Hina, the Woman in the Moon

Hina, the Woman in the Moon

(A Legend from Hawaii)

A weary woman was Hina, and as the years grew on her she grew more and more weary. All day she sat outside her house heating out tapas for clothes for her family, making cloths out of the bark of a tree by beating it on a board with a mallet. Weary indeed was Hina with making tapas all the day outside her house. And when she might see no more to beat out the tapas, she would have to get her gourd and bring water to the house. Often she would stumble in the dark, coming back with her gourd of water. There was no one in her house to help her. Her son went sailing from island to island, robbing people, and her daughter went to live with the wild people in the forest. Her husband had become bad tempered, and he was always striving to make her do more and more work.

As Hina grew old she longed more and more to go to a place where she might sit and rest herself. And one day, when she was given a new task and was sent to fish up shrimps amongst the rocks with a net, she cried out, “Oh, that I might go away from this place, and to a place where I might stay and rest myself."

The Rainbow heard Hina and had pity on her. It made an arching path for her from the rocks up to the heavens. With the net in her hands she went along that path. She thought she would go up to the heavens and then over to the Sun, and that she would go into the Sun and rest herself there.

She went higher and higher along the arch of the Rainbow. But as she went on, the rays of the Sun beat on her more and more strongly. She held the net over her head and went on and on. But when she went beyond the clouds and there was nothing to shelter her, the rays of the Sun burnt her terribly. On and on she went, but as she went higher she could only crawl along the path. Then the fire of the Sun’s rays began to torture her and shrivel her. She could go no farther, and, slipping back along the Rainbow arch, she came to earth again

.

It was dark now. She stood outside her house and saw her husband coming back from the pool with a gourd of water, stumbling and saying ill-tempered words about her. And when she showed herself to him he scolded because she had not been there to bring the water to the house.

Now that the Sun was gone down and his rays were no longer upon her, her strength came back to Hina. She looked up into the sky, and she saw the full Moon there, and she said: “To the Moon I will go. It is very quiet, and there I can sit, for a long, long time and rest myself.“

But first she went into the house for the calabash that held all the things that on earth were precious to her. She came out of her house carrying the calabash, and there before her door was a moon-rainbow.

Her husband came and asked her where she was going; because she carried her calabash he knew she was going far. “I am going to the Moon, to a place where I can rest myself,” she said. She began to climb along the arch of the Rainbow. And now she was almost out of her husband’s reach. But he sprang up and caught her foot in his hand. He fell back, twisting and breaking her foot as he fell.

But Hina went on. She was lamed, and she was filled with pain; and yet she rejoiced as she went along through the quiet night. On and on she went. She came to where the Stars were, and she said incantations to them, that they might show her how to come to the Moon. And the Stars showed her the way, and she came at last to the Moon.

She came to the Moon with the calabash that had her precious possessions; and the Moon gave her a place where she might rest. There Hina stayed. And the people of Hawaii can look up to the bright Moon and see her there. She sits, her foot lamed, and with her calabash by her side. Seeing her there, the people call her, not “Hina” any more, but “Lono Moku”-that is, “Lame Lono." And standing outside the door you can see her now-Hina, the Woman in the Moon. But some say that, instead of the calabash, she took with her her tapa board and mallet; and they say that the fine fleecy clouds that you see around the Moon are really the fine tapa cloths that Hina beats out.

Source:

Legends of Hawaii

Padraic Colum

1973

Pages: 154-155

Why the Moon Has Shadows on Her Face

Why the Moon Has Shadows on Her Face

(A Tale from Fiji)

There was once a god named Takei, and it was the custom for people to bring him offerings of fish. One day, being angry at having so small a quantity of fish presented to him, he made up his mind to ensnare the moon and extinguish her light by splashing her with salt water. This would be a great hindrance to the fishermen, who often went fishing by moonlight.

When his mother heard of his intention she was very upset, and she determined to do all she could to prevent such a calamity. She knew it would be useless to oppose her son openly, so she moaned and cried as if the thought of this plan filled her with great grief.

“Oh, what will the king of Rewa do when he orders his fishermen to go fishing?" she wailed. "There will be no midnight lamp for them. And what will the king of Bau do? There will be no light for either his fishermen or for the king of Nayau's men.”

In the midst of all this lamentation she managed artfully to get hold of the long bamboos that the god had filled with sea water in order to destroy the moon. Pouring off the salt, she refilled the bamboos with fresh water and replaced them without being seen, and she chuckled to herself at the thought of outwitting her son.

Takei then ordered a trap to be prepared. It was made from the branches of a gigantic tree, and very large, and baited with most tempting food.

By and by crowds of spectators arrived, all eager to see what would happen. As the moon, full of curiosity, left her usual position in the sky and came lower and lower toward the trap, the people held their breath with excitement. When at last the moon was caught, Takei ran up with his bamboos, thinking that he would put out her light forever with the salt water.

He was indeed surprised and very angry to find that the water did not harm her at all, and that she managed to escape from his snare.

The Moon

It seems that the moon, accustomed all her life to rain, was unharmed by the fresh water, as Takei's old mother knew quite well. The dark places on her surface, the people say, are the smears of mud that were left on her while she was in the trap and have remained there ever since.

Source:

Tales from the South Pacific Islands

Anne Gittins

1977

Pages: 28 - 29

The Two-Headed Giant of Rotuma

The Two-Headed Giant of Rotuma

(A Legend from Rotuma)

Once upon a time there lived in Rotuma a couple with two children, a boy and a girl. Each day the parents went out to work, leaving the children by themselves, telling them to be good and not to open the back door while they were home alone.

Rotuma

One day after the parents had gone, the boy, who was a curious lad, said to his sister, "Let us open the back door and find out what it is that our mother and father wish to hide from us."

So they opened the door, and they found a beautiful garden full of ripe bananas and sugar cane.

“Oh, look at all those good things," said the boy, and he ran and picked a bunch of bananas and cut some sugar cane, and then they both sat down and started to eat.

Meanwhile the mother said to her husband. “Something is happening to the children, for my thumb keeps on itching. I must go and see what it is."

So she returned home and saw at once that the back door had been opened. Picking up her broom, she ran into the garden and found the children eating the fruit. She was very angry, and she started to beat them with the broom. But they ran away.

On and on they ran down a long path, through trees and bushes, till they came to a place where two paths met. They turned along one of them, and presently to their horror they came upon a giant who was sweeping up rubbish, making a clear space in the forest. Quickly they hid behind a tree, but since the giant seemed quite harmless the boy came forward after a time and offered him some of their fruit.

The giant took it and said, “I will give this to my friends. Come along with me."

Now there were ten giants living in that place. When the giants saw the children, nine of them were friendly and would have let them go, but the tenth, who was a two-headed monster, wished to keep them to eat. He took them both to his house and bade them sit down. Then he laid his two heads upon their laps, one head resting on the boy's knees and one head on the girl's, and he told them to comb his hair.

So the children combed the heads gently, and by and by the giant fell asleep. Then, getting up ever so quietly, the children found a rope, bound the giant's arms and legs, and fled down to the shore, where they found a canoe.

“Pick up four large pieces of pumice,” the boy said to his sister, while he brought two very heavy stones from the shore and put them in the boat. Then they pushed the canoe into the sea, climbed in. and paddled away with all possible speed.

After a time the little girl grew weary and she looked up at the sky. “I can see a tiny black speck no bigger than a fruit fly up there. Look toward the sun," she said. The boy looked, but neither of them guessed that this speck was the two-headed giant, who had freed himself from the rope that bound him and was flying after them.

It was not long before the giant reached the canoe and stepped into it. The little girl was filled with terror, but the boy said boldly, “Sit down and rest awhile, sir, and watch me."

He then picked up the pieces of pumice and, binding one of the light, spongy pieces to each arm and each leg, he stepped into the sea and began to dance on the surface of the water. This amused the giant so much that he roared with laughter and wished to do likewise.

“Give me your playthings and let me try," he ordered. So the boy got into the canoe and quickly hid the pumice. Then, telling the giant to stretch out his legs, he bound the heavy stones to them. When this was done the boy gave the giant a push. Over he went with a splash into the sea, and the heavy stones made him sink right down to the bottom.

The two children then paddled back to the shore, and they were given the giant's property and his land, where they lived in peace forever after.

Source:

Tales from the South Pacific Islands

Anne Gittins

1977

Pages: 47 - 49

The Eitu Who Went As a Man’s Wife

The Eitu Who Went As a Man’s Wife

(A Legend from Kapingamarangi)

Eitu is a supernatural being who can take on a human form and meddle in the affairs of men...

Riuta and her husband Tuikoro were living quietly together. One day they took their fish-traps and paddled out to a coral patch in the lagoon to catch some fish. They put their traps in the water, waited, lifted one, and emptied the fish into their canoe. Said the husband, 'You can scale them. But when you wash your hands, do it on the outrigger-side, do not wash them on the open side.’ Then he dived down to the other traps to see if there were any fish in them. While he was below Riuta disobeyed him. She washed her hands on the open side.

A calm patch came on the water. Out of this calm patch an eitu-woman floated up, climbed on board, came to Riuta, threw her to the stern and took her place.

Then Tuikoro came up again, shook the water from his eyes, came with his trap to the canoe. He saw two women! Both the same. Their faces both the same.

Said the eitu. ‘I here am Riuta. That one there is an eitu who came up from below.'

Riuta said. ‘Do not believe her. I, here, am Riuta. I am sitting here because she threw me here, then took my place.’

Then Tuikoro went to Riuta his wife in anger, pushed her over- board. Thought she was an eitu.

Riuta was pregnant, and she floated. She floated away and landed on the islet Pumatahati in the south.

Map of Kapingamarangi

Then her husband and the eitu paddled off, they went to live on his land at Torongahai in the north. They dwelt there quietly together.

Riuta at Pumatahati gave birth, she had twin boys, she called them Manu tuia and Manu toa. Those boys grew up.

One day they asked their mother to hew them a canoe. Riuta felled a tree, she hewed a canoe for them. When it was finished she plaited a sail, she made a mast, a bailing scoop, paddles, booms, and rigging. When all was done that mother said to her sons: ‘You-two do your fishing here in the lagoon at Pumatahati. Do not go up north. Up there, an eitu lives.’

Those boys ignored their mother’s word. They sailed up north, went fishing there. When they reached Torongahai the eitu was on the lagoon-shore, beating coconut husks for fibre to make string. The boys sailed up, they let their sail down, chanted this:

We two, we two, Manu tuia and Manu toa,

We are just fishing on our reef,

We have left our mother Riuta behind;

Our father is Tuikoro.

That eitu who was beating fibre heard the chanting, heard the boys. She ran to her man: ‘E, Tuikoro, Tuikoro! Two boys on the lagoon are saying a chant that has your name in it.’

‘Go back and hear the words, return and tell me.’

The eitu went back, she got the chant, told Tuikoro what it said.

‘Then go and call them, call them here.’

The eitu did as she was told, the two boys came. They said their words again, and Tuikoro thought within himself: ‘These two are sons of mine. That woman whom I pushed overboard was truly Riuta.’

Then he said to the eitu, ‘You go inside the house while I speak to these two.’ The eitu went.

Then Tuikoro closed the door. The eitu complained, ‘The door of the house is shut. How can I get out?’ But Tuikoro answered, ‘It is shut indeed, it will be opened though.’ Then quickly Tuikoro fetched a burning stick, he ran around the house and set it all on fire, the flames leapt up, the whole house burned. The eitu cried inside. She died, that eitu, died in Tuikoro’s flames. Those boys were glad.

Then all three went off in their canoe, the canoe Riuta made. They sailed to the south, toward Pumatahati. Said Tuikoro to his sons, 'When we are close to your mother's land, let down the sail and put me in it. Put the fish-trap also in the sail. You-two can then go ashore to your mother and ask her to come and carry your sail because it is wet. We will make this surprise to your mother. Do not be long.’

The two boys landed, hurried to their house, to Riuta’s house. ‘E Riuta! Come and carry our sail which is wet! It is too heavy for us! Come quickly!’

Then Riuta scolded them. ‘You two are bad, you are disobedient boys. I told you that you must not sail up north‘

She went to the lagoon, took up the sail which she had made. The sail was heavy, was not wet. Then Riuta knew that Tuikoro was in the sail-Tuikoro who had pushed her overboard, had not believed her.

She carried that bundle inland, threw it hard upon the stones. Tuikoro groaned, died.

That is all. Just a tale that people tell. It is concluded.

Source:

Legends of the South Seas

Antony Alpers

1970

Pages 311-313

Hina and the Eel

Hina and the Eel

(A Legend from Mangaia, Cook Islands)

Hina-Moe-Aitu who was daughter to Kui-the-blind lived in the shadow of the inland cliff of the makatea, her house was near where the cave Tautua has its opening. Now the water from Kui's taro swamps disappeared beneath that cave into the makatea, it ran out to the sea beneath the land; and Hina’s pool where she washed herself was there below that cliff.

Mangaia Island, Cook Islands

In Hina's pool lived many eels, those tuna liked the darkness of that pool. One day when she was bathing an eel of great size came from its place beneath the rocks, and startled Hina by its pleasing touch: that eel went sliding under Hina in the place where pleasure is. And the tuna was wicked, and the same thing happened many times, and Hina permitted it. That eel gave Hina pleasure with its tail.

One day while Hina-sleeping-with-a-god was gazing at the eel it changed its shape, it became a handsome young Mangaian. The young man said. “I am Tuna, god of all the eels. It is because of your beauty that l have left my home and come to you, O Hina-moe-aitu, and I desire you to have me.’

So they did, they two; they went into Hina's house together, and afterwards he always turned into an eel once more, so that no person should know about them. Their love grew strong.

One day Tuna said to Hina. ‘I must go. I must leave you now forever. Tomorrow there will be long-pouring rain, there will be flooding rain, there will be rain from the rivers of the sky. The rain will fill this place, the water will rise until it covers all the taro beds; it will reach up to the door of this house; but do not be afraid, for then I will be able to swim here to your very threshold. I will lay my head on that paepae (threshold) and you will know that it is I. Then quickly take the adze of your ancestor and cut off my head on the threshold, bury it here upon the high ground. After that, be sure to visit the place each day, to see what will appear.’

Ceremonial adze (toki) wood and basalt, Mangaia

Therefore Hina did as Tuna said. In the night she heard the heavy rain, the thick rain, the long-pouring rain; and she waited until morning for the light to come. Then Hina saw that all the waters streaming down from Rangimotia (the highest mountain on the island) had filled the taro swamps and covered all the taro-tops. And water lay beside her door.

On that moment, a great eel came to the house and laid its head across the paepae. Therefore Hina took her adze, she took the sacred adze of her ancestor and she sliced off the head of that eel. She took it behind her house, and buried it.

Then the rains ceased and the floodwaters moved away, they passed out through the makatea to the sea; and each day Hina-moe-aitu visited the place where she had buried Tuna’s head. For many days she saw nothing that grew, but then at last she saw a firm green shoot, it sprang up through the soil and it was not like anything that grew upon this land. Therefore Hina guarded that shoot, and on the next day she saw that it was two.

Those two green shoots sprang forth and Hina guarded them, and soon she had two fine strong trees that grew. Those trees grew tall, they climbed toward the sky until the wind was rustling in their tops, her children climbed them for the nuts they bore.

There one tree was which had a red stem and a reddish fruit; it was sacred to Tangaroa (the god of the sea). The other of her trees possessed a green stem and a green-hued fruit; it was sacred to Rongo (god of cultivated plants).

After that time there were coconuts in this land. There was niu to drink, from the green nuts; there was niu mata, the soft white flesh that comes later; and motomoto from the ripened nut; and creamy roro that is squeezed from it; and there was uto, that forms inside the nut that sprouts; and from motomoto that is dried out in the sun the people of this land got oil to put on their hair and skin; and from the leaves they made kikau for baskets and for walls; and from the husks old men make twisted cord; and from the shells, round bowls; and from the dead tree past the time of bearing they had strong hard wood for house posts, and for paddles.

All of these things were given to the land by Tuna the lover of Hina-moe-aitu. Therefore we call the white flesh of the coconut te roro o te Tuna, ”Tuna's brains’.

When all the husk is taken from a ripened nut the face of Hina’s lover may be seen, the face of Tuna-god-of-eels, with his two small eyes and mouth.

The face of Tuna-god-of-eels, with his two small eyes and mouth.

Source:

Legends of the South Seas

Antony Alpers

1970

Pages: 73-75

How the Yam Came to Vanuatu

How the Yam Came to Vanuatu

(A Legend from Vanuatu)

Once there was a young man named Kaloris who lived on Vila Island. One evening he went out with his bow and arrows to shoot a flying fox, which is really a kind of bat and good to eat. He was proud of his bow, for it was the finest in the village, and none of the men could shoot an arrow so far or so straight as he. With the fox bat he had shot, he returned to his village at midnight. Strolling along the beach in the moonlight, he wondered suddenly what the land on the moon might be like. An idea came to him: it would be an adventure to go and see the moon for himself!

Vanuatu

He stopped in his tracks as he thought of a plan. Then, laying his bundle of arrows on the sand, he took one up and fitted it to his bow. Pointing it at the moon, he took careful aim, drew the string right back to his shoulder, and let it go. The arrow sped as swift as the wind, up and up, until it reached the moon and stuck there firmly.

Kaloris took a second arrow, and again he fitted it to his bow and took aim very carefully. This time the arrow pierced the shaft of the first, just as he had planned, and he was proud of his marksmanship. He shot a third and then another and another, until he had a long line of arrows, each one sticking into the one before it. They stretched from the moon right to the beach where he stood.

Then he put down his bow, and seizing the lowest arrow he climbed upward until at last he reached the moon itself. There was a large trap door on the underside of the moon, so he knocked on it.

“Come in,” said a voice. So he pushed open the door and went inside.

There he saw the Man of the Moon, eating his food.

“Good health to you," said Kaloris.

“Good health." said the Man of the Moon. “Where have you come from?"

“I have come from Vila, and I have climbed up here by a ladder of arrows," said Kaloris, and he explained how he had shot them into each other.

“Come and share my food-you must be hungry.” said the Man of the Moon.

Kaloris thanked him, and he sat down and joined the Man of the Moon at the meal. He enjoyed what he was eating, for it was new to him.

“What is this that we are eating, sir?" he asked.

“That is a yam.” said the Man of the Moon. “Surely you have some on your island“

Yam

Kaloris said that he had never heard of a yam. So the Man of the Moon pointed to a big pile of them lying in a corner and told him to take as many as he wanted.

Then, opening the trap door, they pushed out the yams one by one, and they fell down to earth and landed on the beach where Kaloris had stood with his bow and arrows.

When he had thanked the Man of the Moon he bade him farewell and climbed down his ladder of arrows and returned home. His friends, curious about the strange food, crowded around him, and taking the yams home they planted them in their gardens. Soon they had a fine harvest, and all of the people said it was the best food they had tasted; and that is how yams came to Vanuatu.

Source:

Tales from the South Pacific Islands

Anne Gittins

1977

Pages: 85-87

Two Sharks of Fakpui

Two Sharks of Fakpui

(A Legend from Rotuma)

A man and his wife lived at Fakpui. They kept two sharks in a pool leading to the sea. There was also a stranger living with the couple. One day this stranger asked to be sent to his home in a distant land, and it was agreed that the two sharks should take him over the sea. His hosts impressed on the stranger that when he reached his home he was to pour fresh water over the heads of the sharks to get the salt out of their eyes, and before they set out on their return to point their heads in the direction of Rotuma. The stranger promised to do all this.

Rotuma 

Next day they went to the pool and the man told the sharks to take the stranger to his home. They set out together after the stranger had bid his hosts a tearful goodbye.

On arrival at the stranger's home he called out to his people to catch and cook the sharks for eating. They rushed to the beach, but the sharks escaped, reaching Fakpui after a long and trying voyage, severely wounded. They told the couple everything that had happened and the hardships they had undergone.

The woman said, “Very well, tomorrow night I will set out with you and we will get that stranger for your food.”

Accordingly they set out on the following night and in time arrived at the stranger's land. The woman went ashore at night to peep into the houses. At the third house she found the stranger, and heard him tell the people there that if they had only hurried themselves at least one of the sharks would have been caught and eaten.

The woman then planned to wait until the inmates of the house were asleep when she would go in, lie beside the stranger and gradually work the man nearest him off the mat, repeating this with the man on the other side of him. He would then be alone on the mat and easily wrapped up to be taken away. In this she succeeded and carried him down to the sharks.

They set out on their homeward journey. On their arrival at the Fakpui pool they found the man awaiting them. They carried the stranger, still wrapped in the mat and laid him on the bed he had formerly occupied. At cockcrow the stranger starter, saying, “Boys, that is like the crowing of the cock at Fakpui.” At second cockcrow he again started, with the same remark.

By this time the stones in the oven were red hot. The stranger was awakened and told of his approaching doom. He cried for mercy, but was asked what mercy he had had for the sharks, and was told that instead of him and his people eating them the sharks would eat him. The husband then clubbed the stranger and put him in the oven. When he was cooked he was taken to the sharks to be eaten not at the pool, but away near Hoflua and Hatana islands.

Hence people are never taken or eaten by sharks on the south (or Fakpui) side of the island.

Source:

The Journal of the Polynesian Society, Volume 51, No. 4, 1942 "Rotuma, its history, traditions and customs"

A Mejenkwaad

A Mejenkwaad

(A Legend from the Marshall Islands)

On the small island of Ebon, a woman must never be left alone after having her first child. If a new mother is left alone, she might turn into a Mejenkwaad. A Mejenkwaad is a witch. A witch who eats people.

Ebon Atoll

One time on Ebon, a man and his wife were happily married. After a time, the woman became pregnant. Following the time of many tides a little son was born. This family of three was so happy!

The man fished and gathered food for his wife and son. The wife nursed their baby. The man was careful and never, not even once, left his wife alone. He knew about Mejenkwaad.

As their son approached his first birthday, his parents wished to have a celebration. Much food was needed. Everyone living on Ebon (which was not very big) was invited.

“My husband." the wife announced, “we need still more food. There is not enough taro or breadfruit on our whole island. Can you go to Bikini, and to Jaluit, and bring back more?"

The husband was uneasy at leaving, but he knew they needed more food. “I will go," he answered, “but you must stay with others to keep away the Mejenkwaad."

Do not worry," the young wife laughed. "It is already one year since our son's birth. I will be safe. You may take our son with you on his first canoe adventure!"

The boy and his father sailed for Jaluit. Of course, as soon as the boat was out of sight, the foolish wife turned into a Mejenkwaad. Soon she began to eat all the rest of the Islanders.

By the time the man and his son returned, all of the islanders had been devoured by the hungry Mejenkwaad. The man left his crew by the boat and walked with his son to the strangely quiet village. There he was met by the Mejenkwaad, disguised as his wife.

“Welcome home, husband,” the Mejenkwaad hissed. "I am so happy to see you and this nice fat son of ours." (The little boy looked very plump and tasty to the Mejenkwaad.)

“But where is everyone else?" asked the husband.

The Mejenkwaad gave a clever answer. “They are all down at the beach on the other side of the island. There has been a huge tuna catch. Let us hurry and join them before all the fish are gone! You go first, my husband. I will be right behind you.”

Let's go," answered the husband. “I will carry our son. You go first."

“No," insisted the Mejenkwaad. “You go first." She wanted to sneak up behind and eat them both!

The husband was puzzled at his wife's strange behaviour. He was also puzzled that the village was so very empty. It did not look as though anyone had been there for many days.

The little boy began to cry. “Quiet, my son," soothed the father. “Why," he wondered, “does my wife not come to comfort her son?"

To calm the crying boy, the father quickly made a small toy from the leaf of a coconut tree. This toy made a gentle whirring noise when the breeze blew. The little boy fell asleep in his father's arms.

“Now hurry," goaded the Mejenkwaad. “The fish will be all gone.” They hurried down the path, first the man and his son. Close behind them followed the Mejenkwaad. The path led into a dark forest, but a breeze from behind them kept the small toy whirring. The boy slept on.

As the path became darker, the Mejenkwaad crept Closer and closer. Soon she was right behind the man. She reached out her long arms. She was so close that her body blocked the forest breeze. The little toy stopped whirring.

“Waaa,” cried the boy. The man turned around to see why the wind had stopped. He was surprised to find his “wife" so close behind.

“You are too close, wife. You must give the breeze space to blow the toy." The Mejenkwaad moved back, and the toy whirred again. The little boy went back to sleep.

Now the path was even darker. This time the Meienkwaad decided to rush up quickly and grab the pair before the boy awoke. As she dashed forward her body again blocked the breeze and the toy became silent.

“What is the matter this time?" wondered the father. He turned around quickly and the Mejenkwaad almost ran right into him!

Now the father understood what was happening.

“Alas, my good wife is gone." he thought. “Now my son and l are in danger as well."

The father thought quickly. “I must relieve myself in the forest," he told the Mejenkwaad. “My son and I will be right back."

“All right, my dear," answered the Mejenkwaad. But hurry or the fish will be gone.”

Once hidden in the dark forest, the clever father found some palm leaves and made a new toy. This toy caught the breeze and made a sound, “rub-rub- rub." This sounded just like a person having gas. He put the toy high in a tree to catch the wind. Then he took his son and ran away into the forest.

“Rub~rub-rub," went the little toy. “My, that man has a lot of gas," thought the Mejenkwaad.

After quite a long wait, the “rub-rub-rub" sound was still loud. Mejenkwaad was tired of waiting. She held her nose and rushed into the forest. "I’ve got you now," she shouted as she grabbed at the sound. But all she grabbed was the little palm-leaf toy. She was so mad that she ate the toy!

A Mejenkwaad (by Ronnie Reimers)

Meanwhile, the man and his son ran to the far side of the island. A large pile of empty coconut shells lay there. The father picked up a shell and carved yet another toy. This one made a loud “whooo.” It sounded like a man calling for help.

He ran to the east shore of the island and put one of these toys high in the trees. Then he ran and put another on the west shore. He put yet another on the shore to the south.

Finally, he ran to his boat, on the north side of the island, and set off to sea with his son and his crew. "Hurry! I have a plan to get rid of this witch, but we must be far away before she finds us."

The Mejenkwaad was confused. She could hear the man calling “Whooo” from all over the little island. First, she ran to the east but found only the coconut-shell toy. The same thing happened when she rushed back to the west. It happened again when she ran to the south. She ate all of the shells and tried to think.

“The north!" she thought. “He must have run and hidden in the north.” She ran to the north. The Mejenkwaad searched all the huts in the village. All she found were bones, the bones of all the villagers she had eaten. They were dry and tasteless. There was not a bit of meat left. All the Mejenkwaad could think about was that plump and tasty little baby. Then she realized the canoe was gone. The man had escaped!

Because the Mejenkwaad was a witch, she had special powers. She stretched up her neck longer and longer until her head was taller than the tallest coconut palm. She no longer looked like a woman. Now she had a horrible head and a huge hungry mouth. From above the palms, she could see far out into the lagoon. She saw the little canoe sailing close to Jaluit.

I’ve got them now!" she cried. The Mejenkwaad stretched her neck out longer and longer. Then she flung out her horrible head to swallow the canoe.

The men in the canoe saw the giant head and were terrified. But the father had a plan. “Don’t be afraid. Follow my instructions exactly. When I cry out, ‘Turn to the left,’ you must instead turn the canoe sharply to the right."

The men were so frightened that they agreed at once. When the horrible head was almost upon them the father shouted, “Turn left!" The men, as instructed, turned the boat to the right. The Meienkwaad, hearing the cry “Turn left," turned at the last minute to the left. She missed the boat and bit down on a large mouthful of ocean water. She came up sputtering with rage.

The Mejenkwaad drew back for another try.

“This time,” the father instructed, "when I say, ‘Turn right,‘ you must instead turn the canoe to the left.”

Once again the Mejenkwaad struck out. When all appeared to be lost, the father cried out, “Turn right!" The boat, of course, turned to the left, but the Mejenkwaad, thinking the heat would go right, struck that way. Again, all she got was a mouthful of seawater.

By this time, the canoe had arrived in the region of Jaluit at a place called Anwar. Here there is a deep crevice in the reef. Many large fish hide in this place. The men quickly set anchor and waited.

Once again the father made a toy. This time it was a small glider made from the leaf of a pandanus tree. When the Meienkwaad struck this time, he threw the glider into the air. The Mejenkwaad could not resist this little tidbit. At the last minute, she veered off course to snatch the little toy. Her head crashed into the ocean, sending fountains of water into the air.

Beneath the surface of the lagoon, in the crevice at Anwar, lived a giant shark. “Who is disturbing my lagoon?” thought the shark. He looked up and saw the witch’s head still in his lagoon water chewing the toy glider. He was so mad! The shark swam right up to that Mejenkwaad, opened his giant mouth, and swallowed the whole Mejenkwaad in a single bite.

Jaluit Atoll

That was the end of that Mejenkwaad. Even to this day, in the ocean near Jaluit, at Anwar, there is a deep crevice in the reef. Sharks of great size and even greater appetites live there. They swim around, waiting. Perhaps they are waiting for another tasty meal of Mejenkwaad.

Source:

Pacific Island Legends: Tales from Micronesia, Melanesia, Polynesia and Australia.

Nancy Bo Flood, Beret E. Strong, William Flood

1991

Pages: 45-50