- MD & IJ
Sidestep: Hawaiian Rainbow Gods and Te Uenuku
With 6 articles on Hawaii recently you'd think we were suggesting something. We aren't...or are we? One previous Sidestep on 6th April covered Cocks comb heads of Hawaiian carvings. Now we will look at Te Uenuku and the rainbow gods of Polynesia
For a long time I’ve been curious about this item. It doesn’t fit normal Maori carving and there is nothing similar in all of NZ.
They call it Uenuku after the rainbow god but the carving has nothing to do with a rainbow. But it was about what the carving held they say. A special stone that represented the rainbow was supposed to sit inside the hollow portion. Of course no one can prove the existence of this stone but that’s not the point.
All Polynesian references to the rainbow god have a ‘rainbow’ over the figure.
But why this odd shape of a spiked hood? It seemed a lot like the Hawaiian feathered helmets.
By chance I came across something related to the Alii of the Hawaiian Islands, particularly the island of Kauai. But it was a petroglyph of the rainbow god from Hawaii that proved Te Uenuku has nothing to do with the legendary Uenuku at all.
Here is a petroglyph representation of an Alii . a member of a hereditary chiefly or noble rank in Polynesia A supreme ruler. Ali'i were believed to have descended from the gods. Their special badges of rank included elaborate headgear meant to symbolize the mana and spiritual power, they inherited. Ka moa, the rooster, is a chief who sleeps on a high perch (rooster feathers were used in kahili, feather standards that were symbols of the ali'i; Notice anything?
I’d say it’s a clear indication someone is making stuff up just like the false story that the jade bird that Tainui call the Korotangi. The only thing that remotely links that carved jade Indonesian bird to a Maori legend is one wailing old woman. If that is offensive then so be it - it’s the only clear way of putting it. Emotion seems to override clear evidence against the carving being from Polynesia.
Consequently, Te Uenuku has nothing to do with Uenuku, it relates solely to the Ariki (Maori) or specifically the Alii of Hawaii. Why? Have a closer look above again.
Combine the last three pictures ans they clearly show the only thing anywhere in the world that is remotely close to what Tainui call Te Uenuku... is from Hawaii and is an Alii (chief), not a rainbow God!
(next week you'll read a story of a find none of you have heard before... and it's more exciting than the Moa prints found in Otago last month!)
