Research source

Roko--a mo-o or dragon god--in his journey among the islands, stopped at a village by the sea and asked for a…

Date of account: Published 1910
Source: Legends of Ma-ui—a demi god of Polynesia, and of his mother Hina
Reference: Legends of Ma-ui—a demi god of Polynesia, and of his mother Hina · selected passage 23
Rights: public_domain
Language: English
Record updated: 2026-08-25

Record summary

Roko--a mo-o or dragon god--in his journey among the islands, stopped at a village by the sea and asked for a canoe and boatmen

Published source text

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Source passage

Source text · mention only

Roko--a mo-o or dragon god--in his journey among the islands, stopped at a village by the sea and asked for a canoe and boatmen. The people said: "We have nothing but a very old canoe out there by the water." He went to it and found it in a very bad condition. He put it in the water, and decided that he could use it. Then he asked two men to go with him and paddle, but they refused because of fear, and explained this fear by telling the story of the water demon, who continually sought the destruction of this canoe, and also their own death. Roko encouraged them to take him to wage battle with Tuna, telling them he would destroy the monster. They paddled until they were directly over Tuna's cave. Roko told them to go off to one side and wait and watch, saying: "I am going down to see this Tuna. If you see red blood boil up through the water, you may be sure that Tuna has been killed.

Historical context

Contextual commentary · mention only

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Modern context

Contextual commentary · mention only

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