The new live action Moana movie is premiering around the world. If you didn’t already know my views about the Moana series go and read Moana is not real! Moana is based on a mish mash of Pacific myths and legends. Yes, it is a make-believe place but the myths and legends that it is based on are real and part of our Pacific cultures. This is why I think it is important to know some Samoan myths and legends that form the basis of Moana.
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If you saw the tattoos that Maui has and wondered, why do they talk and tell him what to do? The story of Taema and Tilafaiga tell you how Samoa got the tattoo and its importance to our Samoan people.
One of the foods that are eaten on motunui and that the Kakamori are likened to is the coconut. The coconut is the lifeline of Samoa in terms of what we eat, what we feed out animals, the oil for our hair and skin, the use of the shell for cooking, fire, the leaves for our houses, mats and bags. The coconut is a major part of Samoan life. The story of Sina and the Eel tells us how we got the coconut in Samoa.
Maui is a demigod in the Moana movies. The legend of Maui is found all over the Pacific. In Samoa Maui is also known as Ti’iti’i and sometimes even Ti’eti’e. In the Samoan myth of Maui, Maui was the son of Ma’eatutala and Talaga. Maui used to ride on the shoulders of his mother and was often called Ti’eti’e I Talaga (riding on the shoulders of Talaga). The legend goes on to tell how Maui fought the giant Mafui’e to bring fire to Samoa and this is why today we can enjoy cooked food. The legend of Maui continues to be told throughout the Pacific islands.
The Pacific was a place where our histories were shared orally through telling stories. In fact in the Moana movie you see Grandma Tala sharing the stories of our people with the children, which is called fāgogo in Samoa. Because our histories were told orally, many things have changed and many things get mixed with other stories. They are still our history. They are still our stories. Stories that may be even more mixed because of movies like Moana that don’t share accurate information, but one that is mixed and made to suit a wider audience. I believe it is more important than ever to know what our history is and why they are told so that we do not take on what is not true to be real culture.
When the world is trying to make us feel grateful we are able to be a part of telling a story that is a representation of our cultures but does not acknowledge that our cultures are unique and that our people have different traditions and should not all be lumped into one, is that really representation? I love that our people choreographed, acted, and were featured in the making of the film. I just wish it did not feel so performative in the representation of our cultures. Learn your real culture.
