O c e a n iaM y t h o lo g y

Brought To You By: Shelby Adams

In The Beginning…

• Nothingness & Dark• Blankness began to shift…changed

into more nothingness…

…then night

…dawn

…day

…space, Cloudless Heaven

The Child of Cloudless Heaven(Creation)

• Egg• Drifted about in the nothingness• Something stirred inside, the shell burst, and

it emerged

*Tangaroa- remains of shell created the world, lesser gods, men & women

Earth Goddess & Sky God

• Too close together• Banging their heads on the sky• Hot, stuffy, uncomfortable, nothing grew

properly

The gods pushed them apart

--thunder & rain

Sky God is sad

Divisions of Oceania

• Triangle of islands in east-central & southern Pacific ocean.

--Hawaiian islands on top

--New Zealand & Easter Islands at base corners

--Other islands: Cook islands, Tonga, Tahiti, Fiji, Samoa

Ranks of Gods

• Atua– most important who created world• Tangaroa– greatest• Tupua– Chiefs on earth. Greatest became

posts supporting roof of gods temple• Aitu– Gods of trade/activity• Gods of Mischief

Random Info

• Birds of magical or spiritual significance are always in sky myths

• Traffic between earth & sky, very important

Kava Ceremonies

• Euphoric inducing drink is consumed

*Where the coconut comes from…-Hina: Noblewoman, virginity is protected

by community

-Eel got her prego

-Cut up body and buried head

-Coconut grew!

Pantheon

Rangi + Papa

=Tane- Forests & Light

Haumia- Wild Plants

Tangaroa- Sea

Tu- War

Tawhiri- Elements

Rongo- Cultivated Plants

Goddesses

• Abeguwo: Goddess of Rain, lives in sky• Wahini-Hai: Nasty Demoness, protruding eyes

and tongue, thief• Jari: Snake goddess• Abere: Cannibal Demoness who lurks in

marsh…lures people to their doom

Gods

• Make-Make: Top god of people of Easter Island

• Tangata-Manu: Bird Man• Kane: Procreation. Lived with humans for a

while• Makea: Underworld. Father of…• Maui: Trickster

Great Easter Island Egg Hunt

• Yearly sporting event• Dangerous• Daring boys search over rough terrain, cliffs &

rocks• First egg of the season search• Winner is praised & crowned Bird Man of the

year

Citations…• Christian, M. “Oceania: The Myth.” Oceania Myth. 1997. 8 December 2008.

http://www.internet-at-work.com/hos_mcgrane/creation/cshzeal.html.• Lindemans, M.F. “Polynesian Mythology.” Encyclopedia Mythica. 2007. 8 December 2008.

http://www.pantheon.org/areas/mythology/oceania/polynesian/articles.html.• “Mythology of Oceania.” Kava.com. 2008. 5 December 2008.

http://www.kava.com/oceania/mythology.htm.• Resture, Jane. “Oceania Mythology Homepage.” Oceania Mythology. 2008. 5 December 2008.

http://www.janeresture.com/oceania_myths/index.htm.• “The Gods of Oceanic Mythology.” Oceanic Mythology. 2008. 8 December 2008. http://www.godchecker.com/pantheon/oceanic_mythology.php.• Willis, Roy. “Oceania.” World Mythology. New York: Henry Holt & Company, 1993. 10 December 2008• Laprade, Thomas. “Hawaii.” 13 September 2008. Photograph. The Snowbird, blog of Thomas Laprade. 17 December 2008.

http://encyclopedia.smokersclub.com/images/hawaii.jpg• Merritt, Ed. “Easter Egg.” 11 March 2008. Photograph. The Witch Doctor. 17 December 2008. <

http://witchdoctor.files.wordpress.com/2007/04/easter-egg.jpg>.• Jeffrey, Jack. “Akepa.” 2008. Photograph. Birds of Hawaii. 17 December 2008.

http://www.travelwithachallenge.com/Images/Travel_Article_Library/Hawaiian_Bird_Pictures/Akepa7.jpg.• Stephans, Quinn. “Ocean17.” 2008. Photograph. Creating an Ocean in After Effects. 17 December 2008.

http://www.quinnstephens.com/tutorials/ocean/ocean17.jpg.