Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

[ xxix ] The legendary homeland of Pacific island peoples. Modern Hawaii, though named after it, is not the Hawaiki of old. A more likely dispersal point for early migrations is Savai'i (i.e. Hawaiki) in Samoa. But in most island genealogies Hawaiki simply represents the distant birthplace of gods (A tua ), chiefs and men, from which great ancestors set sail. Spirits of the dead, seeking a resting-place, return there along the path of the setting sun. [3; 7; 15; 28] ... log in or subscribe to read full text