In the
mythology of
Mangaia in the Cook Islands, Moko is a wily character and grandfather of the heroic
Ngaru.
Moko is a ruler or king of the
lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia alt ...
s, and he orders his lizard subjects to climb into the basket of the sky demon
Amai-te-rangi to spy on him. When Amai-te-rangi pulls up his basket, he is disappointed to find it full of miserable little reptiles, which escape and overrun his home in the sky.
[*W.W. Gill, ''Myths and Songs from the South Pacific'' (H.S. King: London, 1876)]
References
{{Oceania-myth-stub
Mangaia mythology
de:Moko