Tangaloa the Many; Samoa the Only

In the chaos there was only Tangaloa, and only he went back and forth in the expanse- he alone was there. Where he finally stopped grew up a rock for him to stand on. Tangaloa commanded the rock to split up, and it became many kinds of rock- lying, creeping, clay, and others. He then spoke to the multi-faceted rock, struck it with his right hand, and the earth and the sea came forth. Pleased, Tangaloa spoke further to the rock, creating freshwater, sky (the first heavens), and Tui-te‘e-langi. Then Ilu, male “Immensity,” and Mamao, female “Space,” came forth from Tangaloa’s voice. Tangaloa then produced man, spirit, thought, heart, and will. His many creations drifted aimlessly over the sea, without direction or purpose.

Then Tangaloa issued an ordinance that spirit, thought, heart, and will come together in man, and they joined in man to produce intelligence. Ilu and Mamao were directed to rest above the sky, where they would later produce many offspring. The sky was not yet lifted up, however, and Tui-te’e-langi was given the job. It was too heavy for him and fell back down upon the earth, disturbing all of creation. Tui-te‘e-langi searched for a way to increase his strength and came upon Masoa and Teve, the first plants. These he used to prop up the sky, and it has never since fallen. Now sky receded into Immensity and Space. Immensity and Space (Ilu and Mamao) came together to produce Po and Ao, Night and Day, and Le-Langi, the second heavens. Le-Langi gave birth seven times, creating heavens three through nine, and Tui-te‘e-langi propped them up as they were peopled by Ilu and Mamao. Tangaloa the creator imputed Night and Day to produce the Eye-of-the-Sky, the Sun. The creation of the ninth heavens ended the productivity of Ilu and Mamao.

Tangaloa the creator then brought forth Tangaloa the immovable, Tangaloa the village creeper, Tangaloa the walker, and Tangaloa the visitor, splitting himself much as he split the original rock. Tangaloa the creator sanctioned Tangaloa the messenger to act as ambassador of the heavens, and to inquire of Night and Day how many children they had been appointed. Night and Day responded that their appointed children were Lagi-uli, black sky, and Lagi-ma, clear sky, and all of the nameless stars. Tangaloa the messenger then asked if there were any more children of Night and Day, and they answered that they had four children that were as of yet unappointed- Manu'a, Samoa, the Sun, and the Moon. Night, Day, Manu’a, Samoa, the Sun and the Moon were then invited to the Ninth Heaven for a council.

In this council, named the council of Tranquility, Manu’a and Samoa were told to come down to earth as chiefs to govern men. To the end of their names was attached “tupu,” meaning king, and all following Samoan kings were also called “tupu.” Tangaloa the creator then told the Sun to follow Day and the Moon to follow Night, giving them a portion of the first heavens through which to pass. He relegated the various stars to this portion of the heavens as well. Then he sent Tangaloa the messenger down the visit the Earth, where he first visited the East, and the Eastern islands sprang up beneath his feet. Next he tried to create the Fiji islands, but he could not span the distance alone, and prayed to Tangaloa the creator for help. Tangaloa caused the Tongan island group to spring up, and then the Fiji group, and at last Savai’i. These creations greatly pleased him, and he tread upon the mountains of the islands to wear them down for the people who would soon populate them.
Tangaloa the creator then sent Tangaloa the messenger back to earth so that he might populate the various islands. When this was done, he looked up as if in prayer to Tangaloa the creator, and Upolu and Tutalia sprung up from the sea. Tangaloa the creator sent his son Fue, the peopling vine, down to these new islands and he produced many worm-like objects. Tangaloa the creator shaped these worms into the people of Upolu and Tutalia, and thus Samoa was completed. With a parting command, Tangaloa blessed Manu’a and Samoa, promising destruction to any who refused to honor them. With his work complete, he left to reside with the other gods in the ninth heaven.

One of the most significant aspects of this myth is the way in which Tangaloa creates by word. His command brings something from nothing, in the same way that God’s commands do in the Bible. In fact, there are other similarities between the Samoan creation myth and the creation related in Genesis. Neither tale tells of any epic struggle between multiple gods for power, nor is there any sign of gender at the beginning of time. Instead, gender is introduced later as a mechanism for birth, a less powerful form of creation than godly creation. This impresses upon the reader the supremacy of the creator god, for he needs nothing but words to generate new life. In addition, the absence of godly conflict also helps to establish the first god as the most powerful. Though there are other gods in the Samoan myth, none rival Tangaloa; in Genesis, there are no other gods at all, and all creation is simply subordinate to the only God. Examining the history of Samoa and the validity of its creation myth leads to an interesting finding- this particular myth was written after the arrival of Christian missionaries. It is considered the most valid version because it was written very shortly after their arrival, but it stands to reason that the newly arrived Christianity might have somehow deepened the resemblance of the Samoan creation myth to that found in Genesis.
The Samoan myth has characteristics of many other island creation narratives as well, particularly those of Polynesian background. Most Polynesian myths retain the god Tangaloa, but in different manners. In Western Polynesia, Tangaloa retains his omnipotence, but in the rest of Polynesia he is merely the god of the ocean. One of Australia’s many myths tells of a creator god Punjil, who fashions humans out of worm-like items. This is a particularly strong connection with the Samoan peopling vine, Fue, which produces similar worms. In a different Australian myth, the sky falls down, much as it does in the Samoan myth, and the wizards have a very hard time propping it back up. These small but significant similarities display the common ancestry of the area.

There is much in the Samoan creation myth that sets it apart, especially from other islands in the area. The myth proclaims Samoa and Manu’a brothers of the Sun and the Moon, giving them celestrial ancestry with which the other islands in the area cannot compete. Tangaloa the creator also singles out Manu’a as worthy of respect from all others. Samoan pride is clearly evident throughout this creation narrative, expressed by the favor of the supreme god. It is also interesting to note the concept of unity in god, articulated by the many aspects of Tangaloa, which seems almost a precursor to concepts like the Holy Trinity in Christianity. Furthermore, certain parts of this particular myth seem to reflect Samoa’s geography- rock plays an enormous role, fitting for a volcanic island, and common plants of Samoa play a significant role in the ordering of the original world. The Samoan myth of creation suits its island geography and society; unique and original, yet adept at explaining other cultures and their relation to the Samoans.

- Jessica Briggs