Those numerous gods, those thousands of gods,
Turn unto us, accept our petitions!
(Prayer from the Society Islands)
The atua (gods and spirits) of the eastern Pacific were numerous and present in every aspect of life. Their power was immense, but had the potential to bring blessings or destruction. The success or failure of islanders' endeavours, therefore, depended on divine favour and an active and appropriate relationship with the gods.
For many Polynesian societies, such as the Maori of Aotearoa (New Zealand), the world was created when the earth mother and sky father, locked together in a close embrace with their children crushed in the darkness between them, were pushed apart by one of their sons. In doing so, he created the world of light.
Four major gods were active in the world: Tane, or Kane, the god of the forests; Ta'aroa, the god of the sea; Rongo, or Lono, the god of agriculture and Ku, or Tu, the god of war. Beneath them was a hierarchy of lesser gods and spirits.
The power of the gods could be present in certain objects and certain members of the population. In particular, chiefs inherited, and therefore embodied, godly power directly through long lines of descent.
Illustration: In Hawaii, heiau (open-air temples) were dedicated to the three main Hawaiian deities. This image probably represents Ku, in his aspect as Kuka'ilimoku, the 'snatcher of land'. Temple worship was restricted to the chiefly classes in Hawaii and was accompanied by elaborate ceremony and offerings. At temples dedicated to Ku, the offerings would have been in the form of human sacrifice.
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