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