The Samoan Story of Creation

The Samoan Creation Legend

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Tangaloa gives spirit and heart to animate man; Punjil breathes hard on his image and the man lives, Tangaloa, in one of his aspects, is the lord of the sea; Punjil's brother is the lord of all waters. Baiamai gave to the Australians all their socal regulations; so also, among the Polynesians, all authority comes from Tangaloa; he gave them kingly rule, and the right of holding councils, and enjoined them to live in peace.

And thus, in folk-lore and in tradition myths, parallel stories may be found in the most unlikely quarters, all the world over and these parallels can scarcely have proceeded from merely a similar power of invention in so many diverse nations; they seem to indicate a common origin. The god Tangaloa dwelt in the Expanse; he made all things; he alone was [there]; not any sky, not any country; he only went to and fro in the Expanse; there was also no sea, and no earth; but, at the place where he stood there grew up a rock.

Then Tangaloa said to the Rock, 'Be thou split up. But Tangaloa stood facing the west, and spoke to the Rock. Then Tangaloa struck the Rock with his right hand, and it split open towards the right side. Then the Earth was brought forth that is the parent of all the people in the world , and the Sea was brought forth. Then the Sea covered the Papa-sosolo; and Papa-nofo [that is, Papa-taoto] said to Papa-sosolo, 'Blessed are you in [the possession of] your sea.

Then Tangaloa turned to the right side, and the Fresh-water sprang up.

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Then Tangaloa spake again to the Rock, and the Sky was produced. Tangaloa spake again to the Rock, and Lua-vai, a girl, came forth. Then Tangaloa made an ordinance to the rock and said: But it fell down because he was not able for it. The masoa and the teve were the first plants that grew, and other plants came afterwards. Then the sky remained up above, but there was nothing for the sight to rest upon. There was only the far-receding sky, reaching to Immensity and Space. Then Langi bore again; that was the Fourth Heavens.

Then Langi bore again; that was the Fifth Heavens. Langi brought forth again; that was the Sixth Heavens. Then Langi bore again; that was the Seventh Heavens. Then Langi again brought forth; that was called the Eighth Heavens. Then ended the productiveness of Ilu and Mamao; it reached to the Ninth Heavens. Then proclamation was made that they should go up to the Ninth Heavens, and then visit below the children of Night and Day in the First Heavens. All the stars also were their offspring, but we do not have the names of all the stars the stars had each it own name , for they are forgotten now, because they dropped out of use.

And surely the last injunction of Tangaloa, the creator, to Night and Day was that they should produce the Eye-of-the-Sky. That was the reason Tangaloa, the messenger, went down to ask Night and Day in the First Heavens [if they had any children]. Then said Tangaloa, the messenger, 'It is good; come now; go up into the Ninth Heavens, you four; all are about to gather together there to form a Council; go up you two also.

Then various decrees were made in the Ninth Heavens; the children of Ilu and Mamoa were appointed all of them to be builders, and to come down from the Eighth Heavens to this [earth] below; perhaps they were ten thousand in all that were appointed to be builders; they had one name all were [called] Tangaloa. Then said Tangaloa, the creator, to Night and Day: Then Tangaloa, the creator, said to Night and Day: Then Tangaloa, the messenger, went to and fro to visit the land; his visit began in the place where are now the Eastern groups; these groups were made to spring up; then he went off to cause the group of Fiji to grow up; but the space between seemed so far off that he could not walk it; then he stood there and turned his face to the Sky, [praying] to Tangaloa, the creator, and Tangaloa, the immoveable; Tangaloa looked down to Tangaloa, the messenger; and he made the Tongan group spring up; then that land sprang up.

Then he returned [on high]. Then Tangaloa, the messenger, went again to the Fiji group; he also again took two persons, a pair—their names were Atu and Fiji—from among all the children of Tangaloa; so that group of islands was called Atu-Fiji. Then he turned his face towards Tonga; he took [with him] a couple; their names were Atu and Tonga; these two peopled that group of islands; their names were the Atu-Tonga; these two were the people of Tangaloa.

Then Tangaloa, the messenger, stood and again faced the heavens towards Tangaloa, the creator; and Tangaloa, the creator, looked down from the heavens, and the land of Tutuila sprang up. Then Tangaloa, the messenger, turned to the heavens, and said, 'Two lands are now gotten for me to rest in. And Tangaloa, the creator, said, 'Come now, go you with the Peopling-vine; take it and place it outside in the sun; leave it there to bring forth; when you see it has brought forth, tell me.

Then Tangaloa, the messenger, was walking to and fro; and he visited the place where the Fue was; he went there and it had brought forth. Then he went back again to tell Tangaloa, the creator, that the Fue had brought forth. Fue, the son of Tangaloa, that came down from heaven, had two names, Fue-tangata and Fue-sa; he peopled the two flat lands. Punjil ; for an account of Punjil and his works, see R.

Brough Smyth's "Aborigines of Victoria," Vol. Dhara-mulan ; a demiurge figures in many of the ancient cosmogonies. The Egyptian demiurge Thoth created light for the world, while as yet there was no sun, and in the Orphic hymns, light exists before the sun; cf. The Polynesian cosmogony has also, the idea of the unity of God; for the gods are all Tangaloa. It agrees with the Avesta in tracing creation to the will of a deity and in ascribing perfection—"it is good"—to the thing created; Ahuramazda is the sole creator who made heaven and earth and men.

In India also, the Self-existing One by a thought made the waters. The Babylonian Cosmogony considers water as the primal element from which life came; the Polynesian does not. Punjil's brother ; cf. Cut into pieces ; cf. The details thereof ; for these, see Rev.

Le atua Tagaloa ; this expression shows that this myth is not modern; for the word atua , 'god,' was almost obsolete when the first missionaries went to Samoa. Aether ; some commentators on Gen. Envelopes ; the Polynesian conception of the Heavens does not seem to include a belief that they encompass the world all round like a circle—not spheres, but crescent-shaped vaults. This also is the Hebrew notion; cf. Papa ; not a 'rock' in our sense of the word, but merely 'something flat and solid'; cf. In the sense of 'foundation,' papa has numerous correspondences in the Hebrew Scriptures; cf.

Separate fiats ; this cosmogony is thus theistical, not pantheistical. The sky is lifted up ; cf. Southern side ; the limited knowledge which the ancients had of geography led them to regard the north as hyperborean; and thus the south was to them the habitable part of the globe. Sun and stars ; so also in Genesis I. In our myth, there is no mention of the moon till further on. Ninth Heavens ; 'three times three'; cf. Tranquillity and peace ; cf. Outside in the sun ; cf. Fashioned into men ; cf.

Into member'd forms ; see the 'Solo o le Va. He is the great god of the Polynesians; cf. The Expanse ; 'va-nimo-nimo' is the word used here. Va means space between any two things; it may be as small a space as that between two laths on a partition wall or the planking of a ship's deck; but it may include as much as the east is distant from the west; nimo-nimo means 'far, far distant. In Samoan, nimo-nimo is said of anything that has quite passed from the memory; and a lark soaring aloft, and thus going out of sight, would be said to be nimo-nimo.

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The word mamao , which occurs further on, also means 'space,' but it seems to differ from va-nimo-nimo in that it is used of a measurable distance between objects; it may be translated 'extension. In the 'Solo o le Va,' Tuli, which is the ata or spirit-emblem of Tangaloa-savali, is tired of moving to and fro, and desires a place to rest on; forthwith up sprang Manua's Rock.

So also in this myth; where Tangaloa halted from his wandering to and fro, on that spot a Rock sprang up. In line 32 of that same Solo, the footstool of Tangaloa is called taa-tuga , 'that on which he stands;' with this compare "Heaven is my throne, earth is my footstool,. Samoan va-nimo-nimo and Heb. Brought forth ; the word is fanau , which is also applied to the extrusion of gum from trees. Human Genome First lines of Chromosome 1. How to write a great review. The review must be at least 50 characters long.

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Continue shopping Checkout Continue shopping. Chi ama i libri sceglie Kobo e inMondadori. The Samoan Story of Creation by Unknown. Buy the eBook Price: Available in Russia Shop from Russia to buy this item. Or, get it for Kobo Super Points! John Fraser of Sydney for permission to reproduce in this Journal his paper originally pnblished in the "Transactions of the Royal Society, N.

Ella of Sydney and himself. The Samoan text was not published by the Royal Society, but we have been induced to produce it here, for the same reason that other papers have been printed in the native languages in this Journal, i.

It appears to us that this "Story of Creation" is of a high order, and may be classed with the best of the creation myths of other branches of the Polynesian race. Powell in securing this valuable tradition, the Rev.

Pratt in translating it, and Dr. Fraser in editing and annotating it, have conferred a lasting benefit on the Samoans in particular and the Polynesians in general, which the descendants of the present people will as time goes on, appreciate more and more when education and refinement increase amongst them. Ratings and Reviews 0 0 star ratings 0 reviews.

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Would you like us to take another look at this review? No, cancel Yes, report it Thanks! You've successfully reported this review. We appreciate your feedback. Then said Tangaloa, the creator, to Night and Day: Then Tangaloa, the creator, said to Night and Day: Then Tangaloa, the messenger, went to and fro to visit the land; his visit began in the place where are now the Eastern groups; these groups were made to spring up; then he went off to cause the group of Fiji to grow up; but the space between seemed so far off that he could not walk it; then he stood there and turned his face to the Sky, [praying] to Tangaloa, the creator, and Tangaloa, the immoveable; Tangaloa looked down to Tangaloa, the messenger; and he made the Tongan group spring up; then that land sprang up.

Then he turns his face to this Manu'a; and looks up to the heavens, for he is unable to move about; then Tangaloa, the creator, and Tangaloa, the immovable, looked down, and caused Savai'i to spring up; then that land grew up. Then he returned [on high]. Then Tangaloa, the messenger, went again to the Fiji group; he also again took two persons, a pair—their names were Atu and Fiji—from among all the children of Tangaloa; so that group of islands was called Atu-Fiji.

Then he turned his face towards Tonga; he took [with him] a couple; their names were Atu and Tonga; these two peopled that group of islands; their names were the Atu-Tonga; these two were the people of Tangaloa. Then Tangaloa, the messenger, came back to this Manu'a, to Le-Fatu and Le-'Ele-'ele and their children; because the command of Tangaloa, the creator, [had gone forth] from the heavens, that Le-Fatu and Le-'Ele-'ele should go there to people this side of the world. Then Tangaloa, the messenger, stood and again faced the heavens towards Tangaloa, the creator; and Tangaloa, the creator, looked down from the heavens, and the land of Tutuila sprang up.

Then Tangaloa, the messenger, was walking to and fro; and he visited the placed where the Fue was; he went there and it had brought forth. Then he went back again to tell Tangaloa, the creator, that the Fue had brought forth. Punjil; for an account of Punjil and his works, see R. Dhara-mulan; a demiurge figures in many of the ancient cosmogonies.

The Egyptian demiurge Thoth created light for the world, while as yet there was no sun, and in the Orphic hymns, light exists before the sun; cf. Breathed very hard; cf. The Polynesian cosmogony has also, the idea of the unity of God; for the gods are all Tangaloa.

In India also, the Self-existing One by a thought made the waters. The Babylonian Cosmogony considers water as the primal element from which life came; the Polynesian does not. Cut into pieces; cf. The details thereof; for these, see Rev. Aether; some commentators on Gen.

Envelopes; the Polynesian conception of the Heavens does not seem to include a belief that they encompass the world all round like a circle—not spheres, but crescent-shaped vaults. This also is the Hebrew notion; cf. Prince Prop-up-sky; Tui-te'e-langi; his place here, among the physical creations of Tangaloa, shows that he is not a god—not a Tangaloa,—but a sort of physical Atlas. The sky is lifted up; cf. Southern side; the limited knowledge which the ancients had of geography led them to regard the north as hyperborean; and thus the south was to them the habitable part of the globe.

Sun and stars; so also in Genesis I. In our myth, there is no mention of the moon till further on. Tranquillity and peace; cf. Outside in the sun; cf. He is the great god of the Polynesians; cf. In Samoan, nimo-nimo is said of anything that has quite passed from the memory; and a lark soaring aloft, and thus going out of sight, would be said to be nimo-nimo. So also in this myth; where Tangaloa halted from his wandering to and fro, on that spot a Rock sprang up. With the meaning of lau-'ele'ele compare Isaiah xlii.

Samoan va-nimo-nimo and Heb. Brought forth; the word is fanau , which is also applied to the extrusion of gum from trees. To the Polynesian myth-makers, their mountains, being mostly volcanic, do not belong the earliest stages of creation. Facing the west; in the ancient auguries and other ceremonials, the position of the celebrant was important. The motion in a contrary way is car-tual, and is considered unlucky; in Lowland Scotch this is called a widder-sins motion. Ilu, Mamao, and Niuao would thus be the three dimensions formed by the bounding sky—viz.

Last to be created was man, and the elements which are joined together to make up his composite being. Similarly, the Melanesians and Polynesians believe that man has two spirits—the one may leave him for a time when he is dreaming or in a faint; the other finally leaves his body at death. Fatu is the seed-giving principle, and Le 'Ele'ele is the receptacle of the seed. To rest upon; lit.

Homer, pros zophon , Odys. The Polynesians believed that there were reservoirs of fresh-water up in the sky. The Masoa Tacca pinnatifida is the arrow-root tree; growing on a succulent stem, with leaves only at the top, where they spread out like the surface of a round table. The Teve Tacca amorphophallus is another kind of arrow-root tree, very like the Masoa. From their shape they are well fitted for the purpose to which they are applied in these myths. See also Sir Geo.

Here the Polynesians believe, like other nations of old, that the sky originally lay flat on the earth, and covered it; by the aid of the Masoa and the Teve , Tui-te'e-lagi props it up, and this gives room for Ilu and Mamao to work; this is the First Heavens; in it are placed the Sun, and Night, and Day.

In his active manifestations he is fa'a-tutupu-nuu see note on par. The Longo-noa here may be the same as the Rongo of other islands. They should go up. The pride of the race comes in here; Manu'a is the child of Night and Day, and is the brother of the Sun and Moon. Fofo and Taua-nu'u still maintain that the account given to Mr.

It is a peaceful region, a land of rest and tranquillity; it is the glassy empyrean, beyond the reach of storms. This paragraph seems to mean that the palace in the Ninth Heavens was not their work, although they built in all the heavens below. Offspring of Fatu and 'Ele'ele. Tail of the names. Chiefs often have the name Tangaloa as the last part of their own names.

The sun and the moon are not here the cause of day and night; they only follow them. The day breaks, then comes the sun; darkness falls, and ere long the moon rises. The moon and the stars always pass along the sky in the same direction.

The Tongan group; which is placed as a stepping-stone between the Eastern group and Fiji. Therefore in poetry, these two islands are regarded as proceeding from the same act of creation. As man is now about to come on the scene, the supreme god prepares the land for him to dwell in and to cultivate.

People to possess; lit. Here, as elsewhere, Fiji, although Melanesian, is included in the realms of Tangaloa, the Eastern God. Valu'a and Ti'apa; these heroes are celebrated in another Solo. I'i and Sava; a myth to account for the name Savai'i.

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