Handbook of Polynesian Mythology (Handbooks of World Mythology)

370 Pages·2004·2.4 MB·English

by  Robert D. Craig">p>Robert D. Craig

Handbook of
Polynesian Mythology
TITLES IN ABC-CLIO’s
HANDBOOKS OF WORLD MYTHOLOGY
Handbook of Arab Mythology,Hasan El-Shamy
Handbook of Celtic Mythology,Joseph F. Nagy
Handbook of Egyptian Mythology,Geraldine Pinch
Handbook of Hindu Mythology,George M. Williams
Handbook of Japanese Mythology,Michael Ashkenazi
Handbook of Mesoamerican Mythology,Kay Almere Read and
JasonJ.González
Handbook of Norse Mythology,John Lindow
HANDBOOKS OF WORLD MYTHOLOGY
Handbook of
Polynesian Mythology
Robert D. Craig
Santa Barbara, California • Denver, Colorado • Oxford, England
Copyright © 2004 by Robert D. Craig
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a
review, without prior permission in writing from the publishers.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Craig, Robert D., 1934–
Handbook of Polynesian mythology / Robert D. Craig.
p. cm. — (Handbooks of world mythology)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1-57607-894-9 (hardcover : alk. paper)—ISBN 1-57607-895-7 (e-book)
1. Mythology, Polynesian. I. Title. II. Series.
BL2620.P6C72 2004
299'.924—dc22 2004006534
07 06 05 04 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
This book is also available on the World Wide Web as an e-book.
Visit www.abc-clio.com for details.
ABC-CLIO, Inc.
130 Cremona Drive, P.O. Box 1911
Santa Barbara, California 93116–1911
∞
This book is printed on acid-free paper .
Manufactured in the United States of America
To Katharine Luomala, whose spirit
remains as a voice on the wind

CONTENTS
Preface, xiii
1 INTRODUCTION, 1
Pacific Geography, 1
The Polynesians—From Whence Did They Come?, 2
Traditional Polynesian Society, Economy, and Culture, 6
Material Culture, 10
Polynesian Music, Dance, Games, and Diversions, 12
Polynesian Languages, 14
Polynesian Oral Literature, 17
Recorded Texts, 20
European Exploration and the Development of Island Nations, 25
The Cook Islands, 27
French Polynesia, 28
HawaiΩi, 30
New Zealand, 32
S∞moa, 34
American S∞moa, 35
S∞moa(“Western S∞moa” from 1890 to 1997), 35
Kingdom of Tonga, 36
Easter Island, 37
Tuvalu, 38
2 CREATION AND THE COSMOS, 39
General Characteristics of the Polynesian Creation Stories, 40
Tahiti, 41
New Zealand, 43
Tonga, 44
S∞moa, 45
vii
viii Contents
HawaiΩi, 46
Mangaia (Cook Islands) and the Tuamotus, 47
General Characteristics of the Polynesian Cosmos (Heavens), 51
Characteristics of the Polynesian Gods and Goddesses, 53
3 DEITIES, THEMES, AND CONCEPTS, 59
Alele, Winged Thieves of S∞moa, 59
Arioi Society, 60
Birdman Cult, 63
Birds, 65
Breadfruit, Origin of, 66
Calendar, 70
Cannibalism and Human Sacrifices, 72
Canoes, 74
Boat Travel, 77
Canoe Building, 77
Ceremonies, Religious, 80
Chiefly Class, 85
Coconut, Origin of the, 88
Dance, 91
Death, 93
Deluge, 97
Dogs, 99
Drums, 101
Earthquakes, 103
Elves and Fairies, 105
Fire, 106
Fish, Battle of the, 108
Genealogies, 109
Ghosts, 111
Giants, 114
God Images, 116
HaΩamonga-a-M∞ui, 127
Haumea, 128
HawaiΩi-Loa, 129
Hawaiki, 131
Hina, 132
Hiro, 135
Hotu-Matua, 141
Contents ix
ΩIo, Ihoihi, or Kiho, 142
KamapuaΩa, 144
K∞ne, 146
Kava, 148
Kumulipo,150
Kupe and Turi, 151
L∞Ωie-i-ka-wai, 154
Land, 155
Lau-ka-ΩieΩie, 158
Lono, 160
Makemake, 162
Mana, 163
Marriage, 164
M∞ui, 167
Menehune,170
Meteorological Elements, 172
The Winds, 173
The Clouds, 173
Rainbows, 174
Thunder and Lightning, 174
Migrations, 175
New Zealand (Aotearoa), 176
HawaiΩi, 177
Easter Island, 179
Moai,Easter Island, 179
Monsters, 184
Moon, Origin of, 187
Muni: The Tongan Hercules, 188
Ocean, 190
Omens and Superstitions, 191
Meteorological Omens, 192
Animal, Bird, and Fish Omens, 193
Women, 193
Other Human Activity, 193
Pai, 194
Pele (Pere), 197
Pili, Lizard God of S∞moa, 202
Plants (Food), 203
Pleiades (Matariki), 207
Priests, 208