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from notes archived at Bishop Museum, Honolulu, Hawai'i |
Category: | Religion | Topic: | Tagroa(1) | Consultant: | ||
Tagroa was the greatest of all gods in Rotuma. The other gods who spoke through the tu'ura all spoke of the great mana of Tagroa which was greater than that of any of the other 'aitu. Tagroa had many people under him who served him. These were sur ne 'aitu. (This may be Nataniela's idea from angels.) Tagroa lived in the sky, the hanua favi, which was reached by going up in a kokona. All first-born male children were tossed to Tagroa to be blessed, as soon as they were born. They were carried outside the house and tossed in the air, while one said, "May you be blessed and live long, and be valiant and cool-headed in war." Then the feast to the first-born was held, called the taktak'aki. After this the child could be laid on his bed, but only after these two ceremonies had been performed. Tagroa has in some way become associated with the power of the Christian God. It is probably through the fact that Tagroa was considered the supreme god and called the 'aitmana. God is now called 'Aitmana in the church as "the all-powerful". This confusion and assimilation of the two shows out in the story of Christianity coming to Rotuma through a woman's prayer to the ait'mana. It was believed that all chiefs who "wept in prayer" to Tagroa received what they asked for. There was a woman, Forasa of Motusa, who had two very strong sons, Urakmata and Garagsau. The people of Savlei and Feavai hated these two boys of the chiefly woman, Forasa, and came to Motusa and fought with them and killed them both. Forasa, when she heard that her two sons had been killed, "prayed" to Tagroa, "May the 'aitmana from 'la le lagte' burst through the forau - the coconut leaf wall of the heavens or horizon - to pick up the blood of my two sons." It was not long after this that the rotu came "bursting the coconut leaf walls of the heavens". Motusa accepted Christianity but Hapmafau remained heathen. These waged a war on Motusa to wipe out the Christian chiefs, but they lost the war with many casualties, and all those who had brought about the death of the two Motusa boys were killed. In this way the 'aitmana avenged their death and answered the prayer of Forasa. | ||||||
Category: | Religion | Topic: | Tagroa(2) | Consultant: | ||
Tagroa was the supreme god. When a baby boy was born at night, Tagroa was called upon to bless the boy. They had great faith in Tagroa. According to Rev. C.M. Churchward, the baby was heaved in the air as an offering to Tagroa. | ||||||
Category: | Religion | Topic: | Tagroa(3) | Consultant: | ||
Siria: This term is applied to Tagroa, who has been spoken of as Tagroa Siria in some accounts of Rotuma; it means 'very great' or 'very high'. (In Samoan it means highest.) | ||||||
Category: | Religion | Topic: | Tagroa(4) | Consultant: | ||
Tagroa was the god of rain, war, and death "and all things that Rotuma people had." He was the 'aitmana. When male children were tossed soon after birth to this god, one said, "Pual lelei on mafa." This was to ask that his boy would not be frightened nor blink, but have bright eyes. Pual is to see well. They wished the boy to have bright, sharp eyes to see all those things that might harm him. Also to make him courageous. This saying was also used as a farewell to those people who were going a long way from their village. | ||||||
Category: | Religion | Topic: | Tagroa(5) | Consultant: | Undisclosed | |
Tagaroa was the god of the heaven, who sent rain. He was an 'atua. Spirits were worshipped in big trees and rocks. | ||||||
Category: | Religion | Topic: | Tagroa(6) | Consultant: | Mora | |
There was only one god, Tagroa, who lived in the sky. He sent the rain. | ||||||
Category: | Religion | Topic: | Tagroa(7) | Consultant: | ||
There was a god in the sky called Tag'roa Siria and a man whose family title was Tag'roa Siria. The latter was an ape'aitu for the god = Tag'roa. This god prophesied that a real god was coming later and all the lesser gods would be under him. The gates of heaven would open and he would come through! (Christian Catholic and departure with promise to return, Spanish) (Nature of prophesy couched in Biblical terms?) Tag'roa, the title, belonged to a family in Oinafa on the fuag ri Vaimomoko. Its present owner is Niumfang, his mother was the last to have that title. After her it was abandoned because its owner always died early in life. The first Tag'roa ape'aitu went fishing with a net down the coast one day, in the time when there were not many people on the island, and came to a piece of land in Kalvaka which he liked, and took it for his own. The land is now called Tag'roa. This piece belonged to Oinafa until recently in the time of Maraf Tiriu who asked that it be given to Noa'tau, who would pay the taxes. Before it was recognized as the property of Tag'roa the title bearer living at Vaimomoko. Niua said that the one great God in old times was 'Aitu Mana. | ||||||
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