The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-05-16
THE SOUTH SEAS MYTHS.
CURIOUS FOLK LORE OF THE Ma
TIVES OF PACIFIC ISLANDS.

From the Washington Star.
The savage islanders of the South Pacific
balieve that the world is a cocoanut shell of
ooormous dimensions. at the top of which
ia a single aperture communicating with
the upper air, where human beings dwell.
Az the very bottom of this imaginary she'll
e stem gradually tapering to a point,
which represents the beginning of all
things, This point is spirit or demon
without human form, whose name is "Root
at All Existence" By him the entire fabric
of creation is sustained.
In the interior Of the cocoanut shell, at its
very bottom, lives female demon. SO mar
row is the space into which she is crowded
that she is obliged to sit forever with knees
and chin touching. Her name is "The Very
Beginning.n and from her are sprung
numerous spirits. They inhabit FIVE different
doors. into which the great cocoanut is
divided. From certain OF these spirits man
kind is descended. The islanders, regarding
themselves us the only real men and women.
were formerly accustomed to regard strau-
gers as evil spirits in the guise of humanity,
whom they killed when they could, Offering
them as sacrifices.
HOLES IN THE SKY.
a
blue vault Of solid stone, around the bottom
Of which were number of holes. Through
these the wind spirits blew. The gods first
spoke to man through certain small birds,
but because of their indistinct voices an
order of priests had to be set apart, the
gods taking up their abode in these sacred
persons. Priests were accordingly named
'god boxes" From the gluttonous habits
In which they INDUCED the phrase ito gor-
mandize like a god" Is derived. Their
power was well nigh unlimited. Anybody
whom they did not like they could desiR-
nate for sacrifice. Human sacrifices were
very common, some families being dev oted
for generation after generation to furnish
ing such offerings.
One popular myth expresses the very
poetical belief that the Island of Tongareva
was 1shed out of the bottom of the sea bv a
god, who used for the purpose the tail of
the constellation Scorpio. batting this re-
markable hook with a star. Another
divinity accomplished a work of great
benefcence by regulating the sun. The orb
of day used to have trick of setting almost
as soon as it had risen, 80 that it was inn
possible to get through any work. Even an
oven Of food could not be prepared and
cooked before darkness came on, So the
deity Maui carefully planted six great ropes
of strong cocoanut fiber, making moses in
them, and with these he sought the hole at
the edge OF the sky through which the sun
climbs up from the neither world each morn
ing. AT this point Of exit from the land of
ghosts into the heavens the six nooses were
placed. They entrapped the sun and that
luminary was glad to agree to be in future
more deliberate in his movements, SO as to
enable the inhabitants of earth to get
through their employments.
Originally, the heavens almost touched
the earth, but Maui and another god named
Ru pushed them up to their present lofty
position. However. the work was not com-
plete, for the surface of the sky was very
irregular. So they each took a big stone
adze and with them Clipped off the rough
part OF the sky, thus giving it q PERFECTLY
oval appearance. Then they procured finer
adzes chipping away with them at the
vault Of blue stone until it became fault
lessly smooth and beautiful, as it is now.
There are ten heavens, one above another
which are the abode of warriors who have
persisted in battle.
ORIGIN OF THE CoCOANUT.
To these natives of the South Pacific the
cocoanut Is vegetable product Of the ut
most Importance. Its origin was divine.
There was young woman, daughter of a
goddess, who lived in cave, close by which
ran stream that was filed with eeis. One
day while bathing she was surprised by a
huge eel, which presently assumed the
form OF handsome youth. He informed
her that he was the god of the cells. They
became lovers, but finally he was COM
PEELED to bid her farewell. Before doing
so, however, he appeared in his eel shape
and directed her to cut off his head and
bury 1t. She did SO, and it sprouted into a
tree. From this tree all the cocoanuts in
the world were derived, and on each nut
are invariably found the two eyes and
mouth OF the young man. The white kerr
neL is commonly referred to as his brains.
GLant killers and destroyers of monsters
are FOUND IN the folk lore of thess islanders
as we'll as that of other peoples. In the
lalryland of Kupou lived the renowned
chlef, Rata, who started on an exploring
expedition in great double canoe. lie took
Win ulIn youth, named Ngansoa, who |
was famous hand az staying monsters,
ana TINS was very fortunate, because on the
tnlru day OF their voyage an enormous clam
rose out OF the deep, its shell wide open to
srso them. One shell was ahead, the other
asterh-the canoe and all on board living be- |
tween. In another moment they would |
nave been crushed between the two fearful |
waves, but NGanaoa quickly drove his
spear down into the animal, SO that it sank |
70 tne bottom. Soon afterward an octopus |
pL extraordinary dimensions encircled the |
ooaU WIN It's tentac!es, but Nganaoa thrust |
NE spear through its head and killed 1t |
IeA1 mighty whale attempted to guIp |
Io"h tie canoe, but Nganaoa broke his long |
spear IN two, and at the moment when the |
munster was about to crush them he inserted |
y. IoIh sticks inside the gaping mouth, so that |
'N9 Ieneiny could not close its jaws.
.naaHEIHg accomplished this feat Nganaoa |
nIliDy jumped into the mouth of the whale |
anu looked down into it's stomach Tot
I -rea SAT MS long lost father and mother,
~, ~ ma. uau Deen swallowed alive while fishing |
~ 1ne monster. The old lady and gentle. |
men were busily engaged in plating palm |
Ives and great was their Joy at seeing |
-ner son. NgaDaoa resolved while resclI. |
,us ms parents to be revenged upon the |
,,in aio' Accordingly he took out one Of the |
,oioAs, Ine other sutficing to hold the whales |
NUN NUN open, and broke it into two pieces
!, : a aH ne rubbed together and thus Obtained |
: o na'ne' with which he set fire to the fatty
1ai1 Vi the stomach of the monster. The
~, Ulster IN agony, swan to the nearest
q 49, where, on reaching the sandy beach.
'D'i' mother and son quietly walked out.
THE LAND OF GHOSTS.
Hades, or the land of ghosts is sunnosad
. De Inside the mighty cocoanut she'll he
ieath the surface of the earth which ia
siereiy thin crust over a vast hollow
~, yTule Oh the islands. being Of volcanic ORR
80. ore honeycombed with caves and
bes nt!t chasms, down the deepest Of which
he cor pses Of the dead are thrown. SO that
nIr SuiV lVors not unnaturally imagine the
Nv ahce 10 the neither world to be down
tro Ut vi more OF these pits Existence in this
1l.tese spirit land is pursued by the i'm,
7ba,, 80 very much as people live on earth.