Huanaki

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In Niuean mythology, Huanaki is one of the five principal gods of the island. [1] Along with Fao, Huanaki was one of the earliest settlers, who swam across from Tonga. [2]

A story is told that Huanaki, along with Laga-iki, Fakahoko, Fao, and Lagi-atea, left the lost country (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. [1]

Another version of the story is 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 from an island where they could live away from their parents. [3]

There is yet another local account by the people of Avatele, which says that the gods lived there 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 (perhaps Fakahoko) 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. Fakahoko, Huanaki, Lagaitea and Hatulia were the names of the children of the gods who also stopped living under the earth. When the female gods came to the earth's surface, they were eaten by a conger, which Hatulia then chopped into four pieces. Only in the Avatele version of the story are the female gods eaten by the eel; in all other accounts they simply came to the surface, and only in the Avatele version are the gods said to come from within the earth instead of Fonuagalo. [1]

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In Niuean mythology, Fao is one of the five principal gods (tupua) of the island of Niue. He is the god of humans on Niue. According to Peniamina, 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.

In Niuean mythology, Fakahoko is one of the gods of the island. He is cited as one of the five original gods (tupua) of the island who fled from the lost country of Fonuagalo.

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 Samoa around 900 AD. The five principal gods of Niue are known as the tupua, and include Fao, Huanaki, Fakahoko, Laga-iki, and Lagi-atea, who by various accounts, arrived from Fonuagalo, Tulia, Toga-liulu, or perhaps other islands. In Avatele myths, the gods are said to have come from within the earth instead of Fonuagalo. There are also many other gods in Niuean mythology from fish gods to flying rats.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Loeb, Edwin Meyer (1926). History and Traditions of Niue. The Museum. p. 163.
  2. ↑ Craig, Robert D. (1 January 1989). Dictionary of Polynesian Mythology. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 78. ISBN   978-0-313-25890-9.
  3. ↑ Smith, S (1993). Niue The Island And Its People. editorips@usp.ac.fj. p. 97. GGKEY:1ZG5T864FZB.
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