Polynesian mythology

Polynesian spiritual practice

thumb|A Māori people|Māori man painting a tattoo on a carved wooden tiki at [[Whakarewarewa model village, New Zealand, ]] thumb|upright|Hawaiian kii at Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park thumb|upright|Tiki statuette from the [[Marquesas]]

body of myths in Polynesia

Hawaiki (also rendered as in the Cook Islands, in Māori, in Samoan, in Tahitian, in Hawaiian) is, in Polynesian folklore, the original home of the Polynesians, before dispersal across Polynesia. It also features as the underworld in many Māori stories.

Polynesian traditional concept denoting something holy or sacred

Atua (Akua in Hawaii) are the gods 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. However for Polynesian cultures, as opposed to having only one superior god, there are multiple atua.

thumb|Red lehua blossom (Metrosideros polymorpha). In Hawaiian mythology, Laka is the name of two different popular heroes from Polynesian mythology. (In other parts of Polynesia they are known as Rātā, Rata, Lata, Ata, or Lasa).

In Polynesian languages the word aitu refers to ghosts or spirits, often malevolent. The word is common to many languages of Western and Eastern Polynesia. In the mythology of Tonga, for example, aitu or eitu are lesser gods, many being patrons of specific villages and families. They often take the form of plants or animals, and are often more cruel than other gods. These trouble-making gods are regarded as having come from Samoa. The Tongan word tangi lauaitu means to cry from grief, to lament.