything had happened, but found nothing. On the third occasion, however, he found that the chips had formed an island. This was [[ʻEua|Eua]]. Later, Tangaloa Tufunga threw down more chips to form the islands of Kao
Kao (island)
Kao is an island and stratovolcano in Tonga. It reaches above sea level, the highest point in Tonga. The date of its last eruption is unknown, and fresh lava flows are not seen, but the absence of deep erosional gullies or high sea cliffs suggests a very recent origin. It lies about north of...
and Tofua
Tofua
Tofua Caldera, in Tonga, is the summit caldera of a steep-sided composite cone that forms Tofua Island. Tofua Island is in Tonga's Ha'apai island group. Pre-caldera activity is recorded by a sequence of pyroclastic deposits and lavas constituting the older cone, followed on the northern part of the...
.
Tongatapu
Tongatapu
Tongatapu is the main island of the Kingdom of Tonga and the location of its capital Nukualofa. It is located in Tonga's southern island group, to which it gives its name, and is the country's most populous island, with approximately 71,260 residents , 70.5% of the national population...
and most of the other islands were the work of Maui. One day maui visited Manuka (Sāmoan
Samoan language
Samoan Samoan Samoan (Gagana Sāmoa, is the language of the Samoan Islands, comprising the independent country of Samoa and the United States territory of American Samoa. It is an official language—alongside English—in both jurisdictions. Samoan, a Polynesian language, is the first language for most...
: Manua) and there an old man, Tonga Fusifonua, gave him a fish-hook. Maui went fishing with this hook, but when he tried to pull in his line he found it was caught. He exerted all his strength and succeeded in hauling the line in, to find that he had dragged up Tongatapu from the bottom of the sea. Maui continued fishing with this wonderful hook and so pulled up from the deeps the rest of the islands of Tonga, and some of those of Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
and Samoa
Samoan Islands
The Samoan Islands or Samoa Islands is an archipelago covering in the central South Pacific, forming part of Polynesia and the wider region of Oceania...
as well.
Ata
'Ata
Ata is a small, rocky island in the far south of the Tonga archipelago, situated on . It is also known as Pylstaart island. It should not be confused with Atā, which is an uninhabited, low coral island in the string of small atolls along the Piha passage along the northside of Tongatapu, nor should...
began as a reef below the water and slowly rose out of the sea. One day Tangaloa
Atulonglongo visited Ata in the form of a plover and dropped a seed from the beak upon the island. the next time he visited 'Ata he found that the seed had grown into a creeper that covered the island. He pecked at the root of this creeper until it split in two. Then he returned to the sky. A few days later he returned to find that the root had rotted and a fat, juicy worm was curled up in it. He pecked the worm in two. From the top section a man was formed called Kohai. The bottom section also turned into a man called Koau. Then the plover felt a morsel left on his beak; he shook it off and it turned into a man called Momo. Kohai, Koau and Momo
Kohai, Koau, mo Momo
Kohai , Koau , mo Momo were in the Tongan mythology the first human beings created on earth. They came forth from the uanga...
were the first men in Tonga. Maui brought them wives from Pulotu and they became the ancestors of the Tonga people
Tonga people
The Tonga are an ethnic group living in northern Malawi. A related ethnic group also called the Tonga are found in Zambia and Zimbabwe, with some in Mozambique.-History:...
.
Other prominent entries on Tongan mythology
- 'Aho'eitu'Aho'eituIn Tongan mythology, or oral history, Ahoeitu is a son of the god Tangaloa Eitumātupua and a mortal woman, Ilaheva Vaepopua. He became the first king of the Tui Tonga dynasty in the early 10th century, dethroning the previous one with the same name but originating from the uanga instead of...
- AituAituIn Polynesian languages the word aitu refers to ghosts or spirits, often malevolent. The word is common to many languages of Western and Eastern Polynesia. In the mythology of Tonga, for example, aitu or eitu are lesser gods, many being patrons of specific villages and families. They often take...
- 'Eua'EuaEua is a smaller but still major island in the kingdom of Tonga. It is close to Tongatapu, but forms a separate administrative division. It has an area of 87.44 km2, and a population in 2006 of 5,165 people.- Geography :...
- Hikule'oHikule'oIn the mythology of Tonga, Havea Hikuleo is the god of the world, Pulotu. The islands of Kao, Tofua, Hunga Haapai, Hunga Tonga, Late and Fonualei came from stones thrown down from the skies by Hikuleo. They are all volcanic islands...
- 'Ilaheva'IlahevaIn the mythology of Tonga, Ilaheva Vaepopua was a mortal woman, the daughter of Seketoa, who was a chief of Tongatapu, or perhaps a god from Niuatoputapu. Or maybe she the daughter from a Niuē chief. It depends on who told the story...
- Kae and LongopoaKae and LongopoaThe story cycle around Kae and Sinilau is a well known entity in Polynesian mythology, found back on several places . This article describes the Tongan version, of which the main source is an old poem published in 1876, and some other, incomplete manuscripts.The third player Longopoa in this...
- Kohai, Koau, mo MomoKohai, Koau, mo MomoKohai , Koau , mo Momo were in the Tongan mythology the first human beings created on earth. They came forth from the uanga...
- Laufakana'aLaufakana'aIn the Polynesian mythology of Tonga, Laufakanaa was a primordial creator god. Although called 'Tongan', his home was Ata, and he was better known by the original Tongans on the Lau Islands than in the kingdom of Tonga proper.In Tongan cosmogony, the sky and the sea, and the land of Pulotu In the...
- MauiMaui (Tongan mythology)In Tonga, Maui drew up the Tongan Islands from the deep: first appeared Lofaga and the other Haapai Islands, and finally Vavau. Maui then dwelt in Tonga. Maui had two sons: the eldest, Maui Atalaga, and the younger Kisikisi. The latter discovered the secret of fire, and taught people the art of...
- NiuatoputapuNiuatoputapuFor the 2009 tsunami, see the main article: 2009 Samoa tsunami.Niuatoputapu is an island in the island nation of Tonga, Pacific Ocean. Its name means sacred island. Older European names for the island are Traitors island or Keppel island.Niuatoputapu is located in the north of the country,...
- SangoneSangoneSāngone , was the name of a turtle from divine origin and featuring in Tongan myths about the Tui Tonga king named Tuitātui in the beginning of the 12th century AD...
- Seketo'aSeketo'aSeketoa was a fish god from Niuatoputapu and Tafahi in Tongan mythology.Originally Seketoa was a mortal, the grandson of Puakatefisi, the first of the traditional line of rulers of Niuatoputapu island, the Māatu dynasty. Puakatefisi had a son by a concubine of his, named Falefehi. That son had two...
- TafahiTafahiTafahi is a small island in the north of the Tonga archipelago, in fact closer to Savaii than the main islands of Tonga. It is only north-northeast away from Niuatoputapu, and fishermen communicate in small outboard motorboats almost daily between the two.Other names for Tafahi are Cocos Eylant ...
- Tamapo'uli'alamafoaTamapo'uli'alamafoaIn the Polynesian mythology of the Tongan island of Ata, the god Tamapoulialamafoa is the king of the heavens. He is the one who ordered the sub-god Laufakanaa to become ruler of that island.According to others, however, Tangaloa Eiki was the ancestor god and Tangaloa...
- TangaloaTangaloa (Tongan mythology)Tangaloa was an important family of gods in Tongan mythology. The first Tangaloa was the cousin of Havea Hikuleo and Maui, or in some sources the brother or son or father of them. He was Tangaloa Eiki Tangaloa was an important family of gods in Tongan mythology. The first Tangaloa was the cousin of...
- Tu'itatuiTu'itatuiTui-tā-tui was the 11th Tui Tonga, a dynasty of mighty kings in Tonga, and lived somewhere in the 12th century AD...
- 'Ata'AtaAta is a small, rocky island in the far south of the Tonga archipelago, situated on . It is also known as Pylstaart island. It should not be confused with Atā, which is an uninhabited, low coral island in the string of small atolls along the Piha passage along the northside of Tongatapu, nor should...
- Limu