How Death Entered Mankind: A Polynesian Explanation

Yesterday and today, I am working on incorporating an ancient Polynesian tale in Native Hope. The story tells of how DEATH entered the world of mankind. I found it interesting that the story had many parallels to the Christian/Jewish story of Adam and Eve, although the ancient Polynesians were not exposed to Christianity at the time the tale was established in the South Pacific.

In ancient times, man strove to explain natural phenomenon, such as the weather, crop growth, reproduction, seismic activity, and much more through observations and story-telling. Telling stories was,not only educational in those times, but a source of entertainment. Many of these stories created order in their lives. Most of the stories are centered around their Polynesian gods. The ancient Polynesians were polytheists; they believed in many gods. Each god had its own specialty: War, Speech, Fertility, Sky, the underworld, etc. Maui is the King of all the gods and was recognized by native communities stretching from the Maoris in New Zealand to the cannibals in Fiji to the natives in Hawaii. 

The picture is of Maui, King of the gods, holding up one of the islands in the South Pacific. Part of the tale explains that Maui fished up the South Pacific Islands from the bottom of the sea with a special fish hook. Maui was afraid the islands would sink back into the sea, so he supports them from underneath. Sometimes he falls asleep and snores so loudly that the people on the island feel the snores as seismic movements. The natives strike the ground with their clubs to wake up Maui and stop his snoring.