Manoga
Sa'a & Ulawa · demigod · Sa'a & Ulawa traditional religion; continuing · Recorded classification
Manoga is a celebrated tindalo of Florida – a ghost of a dead man raised, by the mana that clung to him, to be an object of worship and sacrifice. He exemplifies the class of powerful ancestral ghosts (called 'ataro at Sa'a and Ulawa) that stood at the centre of south-east Solomonic religion, a class held distinct from the figona, who were never human. Prayers and offerings were made to such ghosts to secure success in war, gardening and fishing. He is included as a named instance of the deified-ancestor category shared across the region; his home tradition is that of Florida (Gela).
Domains
- ancestral power
- mana spiritual power
- war and success
Powers
- empowers the living through mana
Sources
- Manoga is a celebrated tindalo of Florida – a ghost of a dead man raised, by the mana that clung to him, to be an object of worship and sacrifice.: R. H. Codrington, The Melanesians (1891), section on tindalo. (primary)
- He exemplifies the class of powerful ancestral ghosts (called 'ataro at Sa'a and Ulawa) that stood at the centre of south-east Solomonic religion, distinct from the figona who were never human.: W. G. Ivens, Melanesians of the South-East Solomon Islands (1927), chapters on 'ataro and sacrifice; R. H. Codrington, The Melanesians (1891). (primary)