Micronesian mythology: Difference between revisions
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'''Micronesian mythology''' refers to the traditional belief systems of the people of [[Micronesia]]. |
'''Micronesian mythology''' refers to the traditional belief systems of the people of [[Micronesia]]. There is no single belief system in the islands of Micronesia, as each island region has it's own [[mythological creature|mythological beings]]. |
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==Region== |
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Micronesia, an area in the southwest [[Pacific Ocean]] containing thousands of islands, has no single mythology. The various islands and island groups including the [[Caroline Islands]], [[Marshall Islands]], [[Mariana Islands]], and [[Gilbert Islands]], each have their own collection of legends and [[mythological creature|mythological beings]]. Micronesia is part of a vast region known as [[Oceania]]. Europeans arrived in Micronesia in the 1520s and brought [[Christianity]] with them. As the new religion became established in many areas, traditional beliefs declined. In addition, the contact with European cultures led to changes in local myths and legends. Travelers and missionaries wrote down some of the original myths, but many were lost before they could be recorded. Although the myths and legends have changed over the years, reflecting developments in Micronesia, they remain an important part of the region's [[cultural heritage]].<ref>[http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/Mi-Ni/Micronesian-Mythology.html Micronesian Mythology – Myth Encyclopedia by Jane Resture]</ref> |
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Micronesia is a region in the southwest [[Pacific Ocean]] in a region known as [[Oceania]]. There are several island groups including the [[Caroline Islands]], [[Marshall Islands]], [[Mariana Islands]], and [[Gilbert Islands]]. Traditional beliefs declined and changed with the arrival of Europeians in the 1520s. In addition, the contact with European cultures led to changes in local myths and legends. <ref>[http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/Mi-Ni/Micronesian-Mythology.html Micronesian Mythology – Myth Encyclopedia by Jane Resture]</ref> |
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==Federated States of Micronesia mythology== |
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==See also== |
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[[Anagumang]] was a (probably legendary) [[Yap]]ese [[navigator]] who led an expedition in [[raft]]s and [[canoe]]s five or six hundred years ago. On this expedition he discovered the islands of [[Palau]], where he and his men first saw [[limestone]]. |
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* [[Anagumang]] |
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* [[Anulap]] |
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[[Anulap]] is a [[god]] of [[magic (paranormal)|magic]] and [[knowledge]] in the [[Truk Island mythology]] of [[Micronesia]] ([[Chuuk Lagoon|Truk]]), who teaches these things to humanity. He is the husband of the creator goddess [[Ligobubfanu]], and may be a creator deity himself. |
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* [[Areop-Enap]] |
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* [[Auriaria]] |
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[[House of Taga]] is located near [[San Jose, Northern Mariana Islands|San Jose Village]], on the island of [[Tinian]], [[United States]] [[Northern Mariana Islands|Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands]], in the [[Marianas|Marianas Archipelago]]. The site is the location of a series of prehistoric [[latte stone]] pillars which were quarried about {{convert|4000|ft|m}} south of it. Only one pillar is left standing erect. The name is derived from a [[mythological]] chief named Taga, who is said to have erected the pillars as a foundation for his own house. Legend says Chief Taga was murdered by his daughter, and her spirit is imprisoned in the lone standing megalith at the site. |
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* [[Gadao]] |
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* [[Isokelekel]] |
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[[Isokelekel]] ([[Pohnpeian language|Pohnpeian]]: "shining noble," "wonderful king"),<ref name=Lindsay>{{cite journal|title=Encyclopedia of Religion |volume=9 |first=Lindsay |last=Jones |edition=2 |publisher=Macmillan Reference |year=2005 |isbn=0-02-865742-X |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=WwEtAAAAMAAJ |accessdate=2011-12-31}}</ref> also called Idzikolkol, was a semi-mythical [[hero]] [[warrior]] from [[Kosrae]] who conquered the [[Saudeleur]] rulers of [[Pohnpei]], an island in the modern [[Federated States of Micronesia]], sometime between the early 16th century and early 17th century.<ref name=Petersen1>{{cite journal|title=Lost in the Weeds: Theme and Variation in Pohnpei Political Mythology |volume=35 |journal=Occasional Papers |chapter=5. Isokelekel |pages=34 et seq |first=Glenn |last=Petersen |publisher=Center for Pacific Islands Studies, School of Hawaiian, Asian & Pacific Studies, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa |year=1990 |url=http://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/handle/10125/15545/OP35.pdf |format=PDF |accessdate=2011-12-31}}</ref>{{#tag:ref|Legend generally dates the invasion in the 1500s,<ref>{{cite book|title=The Lelu Stone Ruins (Kosrae, Micronesia): 1978-81 Historical and Archaeological Research |issue=10 |series=Asian and Pacific Archaeology |first=Ross H |last=Cordy |publisher=Social Science Research Institute, University of Hawaii at Manoa |year=1993 |isbn=0-8248-1134-8 |pages=14, 254, 258 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=hQMNAQAAMAAJ |accessdate=2011-12-31}}</ref> however archaeologists date ruins to ca. 1628.<ref name=Morgan>{{cite book|title=Prehistoric Architecture in Micronesia |first=William N |last=Morgan |publisher=University of Texas Press |year=1988 |isbn=0-292-76506-1 |pages=60, 63, 76, 85 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=B3Z-aH7govUC |accessdate=2011-12-31}}</ref><ref name=PlaceNames>{{cite book|title=Place Names of Pohnpei Island: Including And (Ant) and Pakin Atolls |first1=Tom |last1=Panholzer |first2=Mauricio |last2=Rufino |publisher=Bess Press |year=2003 |isbn=1-57306-166-2 |pages=xiii, 21, 22, 25, 38, 48, 56, 63, 71. 72, 74, 104 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=h2EWUggiuQIC |accessdate=2011-12-31}}</ref> |group=note}} Some Kosraean variants name this hero Nanparatak, with features closer to [[Ulithi]]an tales of the same archetype.<ref name=Lessa>{{cite book|title=More Tales from Ulithi Atoll: a Content Analysis |volume=32 |series=Folklore and Mythology Studies |first=William Armand |last=Lessa |publisher=University of California Press |year=1980 |isbn=0-520-09615-0 |pages=73, 130 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=5fS5CSCOLqIC |accessdate=2011-12-31}}</ref> He is considered the father of modern Pohnpei.<ref name=PlaceNames/> |
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* [[Kai-n-Tiku-Aba]] |
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* [[Nei Tituaabine]] |
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[[Olifat]] <ref name="SavillParrinder1978">{{cite book|author1=Sheila Savill|author2=Geoffrey Parrinder|author3=Chris Cook|coauthors=Lilian Mary Barker|title=Pears encyclopaedia of myths and legends: Oceania and Australia, the Americas|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=xlrXAAAAMAAJ|accessdate=30 May 2012|date=18 September 1978|publisher=Pelham|isbn=978-0-7207-1050-2|page=66}}</ref> was a [[trickster god]] in Micronesian mythology. Olifat was the grandson of the god [[Anulap]], the son of the god Lugeleng and the mortal Tarisso. Tarisso was the daughter of the octupus goddess Hit. When Lugeleng's wife did not attempted to prevent his union with Tarisso, Hit danced so lewdly that the woman fainted and had to be carried back to the sky, thus permitting Olifat's conception.<ref name="Monaghan2009">{{cite book|author=Patricia Monaghan|title=Encyclopedia of Goddesses and Heroines|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=8zHxlL8my-YC&pg=PA255|accessdate=30 May 2012|date=31 December 2009|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0-313-34990-4|pages=255}}</ref><ref name="Frankel2010">{{cite book|author=Valerie Estelle Frankel|title=From Girl to Goddess: The Heroine's Journey Through Myth and Legend|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=Cng0Z_i0GLQC&pg=PA299|accessdate=30 May 2012|date=19 October 2010|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-4831-9|pages=299}}</ref> |
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* [[Olifat]] |
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* [[Uekera]] |
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==Nauran mythology== |
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{{see|Nauruan indigenous religion}} |
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[[Gadao]] is a legendary chief of the [[Villages of Guam|village]] of [[Inarajan]] in southern [[Guam]]. In the [[Chamorro language|Chamorro]] language of ancient Guam, he would have had the title maga'lahi as a high-ranking male. In addition to being featured in legend, he is the namesake of Inarajan's Chief Gadao’s Cave containing ancient [[cave paintings]]. Some stories claim Gadao himself drew the figures.<ref>http://ns.gov.gu/gadaochief.html</ref> Two legends featuring Chief Gadao include the Legend of the Three Feats of Strength and the Legend of the Battle Between Chiefs. |
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[[Areop-Enap]] played a major part in the [[Creation myth|creation]] of the world. |
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==Kiribati mythology== |
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[[Auriaria]] is a red-skinned giant chieftain who fell in love with the beautiful red-skinned woman, [[Nei Tituaabine]], but they had no children. Nei Tituaabine died and from her grave grew three trees—a [[coconut]] from her [[head (anatomy)|head]], a [[pandanus]] from her [[heel]]s and an [[almond]] from her [[navel]]. She became a [[tree]] goddess. |
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[[Kai-n-Tiku-Aba]] ("tree of many branches") is a sacred tree located in [[Samoa]], which grew on the back of a man named [[Na Abitu]]. [[Koura-Abi]], a destructive man, broke it. Sorrowful, the people of Samoa scattered across the world. |
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[[Uekera]] is a [[tree]] that reaches to the heavens, the "tree of knowledge" in Kiribati legend. It is said to have been planted in Buariki village in North Tarawa by Nei Tekanuea. It is the inspiration for the name of the Kiribati weekly newspaper, ''Te Uekera''. |
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==Sources== |
==Sources== |
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Revision as of 19:41, 13 December 2013
 | This article needs attention from an expert in Anthropology. The specific problem is: specific guidelines need to be set by an anthropologist in order for the article to be expanded. subject is very specialised. (February 2013) |
Micronesian mythology refers to the traditional belief systems of the people of Micronesia. There is no single belief system in the islands of Micronesia, as each island region has it's own mythological beings.
Region
Micronesia is a region in the southwest Pacific Ocean in a region known as Oceania. There are several island groups including the Caroline Islands, Marshall Islands, Mariana Islands, and Gilbert Islands. Traditional beliefs declined and changed with the arrival of Europeians in the 1520s. In addition, the contact with European cultures led to changes in local myths and legends. [1]
Federated States of Micronesia mythology
Anagumang was a (probably legendary) Yapese navigator who led an expedition in rafts and canoes five or six hundred years ago. On this expedition he discovered the islands of Palau, where he and his men first saw limestone.
Anulap is a god of magic and knowledge in the Truk Island mythology of Micronesia (Truk), who teaches these things to humanity. He is the husband of the creator goddess Ligobubfanu, and may be a creator deity himself.
House of Taga is located near San Jose Village, on the island of Tinian, United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, in the Marianas Archipelago. The site is the location of a series of prehistoric latte stone pillars which were quarried about 4,000 feet (1,200 m) south of it. Only one pillar is left standing erect. The name is derived from a mythological chief named Taga, who is said to have erected the pillars as a foundation for his own house. Legend says Chief Taga was murdered by his daughter, and her spirit is imprisoned in the lone standing megalith at the site.
Isokelekel (Pohnpeian: "shining noble," "wonderful king"),[2] also called Idzikolkol, was a semi-mythical hero warrior from Kosrae who conquered the Saudeleur rulers of Pohnpei, an island in the modern Federated States of Micronesia, sometime between the early 16th century and early 17th century.[3][note 1] Some Kosraean variants name this hero Nanparatak, with features closer to Ulithian tales of the same archetype.[7] He is considered the father of modern Pohnpei.[6]
Olifat [8] was a trickster god in Micronesian mythology. Olifat was the grandson of the god Anulap, the son of the god Lugeleng and the mortal Tarisso. Tarisso was the daughter of the octupus goddess Hit. When Lugeleng's wife did not attempted to prevent his union with Tarisso, Hit danced so lewdly that the woman fainted and had to be carried back to the sky, thus permitting Olifat's conception.[9][10]
Nauran mythology
Gadao is a legendary chief of the village of Inarajan in southern Guam. In the Chamorro language of ancient Guam, he would have had the title maga'lahi as a high-ranking male. In addition to being featured in legend, he is the namesake of Inarajan's Chief Gadao’s Cave containing ancient cave paintings. Some stories claim Gadao himself drew the figures.[11] Two legends featuring Chief Gadao include the Legend of the Three Feats of Strength and the Legend of the Battle Between Chiefs.
Areop-Enap played a major part in the creation of the world.
Kiribati mythology
Auriaria is a red-skinned giant chieftain who fell in love with the beautiful red-skinned woman, Nei Tituaabine, but they had no children. Nei Tituaabine died and from her grave grew three trees—a coconut from her head, a pandanus from her heels and an almond from her navel. She became a tree goddess.
Kai-n-Tiku-Aba ("tree of many branches") is a sacred tree located in Samoa, which grew on the back of a man named Na Abitu. Koura-Abi, a destructive man, broke it. Sorrowful, the people of Samoa scattered across the world.
Uekera is a tree that reaches to the heavens, the "tree of knowledge" in Kiribati legend. It is said to have been planted in Buariki village in North Tarawa by Nei Tekanuea. It is the inspiration for the name of the Kiribati weekly newspaper, Te Uekera.
Sources
- ^ Micronesian Mythology – Myth Encyclopedia by Jane Resture
- ^ Jones, Lindsay (2005). "Encyclopedia of Religion". 9 (2 ed.). Macmillan Reference. ISBN 0-02-865742-X. Retrieved 2011-12-31.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ Petersen, Glenn (1990). "Lost in the Weeds: Theme and Variation in Pohnpei Political Mythology" (PDF). Occasional Papers. 35. Center for Pacific Islands Studies, School of Hawaiian, Asian & Pacific Studies, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa: 34 et seq. Retrieved 2011-12-31.
{{cite journal}}:|chapter=ignored (help) - ^ Cordy, Ross H (1993). The Lelu Stone Ruins (Kosrae, Micronesia): 1978-81 Historical and Archaeological Research. Asian and Pacific Archaeology. Social Science Research Institute, University of Hawaii at Manoa. pp. 14, 254, 258. ISBN 0-8248-1134-8. Retrieved 2011-12-31.
- ^ Morgan, William N (1988). Prehistoric Architecture in Micronesia. University of Texas Press. pp. 60, 63, 76, 85. ISBN 0-292-76506-1. Retrieved 2011-12-31.
- ^ a b Panholzer, Tom; Rufino, Mauricio (2003). Place Names of Pohnpei Island: Including And (Ant) and Pakin Atolls. Bess Press. pp. xiii, 21, 22, 25, 38, 48, 56, 63, 71. 72, 74, 104. ISBN 1-57306-166-2. Retrieved 2011-12-31.
- ^ Lessa, William Armand (1980). More Tales from Ulithi Atoll: a Content Analysis. Folklore and Mythology Studies. Vol. 32. University of California Press. pp. 73, 130. ISBN 0-520-09615-0. Retrieved 2011-12-31.
- ^ Sheila Savill; Geoffrey Parrinder; Chris Cook (18 September 1978). Pears encyclopaedia of myths and legends: Oceania and Australia, the Americas. Pelham. p. 66. ISBN 978-0-7207-1050-2. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Patricia Monaghan (31 December 2009). Encyclopedia of Goddesses and Heroines. ABC-CLIO. p. 255. ISBN 978-0-313-34990-4. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
- ^ Valerie Estelle Frankel (19 October 2010). From Girl to Goddess: The Heroine's Journey Through Myth and Legend. McFarland. p. 299. ISBN 978-0-7864-4831-9. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
- ^ http://ns.gov.gu/gadaochief.html
- Bo Flood, Beret E. Strong, William Flood, Micronesian Legends, Bess Press, 2002; ISBN 1573061298
- Bo Flood, Marianas island legends: myth and magic, Bess Press, 2001; ISBN 1573061026
- Bo Flood, Margo Vitarelli, From the Mouth of the Monster Eel: Stories from Micronesia, 1996; ISBN 1555912451
External links
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