Mangarevan narrative

A wooden carving of Mangarevan deity, Metropolitan Museum of Art

Mangarevan narrative (or Mangarevan mythology) comprises the legends, historical tales, and sayings of the ancient Mangarevan people. It is considered a variant of a more general Polynesian narrative, developing its own unique character for several centuries before the 1830s. The religion was officially suppressed in the 19th century, and ultimately abandoned by the natives in favor of Roman Catholicism. The Mangarevan term for god was Etua.

Prominent figures and terms in Mangarevan narrative

Tu, principal god
- Atu-motua
- Atu-moana
- Atea-Tangaroa
Maui, among the principal gods
Tagaroa, among the principal gods
Tangaroa-Hurupapa, probably synonymous with Tagaroa
Oro, among the principal gods^{[citation needed]}
Tairi
Mamaru
Ari
Rogo, rain deity
Toa-miru, goddess of childbirth
Hina, a savage goddess
Raka, god of the winds
Huruamanu and Paparigakura mentioned as kindly gods living at Hapai
Rao and Tupo were gods of turmeric
Toa-hakanorenore, goddess incarnate in an eel
Toa-huehuekaha, goddess appearing in soiled clothing
Rekareka, god of pleasure
Ru-te-ragi, god of the stars
Makuputu, the god of the souls of deceased mortals
Haumea, consort of Tagaroa
Tiki, The first man
Mauike, fire goddess
Poaru, the underworld
Po-porutu and pouaru, the heaven of happiness
Po-garepurepu and po-kine, the heaven of darkness, of fear and dread

References

Edward Tregear, Royal Society of New Zealand (1899). A Dictionary of Mangareva (or Gambier Islands). J. Mackay, Govt. Print. Off.
R. D. Craig (1989). Dictionary of Polynesian Mythology. New York: Greenwood Press.
Peter Henry Buck (1938). Ethnology of Mangareva. Bernice P. Bishop Museum Bulletin. Vol. 157. Bernice P. Bishop Museum.
Peter Henry Buck (1964). "15. On the Trail of the Rising Sun". Vikings of the Sunrise. Whitcombe and Tombs Limited.
S. Percy Smith (1918). "Notes on the Mangareva, or Gambier group of islands, eastern Polynesia". Journal of the Polynesian Society. 27. Polynesian Society: 115–131.
Vincent Ferrier Janeau (1908). Essai de grammaire de la langue des îles Gambier, ou Mangaréva. Impr. Zech.

Prominent figures and terms in Mangarevan narrative

See also

References