Laka

Laka is the Hawaiian form of the name of a popular hero from Polynesian mythology. (In other parts of Polynesia he is known as Rata, Lata, Aka, or Lasa). Lengthy legends of his exploits extend throughout the islands, and the kings of Tahiti and Hawai'i claimed him as their ancestor.

Tuamotu islands

The fullest account of Laka is found in the Tuamotu islands, where he is called Rata and where the telling of the full cycle of the local version of the legend takes several evenings to tell. The legend of Rata (his name in the Tuamotu archipelago) begins with his grand-father Kui, a demigod who marries Puehuehu. Their son Vahi-vero was stolen by two wild ducks that carry him to a distant island where two witches Nua and Mere-hua imprison him. Kui eventually rescues his son, captures the witches, and kills the ducks. Once Vahi-vero reaches adulthood, he falls in love with a water-nymph Tahiti-tokerau, whom he persuades to marry him. She, however, is abducted by Puna, king of the underworld. Following his father's advice, he swims down to the underworld and rescues her while Puna is away. Shortly thereafter, Tahiti-tokerau becomes pregnant and gives birth to Rata.

alyssa loves nainoa

Not long after the birth of Rata, Puna returns and learns that Tahiti-tokerau had been rescued. He summons the shark Matuku-tagotago who attack Vahivero and Tahiti-tokerau while they are crabbing. The shark swallows them and takes them back to Kororupo where Tahiti-tokerau is buried head down in the sand.

The orphan Rata is raised by his grandfather. When he learns of his parents' fate, he builds a large canoe to find them. Using his grandfather's magical adze, he enters the forest and chops down a tree. Overnight, however, goblins had restored the tree. He ambushes them and forces them to complete his canoe, which they accomplish in a single night. Rata then begins his quest to find his parents, which includes various adventures including defeating champion warrior Manu-kura in a contest for the hand of his wife, princess Pupura-to-te-tai, Puna's daughter. As he nears Puna's land he must overcome various monsters, including Matuku-tagotago, the shark that had killed his father, whom he cuts out of Matuku's belly. Rata, with the help of his servant Taraka, finally kills Puna, rescues his mother and restores her to health. They all return home.

Sources:

• R.D. Craig, Dictionary of Polynesian Mythology (Greenwood Press: New York, 1989), 131-3;
• J.F. Stimson, Tuamotuan Legends: Island of Anaa (Honolulu: Bernice P. Bishop Museum Press, 1937), 96-147.

Tahiti

Rata is also his name in Tahitian, where he is said to have become king of Tahiti when his uncle, king Tumu-nui, and his father Vahieroa are swallowed by a great clam while they are on their way to Pitcairn. When he reaches adulthood, Rata plans to avenge his father. As in the Tuamotuan version, Rata identifies a tree to build his canoe, but it is protected by forest elves. After he captures them they build it for him in a single night. While en route for Pitcairn, Rata and his crew are sucked down into the same clam, but they use their spears to cut the monster open. They rescue the remains of Rata's father and uncle and bury them back in Tahiti. After recovering from their adventure, Rata sets out for further adventures, including a quest to the kingdom of Puna to save a wife of a relative. See also Aremata-Popoa and Aremata-Rorua.

Sources:

• R.D. Craig, Dictionary of Polynesian Mythology (Greenwood Press: New York, 1989), 133-4;
• M. Beckwith, Hawaiian Mythology (Yale U.P.: New Haven, 1948), 263-275.

Māori

In Māori mythology, accounts vary somewhat as to the ancestry of Rata. Usually he is a grandson of Tāwhaki and son of Wahieroa. Wahieroa is treacherously killed by Matuku-tangotango, an ogre. Rata sets out to avenge the murder, travelling to the home of Matuku, where a servant of the ogre tells him that Matuku comes out to devour people each new moon, and that he can be killed at the pool where he washes his face and hair. Rata waits till the ogre comes out and is leaning over with his head in the pool. He grabs him by the hair and kills him. Matuku's bones are used to make spears for hunting birds.

Rata searches for his father's bones so that he can afford them the proper respect. He learns that the Ponaturi have the bones in their village. He must build a canoe to get there. He goes into the forest, and fells a tree, and cuts off the top. His day's work over, he goes home, and returns the next morning. To his surprise he finds the tree standing upright and whole. Once again he cuts it down, but when he returns he finds the tree standing again. He hides in the forest, and hears the voices of the multitude of the hākuturi (forest spirits, called rorotini in one account), who set to work to re-erect the tree, putting each chip into its proper place. He runs out and catches some of the hakuturi, who tell him they re-erected the tree because he insulted Tāne, the god of the forest, by not performing the correct rituals before felling the tree. Rata is ashamed, and expresses regret. Then the hakuturi make him a canoe, naming it Riwaru (Niwaru in some accounts).

Rata and his people launch the canoe and paddle off to find the Ponaturi. Arriving, Rata cleverly surrounds them, kills their priests, and rescues his father's bones. The Ponaturi regroup and give chase. The battle goes badly until Rata recites an incantation called Titikura that he overheard their priests recite while they were tapping together the bones of Wahieroa. In a flash all Rata's dead warrior return to life and attack and slaughter all of the Ponaturi. Rata marries Tongarautawhiri who bears him a son, Tuwhakararo, the father of Whakatau.

Sources:

• R.D. Craig, Dictionary of Polynesian Mythology (Greenwood Press: New York, 1989), 134.
• G. Grey, Polynesian Mythology (reprint Taplinger Press: New York, 1970), 84-90.
• E.R. Tregear, Maori-Polynesian Comparative Dictionary (Lyon and Blair: Lambton Quay), 1891, 232, 399-400.
• J. White, The Ancient History of the Maori, 7 Volumes (Government Printer: Wellington), 1887-1891, III:2 for rorotini.

Hawaii

In the Hawaiian legend, Laka is the son of Wahieloa and Hina-hawa'e. He plans to sail to Hawaii to revenge the murder of his father, but his canoe-building is thwarted by the little gods of the forest. Because of his offerings to the great gods, however, they give him two outriggers that he binds together for his long voyage. He and his companions successfully steal the bones of his father from the cave of Kai-kapu.

In Hawaii, Laka was also a deity identified with the hula and the red lehua blossom and is a deity of fertility.

In the story of Hi'iaka, Laka is one of Pele's sisters and guardian of the woodland.

Sources:

• R.D. Craig, Dictionary of Polynesian Mythology (Greenwood Press: New York, 1989), 134.
• M. Beckwith, Hawaiian Mythology' (Yale U.P.: New Haven, 1948), 263-75.

Marquesas

In the Marquesan version of the myth, Aka is a great voyager, grandson of Tafaki. He made a historic voyage to Aotona in the Cook Islands to obtain the highly prized feathers of a red parrot as gifts for his son and daughter. The voyage was done in a great outrigger canoe named Va'ahiva that had 140 rowers. Of these, 100 die of hunger before they reach Aotona, where they capture enough parrots to fill 140 bags with their feathers.

Sources:

• R.D. Craig, Dictionary of Polynesian Mythology (Greenwood Press: New York, 1989), 6.
• E.S.C. Handy, Marquesan Legends (Bernice P. Bishop Museum Press: Honolulu, 1930), 130-1.

Samoa

In Samoa, where this hero's name is Lata, he is a great canoe builder originally from Fiji. He builds a huge out-rigger canoe on the island of Ta'u and sails to Savai'i, where a mountain is named after him. From there, he sails to Tonga where he eaches the inhabitants better ways to build canoes.

Sources:

• R.D. Craig, Dictionary of Polynesian Mythology (Greenwood Press: New York, 1989), 134.

Tonga

In Tonga, he is Lasa, who captures the chief of the forest elves, Haelefeke, and compels him to help him build a great canoe and pilot it to Fiji. En route, they are tested by various demons.

Sources:

• R.D. Craig, Dictionary of Polynesian Mythology (Greenwood Press: New York, 1989), 134.
• E.E.V. Collocott, Tales and Poems of Tonga (Bernice P. Bishop Museum Press: Honolulu, 1928), 15-16.