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from notes archived at Bishop Museum, Honolulu, Hawai'i |
Category: | Death | Topic: | 'Oroi (1) | Consultant: | Undisclosed | |
According to our forefathers, 'oroi was the land of the dead. They thought that after the burial the spirit ('ata) of the dead would go to 'oroi for 4 days. On the 5th day it returned to look at its body. When he found it in a state of decay, he would return for good to the spirit world. 'Oroi really means home of the 'atua. It was not situated on land but under the sea. Different parts of 'oroi were called by places here on earth (district names). 'Atua also dwelt on land but these places were not considered 'oroi. 'Oroi appeared above the sea at times (reef Limarei). | ||||||
Category: | Death | Topic: | 'Oroi (2) | Consultant: | Rosarima | |
The 'atua of 'oroi travel about and catch the souls of living people and carry them back to their own country. First they make the people sick and then they take away their souls. It is because of the loss of their souls ('ata) that people die. People avoid the roads or paths to the 'oroi, especially those of districts other than their own. This was because the 'atua do not know these people, and they have none of their deceased relations among the 'atua to protect them. The 'atua will then carry them away greedily. People who wear red and stand in front of fires or lights on the road of the 'oroi are especially susceptible, for the 'atua can easily see them. To do such a thing is fatal. Pohau is the 'oroi beyond Hawthorne's house in Motusa. He has been warned several times to keep lights from shining out of his windows at nights. |
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Category: | Death | Topic: | 'Oroi (3) | Consultant: | ||
'Oroi = literally, the hidden place. 'Oroi refers to the lands of the dead, places on Rotuma. One at Losa, another one in front of mount Sororoa in Itu'muta; there are also others. Rao = the bottom of this flat earth. |
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Category: | Death | Topic: | 'Oroi (4) | Consultant: | ||
'Oroi ta = a place where men are hidden. Places of 'oroi
'Oroi = unseen thing. It means, according to Nataniele, that the living people cannot see the dead, but the dead can see the living. |
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Category: | Death | Topic: | 'Oroi (5) | Consultant: | ||
These 'oroi lands of the dead were under or beyond the sea. The people at times could hear the gods of these lands beat their drums. Often they cried and this was taken as a warning of the some happening, i.e. rain. |
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Category: | Death | Topic: | 'Oroi (6) | Consultant: | Mora | |
Locations of 'oroi People in 'oroi swallowed their food without chewing it. Someone suggested at another inquiry that the gods picked up their food with the mouth like birds. |
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Category: | Death | Topic: | 'Oroi (7) | Consultant: | ||
Places of the dead: Hanuaha'a, Limarei, Jausema, Gare, Vaiasere. Vaiasere lies off the boundary of Juju and Itu'ti'u. All are off the southwest coast between Losa and Juju. | ||||||
Category: | Death | Topic: | 'Oroi (8) | Consultant: | Fusafais | |
One 'oroi was on Haua, where the first Tokaniua was buried. Taipo, an old Oinafa chief, is chief of Haua 'oroita (?). 'Oroi was outside the reef of Oinafa. Ragioko was the name, also Taftataua. Garagsau was the chief of Limarei Next to the island off Juju is Faguta's 'oroi. Fotagfaro is its chief. | ||||||
Category: | Death | Topic: | 'Oroi (9) | Consultant: | ||
The sa'aitu took the dead to a village called Tufataua, outside Haua. There were others in Oinafa, but he doesn't know the names. Spirits went by Haua to Tufataua. Tufataua was also called Ragioko. | ||||||
Category: | Death | Topic: | 'Oroi(10) | Consultant: | |
There was a woman who lived on Haua called Ternok', who used to go to Tufataua to drink kava. The spirits of Tufataua would bring a leg or an arm to her to see. If she got hold of it, the owner would live. They were very careful that she didn't. Niua remembered a house on Haua (built in the old Rotuman style) with a door facing the sea, and several facing the mainland. No one lived there, but the young men picknicked there. No one would sleep at the sea door or they would be trod on by the sa'aitu carrying the dead to Tufataua. People used to hear a voice above them when they were yarning and then it was repeated on Haua. It was the voice of someone going to die. A woman recognized her voice once while talking one night on the beach and she knew she was going to die. Two days later she died. The woman on Haua saw people being carried to Ragioko. She came ashore and tell people their name. In a few days they would die. The woman knew if the 'aitu did not bring a leg over, he had joined the sa'aitu. If she saw the leg she knew he was eaten. It was supposed that when she saw a leg shown by the sa'aitu to her, it was to tell her the owner was to die (confusion here of points). On Big Haua there are two great boulders left on the beach under a great overhanging cliff that has been washed away underneath by the sea. These tupu'a are inhabited by two spirits. One must not throw stones at them or heavy seas will come up to prevent one from getting back to shore. If one does not take off his hat, one will capsize in the channel between the islands. (Incidentally, we capsized off Little Haua on the way home). On top of Haua is a "natural fuag ri", no artificial stonework to be observed--called Siki of (hof?). There are three points to the island: Fata i tau, Tiaentavo, and Ikamua. There are no bad spirits on Big Haua as there is no tamura on it. |
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Category: | Death | Topic: | 'Oroi(11) | Consultant: | |
Little Haua On top of the little island is a large cemetery with graves of large slabs. Evidently it is an old cemetery but in good condition. The last grave is that of Taipo, chief of Lopta and grandfather of the present chief of Lopta. His grave shows the change in style of grave building. It is a large oval of small flat stones built like a heavy stone wall. On top of this pa? there is a small slab pa containing an old ship's cannon. The stone of the other graves are of two sorts: 1. The conglomerate slabs from the beach at Oinafa; 2. the conglomerate marked by a small round pebble surface and darker stone from Malhaha. The tamura covers nearly the whole top of the island. Around it is a stone wall. At the western end of the island is a point called Unga, or Hunga, where souls give the last wail before taking off for the local 'oroi. It is from this point that souls give their second cry when leaving living bodies for the first visit to 'oroi as told in Niua's story of the local 'oroi. There is a fuag ri by the Little Haua tamura, called Rimanu. This is not connected with the Rimanu house or family in the bush. The name comes from the manu design on the sinnet. The tops of many of the ri hafu of the graves have been uncovered by pigs. The island was completely cleared when Taipo was buried. There are large ironwoods on the tamura and a few coconuts but the undergrowth can be quickly removed. Taipo is still heard to return to his old home in Lopta to get oil for his body. The bottle of oil rattles and he is heard slapping himself but no one sees him. |
manu = decorative pattern of binding | ||||
Category: | Death | Topic: | 'Oroi(12) | Consultant: | Undisclosed | |
Taipo is the last man to be buried on Haua. He was considered to be a chief of the Oinafa 'oroi. In life he was chief of Lopta. Ravak, a former chief of Malhaha, lived after his death in the Malhaha 'oroi, from which he returned frequently to counsel his family. He was looked upon also as a god of the district. |
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Category: | Death | Topic: | 'Oroi(13) | Consultant: | ||
'Oroi of Itu'ti'u:
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Category: | Death | Topic: | 'Oroi(14) | Consultant: | |
The 'oroi at the west end of the island is composed of three villages: Vasere, Anfenua, and Limarei. The last one seems to be the chief village of 'oroita and in it was Repuagaso, the place of the king, Garagsau. This king had two daughters: Ramankia and Perenkia. He was also known as the king of the night. Souls are supposed to pass along the road to Losa, which begins at the hifau tree, and pass to the tamura Aftieta and then between two fuag ri on the land Rauroroa and then out the Losa passage to Rauroroa. When people are out at sea near Limarei, they often hear the cocks crowing in the 'oroi. One man, Elija, saw a mirage one day and wanted to jump out of the boat and go to Limarei. He said he could see the village on the beach and all the houses, and the other men had to hold him in the canoe until they got back to land. It is firmly believed that he saw Limarei. When the souls go down to Limarei, Mariama said that their voices could be heard. She used to live on one side of the road to the beach in a house on Rauroroa, and at night they heard the voices of the souls and could recognize some and tell who was going to die. If a chief was going to die they could hear the noise of his hata, as the 'atua carried it with the chief's 'atua on top. Taipo in the 'oroi off Haua is said to be the god of the 'oroi corresponding to Garagsau of Limarei. |
hata = bier; litter | ||||
Category: | Death | Topic: | 'Oroi(15) | Consultant: | ||
Limarei is the reef that is nearly always submerged just beyond Hatana off Losa. | ||||||
Category: | Death | Topic: | 'Oroi(16) | Consultant: | Undisclosed | |
The Spirits left for Limarei from Leuokoasta at Losa. | ||||||
Category: | Death | Topic: | 'Oroi(17) | Consultant: | Undisclosed | |
When people die they go to 'oroi. There was a chief called Ravak, who had one legal and one illegal wife. These two women grew up together. One day supper was taken to the king (sau). Ravak was given the gizzard of the fowl, which made him angry. He gave it to his legal child, but the other wife went outside and took the gizzard from this child and gave it to her own child. Ravak's legal wife wept. Ravak said, "Don't cry, never mind about the gizzard, for the pure (chieftainship) will still belong to your child." And it happened one day, Garagsau's crowd of devils from Limarei came and took Ravaka to Limarei. The "legal" woman chased them and overtook them just before a place near Losa. And she called her husband and stooped at his feet. He asked, "Who is it?". The woman said, "It is I. And what about the talk we had regarding our child?" He said, "It will be just as I said in our conversation. So go back.", and she went back from there. And so the name of the place was called Eluag aftea = beckon to feet or footprints. Her place was dug in the ground and so they called it Eluag aftea. |
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Category: | Death | Topic: | 'Oroi(18) | Consultant: | Rosarima | |
Places of the dead: Noa'tau 1. Tultoua. This 'oroi is marked by two rocks on the edge of the reef off the Oinafa end of the district. 2. Atafi. This 'oroi is behind Afgaha island. Ramankia'a, a female surne'aitu is chief in this 'oroi. 3. Hanuaha'a. This 'oroi lies on the bottom of the sea, and outside the reef off Kalvaka. 4. Fuagesu. This was a place of 'atua in the bush behind Noa'tau. It was ruled over by a female 'atua, Garisau--a surne'aitu. They traveled about and took the souls of people to their place. It is still believed today, and people will not travel the road between the bush and the village at night nor let any light show through their door or windows which face the bush. Only the souls caught by these 'atua were taken to this 'oroi, as the informant called it. |
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