Niuean mythology Niuean mythology relates to some of the myths prevalent on the island of Niue, an Oceanic island country in free association with New Zealand. Although Niuean mythology reports a colonization before 500 AD, the island was settled by Polynesians from ...

, Fao is one of the five principal gods ('' tupua'') of the island of

Niue Niue (, ; niu, Niuē) is an island country in the South Pacific Ocean, northeast of New Zealand. Niue's land area is about and its population, predominantly Polynesian, was about 1,600 in 2016. Niue is located in a triangle between Tong ...

. He is the god of humans on Niue. According to

Peniamina Nukai Peniamina was a Niuean who brought Christianity to the island of Niue in 1846. Conversion In 1830, the London Missionary Society took two local boys (Uea and Niumaga) away from the island and attempted to convert them. When they returned ...

, a Pacific island missionary stationed on the island, the Niue islanders consider Huanaki and Fao as their ancestors, and are central to their early history. There are several legends associated with Fao. Along with Huanaki, Fao was one of the earliest settlers, who swam across from

Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

. It is said that Fao started the creation of the island but was unable to complete it until the arrival of Huanaki. As one of the five ''tupua'', he was said to have arrived on Niue beneath a pool on the reef near the base of the cliffs, and to have then "ascended to build a residence at Toga-liulu". Another legend states that Fao and the other ''tupua'' left ''Fonuagalo'' because they felt they had not been properly recognized at feasts. When they arrived in Niue, Fao was only able to place one of his feet on the ground. Huanaki completed Fao's work and the other three gods came to settle on the island. A third legend states that these five gods were lazy and did no work toward preparing feasts. When their parents had prepared a feast, they received no portion of it because they had done nothing to help in its preparation. When they continued to do nothing in preparing feasts, their parents continued withholding any portion of it from them. The five gods then searched for an island where they could live away from their parents. A fourth legend, an account by the people of

Avatele Avatele, formerly known as Oneonepata Matavaihala, is one of the fourteen villages of Niue, located on the southwest coast, with a population of 143 residents as of 2017. Geography Avatele Beach, the village's main sea track, stretches along the ...

, says that the gods lived underground and did not feed their children because they were lazy. Their children were angry enough to come to the earth's surface. First was Fao, who tried and failed to make the tides go out. Another god surfaced and also tried to send the tides out. When he also failed at this, Huanaki came up; he and Fao were successful in making the tides go out, producing waves on the ocean.

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* * * {{Niue mythology Polynesian gods Niuean deities Tupua