The Battle between the Short-Ears and the Long-Earsby Cristián Moreno Pakarati · UC/Ahirenga Research / Hanga Roa, Rapa NuiOne of the most well known stories of Rapa Nui tells the legend of the Hanau Momoko and the Hanau ‘E’epe, two groups which shared and then...

Hena NakuHena Naku, the god of feathers, loved Te Pito o te Henua, the Navel of the World, the ancient name for Easter Island. The sea birds, which were under his protection, preferred to nest on the rocky cliffs that surround the Island. Hena Naku was covered with...

Te Mana o Te Vahine me Te TaneThere is a feminine form, just as there is a masculine form. The first serves to nurture and to give birth; the other to plant and to guard. With both of them, the tribe and the families of all nations survive, in each branch of the...

Each newborn receives his Mauri, Varua, Ha y HauWhen Te Uru Tai flows from the womb of a fertile woman and joins Te Wai Tai, the seed of a man, a child begins to grow and form his Mauri, his physical appearance – the shape of his head, nose, eyes and body, his size,...

Caress and Cultivate the Child of PeaceNo one knows if Today will be followed by Tomorrow. No one is sure if the Seed that we sow will prosper. No one is certain that Life will continue. Everything is a Gift.   We are all creatures of Tane Mahuta, the god of the...

MaramaSome peoples follow the sun, but our life is joined to the phases of the moon, Marama.  Our lives are counted by the nights, not the days.  We listen to the internal rythems and the energies of nature that flow from Marama.  Impelled by the skies, they skim...

The Man who was born from a ChickenTwo men of the royal Miru tribe were walking to the well known bay of Hotu Iti where there was an abundance of fish and lobster.  On the way, they stole a chicken to eat later in the day, one of the few birds which belonged to a very...

The Tokotoko guard the secrets of our land"Bind life to other life”… was the call to our ancestors to set sail toward new islands.  Our women took the valuable seeds, the harvests of our future, and bound them to their bodies. Under each breast they would roll a...

URU KEHU Legend Maori  “The ancient seas roared under the influence of the moon and the stars and the Uru Kehu o Nga Tupuna finally disembarked.  Our ancestors with the red and golden hair arrived to our island.  Most of them perished in the cold ocean when the...

Polynesian LegendA fact of lifeThe Waitaha tribe of New Zealand tells us that in maorí communities there are always men and women who prefer to elect partners, or lovers of the same sex… “Some children are just born special.  Some have both poles existing in their...