The Fight with Oroi and the Killing of Oroi

 The Fight with Oroi and the Killing of Oroi

(A Legend from Rapa Nui)

In the homeland Marae renga, Oroi was full of hate for Hotu matua; he killed the children of that chief. 

When Hotu matua the king and Tu’u ko ihu the navigator came in their canoes to this land, Oroi hid himself beneath the cargo of the priest's canoe. They were large canoes, those ships; their hulls were as long as fifteen tall men swimming head to foot; one tall man standing up inside could not be seen. Oroi concealed himself beneath the yams and taro, the sugar-canes, bagana stems, and other plants. 

The ship of Tu’u ko ihu came to shore, the people sprang out to stretch their legs. Oroi remained concealed. At night he came ashore and hid. 

When the children were born—the new-born son of Hotu matua and the daughter of Tu’u ko ihu—their navel cords were cut. Tu’u ko ihu bit them off and said the chants. Then was held a gathering of all the people—Hotu’s people, Tu’u’s people. They held a gathering and feast to mark the cutting of the cords. Oroi stayed, he remained hidden. 

The people lived quietly together. Again children were born to Hotu matua the king; they grew well. 

These six children of Hotu matua went down to the beach to bathe, at Rotokahi—that was the bathing place of Hotu’s children. They bathed in the sea, they came out on the sand, they lay with their backs in the sun to warm themselves, grew drowsy, fell asleep. 

Then came Oroi from his hiding place, came to the beach where Hotu’s children were in the sun. He brought his crayfish tail, he put it into the holes in thein. bottoms and drew out all their guts. 

Oroi pulled out the intestines of all those children with his crayfish tail, he left them lying there. Those sons all died, Oroi killed them with his crayfish tail. 

In the evening Hotu matua was looking at the rocks of Roto kahi pahenga; he thought they were his sons coming out of the water. He went to meet them on the beach, came there, saw. They were seen at low tide only, those children-rocks. All were dead with their intestines pulled out from behind. Then Hotu matua knew the work of Oroi. Bad was his stomach with passion against that man. Again he spoke his word. ‘When the tide is low we die few. When the tide is high we die many.’ 

Hotu matua did not know that Oroi was in this land, he thought that person was left behind in Marae renga. But he knew what work was done by Oroi with a crayfish tail; he had seen the pulled intestines in the distant land. Then his heart grew bad with passion against that person. Said Hotu matua the king:

‘O, Oroi! You are going on with our quarrel, from abroad to here!’ 

Then Hotu cried, he wept on the beach for his children who were dead, they now were rocks. 

Oroi stayed concealed at Turtle Bay; twelve moons went past. 

The king made his inspection of the land, he saw the people in the koro houses—at the paina feasts, at the houses where they taught the rongo rongo; at the houses where they studied the signs of reckoning, at the houses with the writing about the dead; at the houses where they studied the inscriptions concerning the serfs; at the houses for the prayers to Rarai a hova. 

Oroi saw the king, he watched him going to the four parts of the land with Tu’u ko ihu the priest. Oroi twisted a long rope to catch the person of the king. He made a noose, he took his rope and put it in the middle of a path, and covered it with earth and grass. 

Came Hotu matua along that path. Oroi said within himself, ‘You will be killed by me, O Hotu matua!’ 

Hotu matua saw the thing hidden by soil and long grass; the king knew what it was, he walked slowly, stopped beside the rope, stepped here, stepped there. Oroi pulled, he tugged his noose with mighty force, but the foot of Hotu was not taken in that noose. The king went on. He said within himself, ‘O Oroi, some day you will be killed by me.’ He also spoke his word about the weeds, the height of their tide and the dying. 

Hotu matua went on, he came to Ruahaua, and to Orohie. He visited the people at Hanga te henga; then he returned to his home. 

While the king was away Oroi put his noose inside that house, within the house of Hotu matua the king. The rope was long; the noose lay in the entrance-way. The king came by, he saw Oroi’s noose. He raised his foot, trod on the rope. Oroi pulled, he tugged, and Hotu matua fell down, he lay as if his foot was caught. 

It was not caught, the foot of Hotu matua! Oroi ran to seize his man; his man sprang up—he seized, he killed! With his club he split Oroi’s skull. Oroi was killed by Hotu matua the king. 

Thus died Oroi, a chief from abroad, from Marae renga. 

When the corpse of Oroi was put in the earth-oven to cook, it came to life again. Oroi looked, he saw. Therefore they had to take him over to the far side of the land, to the ahu that is called Ahu oroi. There he was cooked properly. They ate him. 

When he was old Hotu matua divided the land between his sons, and he named as his successor Tu’u ma heke, his first child of this land. So it became the custom of this land that the new king should be the first-born son. 

The king grew old. He became blind, his breath was leaving him. His elder sons came to see him, but Hotu matua kept asking for his youngest son, his favourite Hotu iti. 

There came to him Marama, stood beside his sleeping-mat. The king felt the calf of his leg and said, ‘You are not Little Hotu, you are Marama. Where is Hotu iti?’ Next Koro answered his father as if he were Hotu iti: ‘I am here.’ But Hotu took Koro’s leg and knew he lied. ‘You are not Hotu iti.’ The same thing happened with Ngaure, with Raa, with Hamea and the others. At last came Hotu iti, and his father knew him by the slightness of his leg. 

Then he was angry with the other sons and he said to his last-born, “You are Hotu iti of Mataiti and your descendants shall thrive, and outlive all others.’ And he said to Kotu’u, one who lied: “You are Kotu’u of Matanui and your descendants shall multiply like the shells of the sea, like the reeds of the crater, like the pebbles of the beach. But they shall die and not remain.’ 

When he had said this thing, Hotu matua the king went out of his house, his sons assisted him. He went along the cliff to the place where the edge of the crater is narrowest. He stood beside it on two stones and looked over the islet Motunui toward the homeland Marae renga; and he called out to these four gods in is homeland: ‘Kuihi, Kuaha, Tongau, Opapako, make the cock crow for me, for Hotu matua.’ Then the cock crowed in Marae renga and Hotu heard it over the sea. He therefore knew it was his time to die, and he said to his sons, “Take me away.’ 

They took him to his house to die. Thus died Hotu matua the first king of this land, and he was buried at Akahanga. 

Source

Legends of the South Seas

Antony Alpers

1970

Pages: 237 - 241