Kohai, Koau, mo Momo
Encyclopedia
Kohai Koau (I, me), mo (and) Momo (crumb) were in the Tongan mythology
the first human beings created on earth. They came forth from the uanga (maggots, fruitfly larvae; apparently also in Tonga
seen as a source of generatio spontanea). Their being-first status has elevated them from mere mortals into the realm of divinity, and added mystical significance to their names. According to one informant Kohai was a woman, Momo a man, and the third one was forgotten. Another informant saw Kohai for the future, Momo for the present and Koau standing for the past. Yet another: Kohai came from the head of the maggot, Koau from the tail, and Momo is not mentioned. Kohai became the first Tui Tonga.
This dynasty of the Tui Tonga
, descendant from the maggot, is not to be confused with the real or divine Tui Tonga dynasty, which started with Ahoeitu
. It is possible that these uanga people refer to the supremacy of the Tui Manua
empire.
Nevertheless it is still customary for poets nowadays to recite or invent dynasties for the chiefs they want to please, going back to Kohai, Koau & Momo.
Tongan mythology
Tongan mythology is a variant of a more general Polynesian mythology in Tonga.-Creation myth:In the beginning there was just the sea, and the spirit world, Pulotu; and between them was a rock called Touiao Futuna...
the first human beings created on earth. They came forth from the uanga (maggots, fruitfly larvae; apparently also in Tonga
Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...
seen as a source of generatio spontanea). Their being-first status has elevated them from mere mortals into the realm of divinity, and added mystical significance to their names. According to one informant Kohai was a woman, Momo a man, and the third one was forgotten. Another informant saw Kohai for the future, Momo for the present and Koau standing for the past. Yet another: Kohai came from the head of the maggot, Koau from the tail, and Momo is not mentioned. Kohai became the first Tui Tonga.
This dynasty of the Tui Tonga
Tu'i Tonga
The Tui Tonga is a line of Tongan kings, which originated in the 10th century with the mythical Ahoeitu; withdrew from political power in the 15th century by yielding to the Tui Haatakalaua; and died out with Laufilitonga in 1865...
, descendant from the maggot, is not to be confused with the real or divine Tui Tonga dynasty, which started with Ahoeitu
'Aho'eitu
In Tongan mythology, or oral history, Ahoeitu is a son of the god Tangaloa Eitumātupua and a mortal woman, Ilaheva Vaepopua. He became the first king of the Tui Tonga dynasty in the early 10th century, dethroning the previous one with the same name but originating from the uanga instead of...
. It is possible that these uanga people refer to the supremacy of the Tui Manua
Tu'i Manu'a
The title Tui Manua is considered the oldest chiefly title of the Samoa Islands and Polynesia. Tuimanua Elisala was the last Tuimanua titleholder. He was the grandson of Tuimanua Alalamua whose genealogy descended from the Sa Tagaloa....
empire.
Nevertheless it is still customary for poets nowadays to recite or invent dynasties for the chiefs they want to please, going back to Kohai, Koau & Momo.