Tangaloa was an important family of gods in
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 ...
n
mythology
Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narrat ...
. The first Tangaloa was the cousin of
Havea Hikuleo and
Maui
The island of Maui (; Hawaiian: ) is the second-largest of the islands of the state of Hawaii at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2) and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is the largest of Maui County's four islands, which ...
, or in some sources the brother or son or father of them. He was Tangaloa Eiki (''T. lord''), and was assigned by his father, Taufulifonua, the realm of the sky to rule.
Among his offspring the following are found:
Tangaloa Tamapoulialamafoa, Tangaloa Eitumātupua, Tangaloa Atulongolongo, and Tangaloa Tufunga. But different sources disagree about the exact family relations between any Tangaloa. Tangaloa Tufunga (''T. carpenter'') was known as an
adze
An adze (; alternative spelling: adz) is an ancient and versatile cutting tool similar to an axe but with the cutting edge perpendicular to the handle rather than parallel. Adzes have been used since the Stone Age. They are used for smoothing ...
maker. Tangaloa Eitumātupua is known in
Samoa
Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...
as ''Tagaloa Eitumatupua'' (''T. ghost and riddle''; an eitu or
aitu
In Polynesian languages the word ''aitu'' refers to ghosts or spirits, often malevolent. The word is common to many languages of Western and Eastern Polynesia. In the mythology of Tonga, for example, ''aitu'' or ''eitu'' are lesser gods, many bein ...
is a second rank god of somewhat malevolent nature).
Eitumātupua
A big toa (
ironwood
Ironwood is a common name for many woods or plants that have a reputation for hardness, or specifically a wood density that is heavier than water (approximately 1000 kg/m3, or 62 pounds per cubic foot), although usage of the name ironwood in E ...
tree'') reaching into the sky grew on the island of Toonangakava between
Mataaho
Mataaho (also known as Mataaoho and Mataoho) is a Māori deity. Variously considered a god of earthquakes and eruptions, the guardian of the earth's secrets, the god of volcanic forces, or a giant, Mataaho is associated with many of the volcan ...
and
Talakite. Tangaloa Eitumātupua climbed down from the sky and saw a beautiful woman shellfishing. Her name was
Ilaheva also known as
Vaepopua for the village where she came from. They cohabitated and the god went back up. He returned and they slept and he went up, many times. One day they overslept and a tern flying over saw them and woke them up. Therefore one island is called Tala-kite (''tern-see'') and the other Mata-aho (''Eye-of-day'').
Ilaheva became pregnant and bore a son. After a while the god returned down from the sky and told her to name him
Ahoeitu (''day has dawned''). Then, when the woman answered him that her place was sandy, he said he would throw some clay down from the sky so she could make a plantation for their child. So the hill Holohiufi (''pour the yam'') was made and the heketala (''slip tern'', a kind of yam) was planted.
[Nowadays this hill is where the New Zealand high commission residence is located.] Then the god did no longer return.
Ahoeitu grew up and became curious about his father. His mother told him the truth and let him climb the giant toa. In the heavens he found his father and he found he had elder stepbrothers. They did not like him and killed him, but his father resurrected him. Then he spoke that Ahoeitu should go down to earth where he would become the first
Tuʻi Tonga
The Tuʻi Tonga is a line of Tongan kings, which originated in the tenth century with the mythical ʻAhoʻeitu, and withdrew from political power in the fifteenth century by yielding to the ''Tuʻi Haʻatakalaua''. The title ended with the death ...
(from divine descent) to replace the Tui Tonga which came from the maggots of
Kohai, Koau, mo Momo Kohai (who?), Koau (I, me), ''mo'' (and) Momo (crumb) were in the Tongan mythology the first human beings created on earth. They came forth from the ''uanga'' (maggots, fruitfly larvae; apparently also in Tonga
Tonga (, ; ), officially the ...
.
Because of their murder his elder brothers, if they wanted to go down too, would have to serve him.
See also
Tangaloa, (or a variant of this name conforming to the local vernacular) is found in many other Polynesian mythologies. He may have exchanged functions with his cousins Hikuleo and Maui, or other gods seemingly at random in different places.
*In
Samoa
Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...
as ''
Tagaloa
In Samoan mythology, Tagaloa (also known as Tagaloa-Lagi or Tagaloa, Lagi of the Heavens/Skies) is generally accepted as the supreme ruler, ''.
*In
Mangaia
Mangaia (traditionally known as A'ua'u Enua, which means ''terraced'') is the most southerly of the Cook Islands and the second largest, after Rarotonga. It is a roughly circular island, with an area of , from Rarotonga. Originally heavily popula ...
as ''Tangaroa''.
*In
Manihiki
250px, Map of Manihiki Atoll
Manihiki is an atoll in the northern group of the Cook Islands known informally as the "Island of Pearls". It is located in the Northern Cook Island chain, approximately north of the capital island of Rarotonga, ma ...
as ''Tangaroa'' keeper of fire.
*In
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
as ''
Kanaloa
In the traditions of ancient Hawaii, Kanaloa is a god symbolized by the squid or by the octopus, and is typically associated with Kāne. It is also an alternative name for the island of Kahoolawe.
In legends and chants, Kāne and Kanaloa are por ...
'', symbolized by the squid or ''hee''.
*In
Tahiti
Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austr ...
as ''
Ta'aroa
Ta'aroa is the supreme creator god in the mythology of the Society Islands of French Polynesia. While the use of the ʻOkina, ʻeta is appropriate given the pronunciation of his name, as is typically the case with Tahitian language, Tahitian words ...
''.
*In
Marquesas Islands
The Marquesas Islands (; french: Îles Marquises or ' or '; Marquesan: ' ( North Marquesan) and ' ( South Marquesan), both meaning "the land of men") are a group of volcanic islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in th ...
, as ''Tanaoa'' or ''Taka{{okinaoa''.
*In
Aotearoa
''Aotearoa'' () is the current Māori-language name for New Zealand. The name was originally used by Māori in reference to only the North Island, with the name of the whole country being ''Aotearoa me Te Waipounamu'' ("North Island and South ...
as ''
Tangaroa
Tangaroa (Takaroa in the South Island) is the great of the sea, lakes, rivers, and creatures that live within them, especially fish, in Māori mythology. As Tangaroa-whakamau-tai he exercises control over the tides. He is sometimes depicted as ...
'' god of the sea.
Notes
References
* E.W. Gifford, ''Tongan myths and tales'', BPB Bulletin 8, 1924
* R.D. Craig, ''Dictionary of Polynesian Mythology'' (Greenwood Press: New York, 1989), 100.
Tongan deities
Sky and weather gods