In Hawaiian mythology, Laka is the name of two different popular heroes from

Polynesian mythology Polynesian mythology encompasses the oral traditions of the people of Polynesia (a grouping of Central and South Pacific Ocean island archipelagos in the Polynesian Triangle) together with those of the scattered cultures known as the Polyne ...

. (In other parts of

Polynesia Polynesia ( , ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of more than 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are called Polynesians. They have many things in ...

they are known as Rātā, Rata, Lata, Ata, or Lasa). In one Hawaiian legend, Laka is the daughter of the '' Ali'i nui''

Wahieloa In Hawaiian mythology, Wahieloa is a hero associated with the Kaha'i and Laka epics. Variations of his name in other Polynesian languages include Wahieroa (Māori), Vahieroa (Tahiti, Tuamotus), Va'ieroa (Cook Islands), Fafieloa (Samoa), and Vahie ...

and Hoʻolaukahili, grandson of Kahaʻinuiahema. He plans to sail to

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

to avenge the murder of his father, but his canoe-building is thwarted by the little gods of the forest. Because of his offerings to the great gods, however, they give him two outriggers that binds together for his long voyage. He and his companions successfully steal the bones of his father from the cave of Kai-kapu.

Hawaii

Four deities of this name can be differentiated: *(1) Ku-ka-ohia-LAKA, male patron of the hula-dance Ku-ka-ohia is the god of Hula dancing and canoe building. He is married to Hina-lula-ohia. In temple, he is shown as a feather god and worshiped with the other Ku gods. He is associated with ohia lehua tree, and the flowers are used for decorations on altars during performances. *(2) Papa-o-LAKA, the '

aumakua In Hawaiian mythology, an ʻaumakua (; often spelled aumakua, plural, aumākua) is a personal or family god that originated as a deified ancestor, and which takes on physical forms such as spirit vehicles. An 'aumakua may manifest as a shark, ...

world of Kumu-Honua *(3) LAKA, goddess of forest growth. Laka is the goddess of Hula. Laka is said to be the inspiration a person thinks of while they dance. She is what causes the movement while the dancer is moved. She is also the goddess of the forest. She has reproductive energy which is said to help the forest grow and thrive. Laka is associated with the Lama tree, the Maile Vine, and the a’ali’i plant. They are her kinolau, which means they are the form she can be found in. These are very cherished and treated with high levels of respect. *(4) LAKA, son of Wahie-loa

Marquesas

In the

Marquesan The Marquesas Islands ( ; or ' or ' ; Marquesan: ' ( North Marquesan) and ' ( South Marquesan), both meaning "the land of men") are a group of volcanic islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the southern Pacific O ...

version of the myth, Aka is a great voyager, grandson of Tafaki. He made a historic voyage to Aotona (

Rarotonga Rarotonga is the largest and most populous of the Cook Islands. The island is volcanic, with an area of , and is home to almost 75% of the country's population, with 10,898 of a total population of 15,040. The Parliament of the Cook Islands, Coo ...

) in what are now the

Cook Islands The Cook Islands is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands whose total land area is approximately . The Cook Islands' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) covers of ocean. Avarua is its ...

to obtain the highly prized feathers of a red parrot as gifts for his son and daughter. The voyage was done in a great outrigger canoe named Va'ahiva that had 140 rowers. Of these, 100 die of hunger before they reach Aotona, where they capture enough parrots to fill 140 bags with their feathers.R.D. Craig, ''Dictionary of Polynesian Mythology'' (Greenwood Press: New York, 1989), 6.

Samoa

In Samoa, where this hero's name is Lata, he is a great canoe builder originally from Fiji. He builds a huge

outrigger canoe Outrigger boats are various watercraft featuring one or more lateral support floats known as outriggers, which are fastened to one or both sides of the main hull (watercraft), hull. They can range from small dugout (boat), dugout canoes to large ...

on the island of Ta'u and sails to Savai'i, where a mountain is named after him. From there, he sails to Tonga where he teaches the inhabitants better ways to build canoes.R.D. Craig, ''Dictionary of Polynesian Mythology'' (

Greenwood Press Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. (GPG) was an educational and academic publisher (middle school through university level) which was part of ABC-Clio. Since 2021, ABC-Clio and its suite of imprints, including GPG, are collectively imprints of B ...

: New York, 1989), 134.

Tonga

Tonga Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands, of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in the southern Pacific Ocean. accordin ...

, he is Lasa, who captures the chief of the forest elves, Haelefeke, and compels him to help him build a great canoe and pilot it to Fiji. En route, they are tested by various demons. E. E. V. Collocott, ''Tales and Poems of Tonga'' (Bernice P. Bishop Museum Press: Honolulu, 1928), 15-16.

References

{{reflist 1) Encyclopedia of Ancient Deities. Charles Russell Coulter, Patricia Turner . Routledge, 2013. pg 277. Polynesian mythology Hawaiian mythology Hula

Hawaii

Marquesas

Samoa

Tonga

See also

References