Ko Tangaroa

 Ko Tangaroa

(A Legend from Rapa Nui) 

There was a divine being, the Giant (Teko), and another named Tangaroa.

There was a big dispute between them because Tangaroa wanted to come here, to Te Pito o te Henua. The Giant said to him,"Don't go. You will never get there. You don't know how many days you will need to get there. You will die on the way."

Tangaroa didn't pay any attention. He left on his way here.

Four days later, the Giant saw that Tangaroa was not there. Moe ava, the Giant's son, said,"Tangaroa has gone by sea to an island."

The Giant felt bad for Tangaroa and left. With only a few steps, he arrived here and asked, "Tangaroa, where are you?" There was no answer.

The Giant went back to Hiva, crying for his brother Tangaroa.

One day a seal came here and landed on Hanga iti.

A woman woke up in the morning and went out to make her curanto. She went down to the sea, washed her taropa basket and squeezed it so that the dirt would come out.

Just then, she saw a seal lying on the beach. She went back up the beach and told her husband, "Father, there is a seal lying on the beach."

The husband called some other men and they came.

The seal was sleeping so they put a rope around it and tied it to a rock.

Tangaroa woke up with a start. Seeing the men that were hitting him with sticks, Tangaroa screamed, "I am an Ariki! I am Tangaroa! Leave me alone!"

These men that were killing Tangaroa didn't pay any attention. They yelled, "Lying seal!"

After killing the seal, they cut it up into pieces to be cooked in a curanto. But it didn't cook well. They gave Hanga iti Bay a new name, "Red Tangaroa Bay."

They sent a piece of the seal to the people of the Hanga Hoonu region. They received it and cooked it, but it didn't cook well. So they named that place "Re'e."

Source:

Legends of Easter Island

Father Sebastian Englert

2007

Page: 29

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

The legend of Manini a Ohera and Hainga Te Raumiro

The legend of Manini a Ohera and Hainga Te Raumiro

 (A Legend from Rapa Nui)

There were two men who lived in the Ana o Ike meamea cave near Moai Tuu Paro. Their names were Manini a Ohera and Hanga Te Raumiro. 

When people would go tuna fishing in the Hakanononga of Haunutu and a tuna bit the hook, the line would always cut loose. They believed that it was the tuna itself that did this, but it was really done by witchcraft. It was the two young men, Manini a Ohera and Hanga Te Raumiro. 

One day, a witch greeted the people and said, “It is those young men. They are the ones that go underwater to do this. They go up to the hook as if they were tuna. Hide, and tomorrow you shall see.” 

They hid, but first they told the people who were going out in the boat, “If that tuna bites again, lift an oar high up so that we know it has bitten. Then we will go down and hide on the shore.” 

At dawn, that tuna bit. Those who had hidden saw the oar being lifted high up and that is how they knew. They saw that when the two young men were coming ashore, the boat from the Hakahononga was coming in, too. So they saw that those young men had been doing this every day. 

The men captured them and hit them with paoa sledgehammers. That is how they died.

The corpse of one of them is in Anakena. The other corpse is on his side, in Vai Mata. 

The end. 

Source:

Legends of Easter Island

Father Sebastian Englert

2007

Page: 265

Makemake and the Birds of the Easter Island

 Makemake and the Birds of the Easter Island 

(A Legend from Rapa Nui)

On tne island Mataveri lived many people and their gods. The people fought many wars, killing and eating one another almost without cease. One of the reasons they fought was to get more food. Mataveri was a small island, and it had little food. The people ate mostly fish, and it gave them a sour disposition!

"I wish we could taste something new. Something tasty.” Over and over the people wished for change, but nothing happened.

At that time a priestess lived in a cave near the water. In this cave she kept her most precious objects. She watched them day and night. She looked for signs that would tell the future, or reduce suffering, or win the favor of a particular man or woman.

One of her most precious objects was an old skull. This skull had been sitting in this cave for longer than anyone knew. Perhaps it had been there at the beginning of the island itself! The priestess treasured this skull. She sensed its unusual power. She did not want anyone to take it from her.

At one time, between all of the tribal wars and fighting, there was a great storm. Huge waves rolled higher and higher. The waves were bigger than any person had ever seen. The greatest of these waves rose up over the island. As if called, the wave crashed into the priestess's cave. The wave lifted the skull and carried it far out into the sea.

The priestess saw her precious skull floating away. She tried to swim and catch it. The skull floated almost as if by magic. Whenever she got close, the skull floated faster.

It floated on and on until it reached a place right in the middle of the ocean. There it washed ashore on the island of Matirohiva. The priestess, using the last of her strength, collapsed on the beach just a few feet from her treasured skull.

When she awoke, she was surprised. A man stood looking at her. Finally he spoke. "Who are you? Why did you come to this place?”

"I am looking for my skull,” she replied.

The man looked at her curiously. "That is not a skull. That is the god Makemake. I am called Haua, who will be a companion for Makemake.” With that, the man tenderly lifted the skull and carried it to a special place on the island.

Once on Matirohiva, Makemake came out of the skull and took form. He and Haua were constant companions. They fished and hunted all over the island. Makemake especially enjoyed having birds to eat, for there had been no birds on the island of Mataveri.

Makemake often shared his food with the old priestess. One day she asked him,” Why don't they have good food like this to eat back on our old island?"

Makemake did not know the answer to this question. He asked Haua, "Why don't you and I chase some of the birds back to Mataveri? The people there would like them. They have no birds of their own to eat.”

Makemake and Haua did just that. They rounded up a whole flock of sooty terns. They drove them across the ocean to Mataveri.

Sooty tern

Indeed the islanders were pleased. They thanked Makemake and Haua over and over. Then they ate the birds. The islanders did not use common sense. Before long all of the birds were eaten and gone. They returned to their old diet, hoping Makemake would return soon with more birds for them to eat.

A few years later, Makemake and Haua decided to check on Maraveri and see how the birds were doing. When they arrived, they could not find a single remaining bird. AI the birds were gone.

Makemake was puzzled. He and Haua rounded up another large flock of terns and drove them back to Mataveri. This time he instructed the islanders to allow them to lay eggs so there would be more birds for them to eat. The islanders listened carefully.

Soon the terns built many nests, and laid many eggs. The islanders were not sure what to make of all this. One day they discovered something wonderful. The eggs were good to eat! Now the islanders thanked Makemake and Haua for both the birds and for the eggs. Then they ate them all. Every one. Every bird and every egg. Then they waited for Makemake to bring more.

"Well,” said Makemake. "It has been a few years. What say, Haua. Shall we go back to my old island and see how our birds have done?” Haua agreed. They set off at once. When Makemake and Haua arrived on Mataveri they again found no trace of any birds. Makemake questioned the people sternly, "Didn't I tell you to allow them to lay eggs?”

"Oh we did,” answered the people. "And we thank you for that because they were very delicious!”

"WHAT"!" thundered Makemake. "You ATE the eggs?”

That evening, Makemake and Haua puzzled over the problem. "First they ate the birds. Then they ate the eggs. These people just don't think! They don't understand anything about birds.” Haua agreed.

Then they had an idea.

The very next day Makemake and Haua drove a third flock of sooty terns from Matirohiva. This time they did not drive the birds to Mataveri. This time they put all of the birds on Motunui. Motunui was an empty island just across the water from Mataveri. Here the birds could build their nests and raise their young. The men could capture and eat just a few of the birds at a time. The rest would be safe.

Motu Nui

Even to this day there is a great celebration on Easter Island on the day the first egg of the year is discovered. The discoverer ties this egg on his head and swims with it back to Mataveri. He is honored as the "Bird Man” for that year. The rest of the eggs are left in peace.

Source:

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

Nancy Bo Flood, Beret E. Strong, William Flood

1999

Pages: 219 - 222

Make-Make

Make-Make

(A Legend from Rapa Nui)

The Rapa Nui creation myth tells the story that once the earth was created, Make-Make the creation God, realized that something was missing and decided to populate the planet. He took a pumpkin full of water and could see his own reflection in it at the same time that a bird perched on his shoulder. By putting together the bird’s silhouette and his own, he gave life to his first son.

Make-Make

He continued with the feeling that he wanted to created someone similar to himself, that could talk and also think. He tried to impregnate the ocean, but fishes were born out of this. In a second try, he impregnated a big stone made of red earth, and this is how a man was born.

Glad with his creation, Make-Make realized that this man was alone and decided to create also a woman.

This is why Make-take is not only considered to be the creator of the world, but he is also strongly tied to the idea of fertility and above all, to food abundance; which was and is still mainly based on sea products.

Sources:

https://www.thisischile.cl/mythology-of-easter-island/?lang=en

http://www.icarito.cl/2009/12/53-7055-9-4-mitos-y-leyendas-chilenas.shtml/

How Hotu Matua Found This Land

How Hotu Matua Found This Land

(A Legend from Rapa Nui – Easter Island)

Our homeland Marae Renga lay a distant journey to the west. There Hotu Matua our king was one of the chiefs: Oroi was his rival. There was a war between their tribes.

Hotu Matua's tattooer called Haumaka had a dream: that he went across the sea to a land with holes, with beaches also of fair white sand. There were six men in the dream who landed on that place. Haumaka told his dream to Hotu Matua.

Hotu Matua thought, 'There is a promise in this dream of Haumaka's.' He, therefore, sent away six men to find that land. “Look for a handsome country with sand for the king, to live on.’ They came those six, across the sea in their canoe Te Oraora Miro, bringing with them yams and breadfruit, coconuts and other things to plant. They found those rocky islets off the western headland, saw them first; jumped upon them, jumped off, came to this land here and landed at Te Pu.

They searched the land, they looked for what the king desired. They found this open land of waving grasses, grasses rolling like the sea. There were no tall trees, nor any streams. They climbed the rocks, they came to Orongo. They came to Ana Marikuru on the slopes of Rano Kao and there they dug the ground, they mounded earth to plant their yams. When they had finished this work they climbed up Rano Kao, they saw the crater there. They said, 'This is Haumaka's hole-the hole of which Haumaka dreamed.’

Rapa Nui

They came on again, they came to Te Manavai, to Canoe Bay, to Anavaero and all those places along the south coast. They came to Onetea where the white sand is, and said, ‘This is the land for the ariki to live on.’ But one said. ‘No, this is poor land, our breadfruit and our coconuts will not grow here. Let us search, let us go.’ Therefore they came on, they came to Anahavea, to Tongariki, to Big Bay, to Mount Parehe and all those places. They came around the eastern headland.

They saw the fair sand of Taharoa. Said one, ‘This is the king's land, here.’ But the rest said. ‘No, this land is not good.’ Therefore they continued until they saw the good fair sand at Anakena; it was like the beaches of the homeland. Then all those young men said. ‘Here the king will live in a handsome place.’ They rested in the dry cave at that place and therefore called it Anakena.

On the sand, at Turtle Bay they saw a turtle sleeping. Those six young men came on, they arrived at the turtle, they seized it. The turtle struck with its flipper, one was wounded. They carried; the turtle escaped. They carried a man instead of the turtle!

They found the cave called lhuarero and carried the man to that shelter, to wait for his wound to heal. The five kept watch-one day, two days, three days. They were ashamed to leave that man. One man grew bored. He said, ‘What do you say, that we go on and leave this person?’

So the five built cairns of stones. Each man brought stones, they built five things like men in cloaks outside the opening of the cave. They then said to the cairns, to the five things of stone like men: ‘If the young man asks you questions, tell him lies, you five, if he asks again, tell him only lies.’ Thus they left him cared for. They came out and went away, the five.

They came to Rapanga, to Ira, to Ringiringi and all those places; and so they came to Mataveri. At Mataveri they met a young man in the middle of their way, and so again were six. They now had come around the land, completely round. Therefore they climbed the slopes of Rano Kao to where their yams were planted. The grass was tall again, the place was full of weeds, of waving weeds like waves upon the beach. They said this word: ‘Poor land, covered with weeds there.’

Rapa Nui

They came on again, they came once more to Orongo-and on the sea they saw the king! They saw the double canoe of Hotu Matua. There were two canoes-that of Hotu Matua the ariki and that of Tu'u Ko Ihu the priest. When they came in close to shore the bindings that tied them were cut.

Cried Hotu Matua the king: ‘What is it like inland?‘

His six men answered him: ‘It is a poor land, mostly weeds and grass. If it were cleaned it would be clean. If it were weeded it would be weeded.’

Said Hotu Matua about those grasses waving like the sea: ‘A poor land this. When the tide is low we die few. When the tide is high we die many.’ This was the first occasion of the saying of those words.

Then one of the six called our “Why do you speak that bad news over the surf, Hotu Matua? Because of this, there will be bad luck for us.’

Then Hotu cut the bindings of those two canoes. His ship went along the south and his relation Tu'u Ko Ihu went to the north, they both went round the land. When the king’s ship came again and passed the headland Vai mahaki, Hotu Matua saw the navigator’s ship at Veronga. Tu’u Ko Ihu was going to land at Anakena, to be the flat chief to stand on this land. Therefore Hotu Matua said a word which made his own ship speed to shore and Tu’u Ko Ihu's be delayed. This was his word, his word that was filled with the mana of Hotu Matua: Ka hakamau te konekone !. ‘Stay the paddling!’

Thus the canoe of Hotu Matua came on and was the first one to touch this land. As it was being beached at Hiramoko the child Tu’u Ma Heke, son of Hotu Matua, was born. The mother gave birth there at the beach. The ship of Tu'u Ko Ihu came on also, and as it was beached at Hanga Ohio there was born the girl Avareipua, daughter of the priest and navigator Tu’u Ko Ihu.

Then Hotu sent a messenger to his relation Tu'u Ko Ihu: ‘Come and cut the son's navel cord. Make ceremonies for this chief Tu'u Ma Heke.’

Tu 'u Ko Ihu came, he spoke the chants, the red chiefly halo then was around that child's head. Then Tu'u Ko Ihu bit the navel cord, he cut it with his teeth. It was placed in a gourd and sent out to sea. When this ceremony was properly concluded Tu'u Ko Ihu returned to his own people at Hanga Ohio, tied the navel cord of his chiefly daughter Avareipua. He bit it, he sent the cord to sea, he finished.

Then all the people came ashore; they landed from the two canoes and stretched their legs, and rested-Tu'u Ko Ihu's people at Hanga Ohio, Hotu Matua's at Hiramoko.

There came to this land on those canoes the man, the fowl, the turtle, the banana plant; the aute tree whose bark gives taps cloth; the crayfish, the gourd, the kumara and the yam. These things all came with Hotu Matua the king. Hundreds and hundreds were the people, the mahingo who came to this land on that canoe of Hotu Matua the king.

Source:

Legends of the South Seas

Antony Alpers

1970

Pages: 233-236