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| Mythology |
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Micronesian mythology comprises the traditional belief systems of the people ofMicronesia. There is no single belief system in the islands of Micronesia, as each island region has its ownmythological beings.
Micronesia is a region in the southwestPacific Ocean in a region known asOceania. There are several island groups including theCaroline Islands,Marshall Islands,Mariana Islands, andGilbert Islands. Traditional beliefs declined and changed with the arrival of Europeans, which occurred increasingly after the 1520s. In addition, the contact with European cultures led to changes in local myths and legends.[1]
Anagumang was a (probably legendary)Yapesenavigator who led an expedition inrafts andcanoes five or six hundred years ago. On this expedition he discovered the islands ofPalau, where he and his men first sawlimestone.
Anulap is agod ofmagic andknowledge inTruk Islands mythology an island group between Yap andPohnpei inMicronesia (Truk), who teaches these things to humanity. He is the husband of the creator goddessLigobubfanu, and may be a creator deity himself.
Isokelekel (Pohnpeian: "shining noble," "wonderful king"),[2] also called Idzikolkol, was a semi-mythicalherowarrior fromKosrae who conquered theSaudeleur rulers ofPohnpei, an island in the modernFederated 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 toUlithian tales of the same archetype.[7] He is considered the father of modern Pohnpei.[6]
Olifat[8] was atrickster god in Micronesian mythology. Olifat was the grandson of the godAnulap, the son of the god Lugeleng and the mortal Tarisso. Tarisso was the daughter of the octopus goddess Hit. When Lugeleng's wife attempted to prevent his union with Tarisso, Hit danced so lewdly that the woman fainted from arousal and had to be carried back to the sky, thus permitting Olifat's conception.[9][10]
Areop-Enap played a major part in thecreation of the world.
House of Taga is located nearSan Jose Village, on the island ofTinian,United StatesCommonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, in theMarianas Archipelago. The site is the location of a series of prehistoriclatte 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 amythological chief namedTaga', 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.
Gadao is a legendary chief of thevillage ofInarajan in southernGuam. In theChamorro language of the ancient Mariana Islands, 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 ancientcave 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.
According with theEnciclopedia Universal Ilustrada Europeo-Americana, Sassalagohan is the name ofHell on the Mariana Islands' mythology.
Auriaria is a red-haired giant chieftain who fell in love with the beautiful red-haired woman,Nei Tituaabine, but they had no children. Nei Tituaabine died and from her grave grew three trees—acoconut from herhead, apandanus from herheels and analmond from hernavel. She became atree goddess.
Kai-n-Tiku-Aba ("tree of many branches") is a sacred tree located inSamoa, which grew on the back of a man namedNa Abitu.Koura-Abi, a destructive man, broke it. Sorrowful, the people of Samoa scattered across the world.
Uekera is atree 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.
