In the Micronesian mythology of
Kiribati (formerly the
Gilbert Islands
The Gilbert Islands ( gil, Tungaru;Reilly Ridgell. ''Pacific Nations and Territories: The Islands of Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia.'' 3rd. Ed. Honolulu: Bess Press, 1995. p. 95. formerly Kingsmill or King's-Mill IslandsVery often, this n ...
) Uekera is a
tree that reaches to the heavens; ''Te Kaintikuaba'' which is translated as the "
tree of life" or "tree of knowledge" in Kiribati legend. It is said to have been planted in Buariki village in
North Tarawa by
Nei Tekanuea
Nei or NEI may refer to:
*Nei, Iran, a village in Ardabil Province, Iran
*Nei, a character in the '' Phantasy Star II'' roleplaying game
*Nutrition and Education International
* Nuclear Energy Institute, American nuclear industry lobbying group
...
. The creation story is that spirits who lived in ''Te Kaintikuaba'' in Samoa, migrated northward carrying branches from the tree and created the islands of Tungaru (the Gilberts). It is the inspiration for the name of the Kiribati weekly newspaper, ''Te Uekera''.
Notes
References
A Combined Kiribati-English Dictionarycompiled by Stephen Trussel and Gordon W. Groves, University of Hawaii, 1978.
Plants of Kiribati: A Listing and Analysis of Vernacular Namesby R. R. Thaman. Atoll Research Journal No. 296. Issued by the Smithsonian Institution, August 1987. Page 10.
Aid workers find a new life in the Marshall Islands
''Taipei Times'', Jan 27, 2004, Page 3.
Kiribati mythology
{{oceania-myth-stub
Trees in mythology