Atua are the
god
In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...
s and spirits of the
Polynesian people such as the
Māori or the
Hawaiians (see also ). The literal meaning of the
Polynesian word is "power" or "strength" and so the concept is similar to that of ''
mana''. Many of the atua that are known have originated from myths and legends of each
Polynesian culture before Christianity was introduced. These days, the word atua is related to the monotheistic conception of
God
In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...
. However for
Polynesian cultures, as opposed to having only one superior god, there are multiple atua.
For
Māori, there are eight main atua – excluding the parents,
Ranginui (sky father) and
Papatūānuku (earth mother):
* ''
Tāne Mahuta'' – god of the forest and all forest creatures such as animals, birds and trees;
*
Tāwhirimātea – god of wind and storms;
*
Haumia-tiketike – god of uncultivated food and fernroot (also known as
Haumia,
Haumia-tikitiki, and
Haumia-roa);
* ''
Rongo-mā-Tāne'' – god of Agriculture and Peace (also known as
Rongohīrea and
Rongomaraeroa);
* ''
Tangaroa'' – god of the sea;
* ''
Tūmatauenga'' – god of war and humans (also known as
Tūkāriri);
*
Rūaumoko – god of earthquakes (also known as
Rūaimoko);
* ''
Whiro-te-tipua'' – god of darkness, evil, and death.
In the
Samoan language
Samoan ( or , ) is a Polynesian languages, Polynesian language spoken by Samoans of the Samoan Islands. Administratively, the islands are split between the sovereign country of Samoa and the Unincorporated territories of the United States, Unit ...
,
where atua means "god", traditional
tattooing
A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the Human skin, skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several Process of ...
was based on the doctrine of
tutelary spirits. There is also a district on the island of
Upolu in Samoa called
Atua.
Atua or gods are also at the centre of
Māori mythology. In traditional
Māori belief, there is no specific word for "religion" because the natural and supernatural world are seen as one.
In other
Austronesian cultures,
cognate
In historical linguistics, cognates or lexical cognates are sets of words that have been inherited in direct descent from an etymological ancestor in a common parent language.
Because language change can have radical effects on both the s ...
s of ''atua'' include the
Polynesian ''
aitu'',
Micronesian ''aniti'',
Bunun ,
Filipino and
Tao ''
anito'', and
Malaysian and
Indonesian ''
hantu'' or ''antu''.
In popular culture, Atua is the name that is used to refer to the deity which the character Angie Yonaga worships in the English dub of ''
Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony.'' The term "Atua" is often associated with her character.
Similar to
Māori, there are many
Samoan mythologies with deities ("atua"). In Samoa, there two types of atua:
atua (non-human origins) and
aitu (human origins). In Samoa, the atua known as
Tagaloa was regarded as the creator of all beings.
[6
/nowiki>">">[6
/nowiki>/sup> The atua known as Savea"><_a><br>_nowiki>.html" ;"title="">[6
/nowiki>">">[6
/nowiki>/sup> The atua known as Savea was recognized as being the ruler over Pulotu, the underworld of spirits. He is a complex figure in Samoan mythology and represents death and life.[7
/nowiki>] Mafuiʻe, Mafui'e was known as the god of earthquakes.[8
/nowiki>] However, since Christianity was introduced to Samoa in 1830[9
/nowiki>">">[9
/nowiki>/sup>, the existence and belief of these deities were soon forgotten by the Samoan people, leaving only their myths and stories.
See also
* Hawaiian religion
* List of Māori deities
* Māori mythology
* Polynesian mythology
* Zanahary
References
Polynesian mythology
Samoan words and phrases
Polynesian deities
Austronesian spirituality
Nature spirits
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