Polynesian PantheonSacred Site
Ra'iatea (Sacred Island)
An island in the Society Islands group, traditionally considered one of the most sacred places in Polynesia. The marae (temple) of Taputapuatea was a center of religious and political power, from which voyaging canoes departed to settle distant islands.
About Ra'iatea (Sacred Island)
Ra'iatea and Taputapuatea
Ra'iatea (Rangiatea in Maori memory) in the Society Islands holds Taputapuatea, a marae complex tied to voyaging, high chiefs, and the god 'Oro in later Tahitian religion. Traditions make it a departure node for long-distance canoes. Maori churches later took the name Rangiatea. There is no single epic; evidence is marae archaeology, chants, and early missionary-era records. Admit what is not there: a verse-by-verse Argonautica of the Pacific.
On the map
Ra'iatea (Sacred Island) among other places of the Polynesian Pantheon.
Sources and further reading
Source notes
These references are recorded in the catalog. Their passage wording and translation have not been checked, so quotations are not displayed here.
- Society Islands oral tradition (Taputapuatea / 'Oro cycles)
About this entry
By Elizabeth Stein for Mythos Atlas. About the author. Editorial notes are grounded in the site's cited sources and can be challenged through the contact page.
Coordinates mark where the myths place a site, or where the tradition locates it today. Mythic realms are left off the map or marked as symbolic placements.
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