The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-11-16

By Rev. w. d westervelt in Paradise
of the Pacifc.)


[ covered. The origin of the Polynesian
race has been subject for discovery
| and re-discovery The older theory OF
I Malay origin as set forth in the earlier
encyclopedias is now recognized as I'M
tenable. The Ma1ays followed the
Polynesians rather than preceded them.
The comparative study of Polynesian
legends leads almost irresistibly to
the conclusion that Polynesians were
| Aryans, coming at least from India to
MALAYSIA and possibly coming from
Arabia, as Fernandez of Hawaii SO
earnestly argues. 1t is now accepted
! that the Polynesians did not originate
| from Malay parentage, and that they
| did Occupy for an indefinite period the
region around the Sunda Straits from
Java to the Molucca Islands, and also
that the greater portion of the Poly
nesians was driven out from this region
and scattered over the Pacific in the
early part of the Christian Era. The
legends that cluster around Wakea have
greatly aided in making plain some
things concerning the disposition of the
Polynesians. By sitting the legends OF
Hawaii-loa, we learn how the great
voyager becomes one of the first Vikings
of the Pacific His home at last is
found to be Gilolo of the Molucca Is
lands. From the legends we become
acquainted with Wakea (possibly mean
+ir,,ar o17H
his wife Papa ("earth''), the most wide
" remembered of all the ancestors of
the Polynesian race Their names are
found in the legends of the most prom
inent island groups, and the highest
places are granted them among the
derni-gods and sometimes among the
chief deities Their deeds belong to
the most ancient times-the creation
or discovery of the various islands OF
the Pacific world Those who wor
shipped Walea and Papa are found
in such widely separated localities that
it must be considered impossible for |
even demi-god to have had so many
homes. Atea or Wakea was one of the |
highest gods of the Marquesas islands. |
Here his name means Tight" The
Marquesans evidently look back of all
their present history and locate Atea
in the ancient home land. Va-tea, in
the Society Islands, Wakea in Hawaii !
and New Zealand, Makea-Vakea and
Akea are phonetic variations of the one |
name when written down by the stu
dents who made written form for |
words repeated from generation to
generation by word of mouth alone. |
Even under the name Wakea this an
cient chief is known by most widely |
separated islands. The only reasonable |
explanation for this widespread ref
erence. to Wakea is that he was an an
cestor belonging in common to all the
scattered Polynesians. 1t seems as II
there must have been period when |
Wakea was king or chief of united |
people He must have been OF great |
ability and probably was the great king
of the United Polynesians:. If this were
the fact it would naturally result that
his memory would be carried wherever
the dispersed race might go.
In the myths and legends OF the Her
vey Islands, Vatea is located near the
beginning of their national existence.
First of all the Hervey Islands place
Te-ake- ia-roe-"The root of all exist
ence." Their there came upon the
ancient world TIE Vaerua, 'the breath"
or the life" Then came the god time
Tie Manawa roa, ''the long ago
Then their creation legends locate Vari,
a woman whose name means the
a name curiously similar
to the Hebrew word bara, to create,
as in Gen. 4. Her children were torn
out of her breasts and given homes in
he ancient mist land, with which with
put any preparation or introduction,
Hawa-iki is confused in part of the
legend. One of the children of Vari
1welt in "a sacred tabu island" and
became the god of the fish. Another
sought a home where the red parrots
feathers were gathered"-the royal
feathers for the high chiefs garments.
Another became the echo-god and lived
n the hollow grey rocks. Another
IS the gods of the winds went far out /
ON the deep ocean" Another, a girl, /
found home, the silent land, with
Ter mother Wakea, or Vatea, the
Oldest of this family remained in Ava (
XII (Hawaiil the ancestral home-"the ;
bright land of Vatea." Here. he married
Papa. This Ava-iki was to the He1- /
reyites of later generations the fiery
foleanic under world. When the long
ga voyages ceased after some centuries. 1
he islanders realized that Ava-iki was Z
rerv CLOSELY connected with their his {
DRY. They had but misty idea of far t
IF lands. and they did know of earth !
uakes and lava caves and volcanic fires
so they located Ava-iki as the secret 1
world under their islands, This under t
world with legendary inconsistency was Z
ocated on the oceans surface. when it
ecame necessary to have their islands /
discovered by the descendants of Natea. {
according to the Hervey legends, Vatea t
5 the father OF Lono and kanaloa, two a
+ the great gods of the Polynesians. S
'hey are twins. Lono has three sons, +
rhorn he sends away They sail out h
trough many heavens and from Ava :
4 pull up out of the deeo ocean two k
+ the Hervey islands. The natives v
{ the Hervey group supposed that the P
ORION around their group inclosed the Il
rorld. Beyond this world were heavens G
fter heavens A daring yoyager by T