Tangaloa 'Eitumatupu'a

Tangaloa Eitumatupua descends by a casuarina tree and fathers Ahoeitu with Ilaheva. After Ahoeitu’s heavenly brothers kill him, Eitumatupua directs his restoration and appoints him to rule Tonga. Gifford’s collected accounts distinguish this figure from other named Tangaloa.

Children

• 'Aho'eitu
• Maliepo
• Matakehe
• Talafale
• Tui Folaha
• Tui Loloko

Children in alternative accounts

• 'Aho'eitu: Reiter baker (Gifford)E. W. Gifford, Tongan Myths and Tales (1924), pp. 25–29 (primary)
• Maliepo: Reiter baker (Gifford)E. W. Gifford, Tongan Myths and Tales (1924), pp. 25–29 (primary)
• Matakehe: Reiter baker (Gifford)E. W. Gifford, Tongan Myths and Tales (1924), pp. 25–29 (primary)
• Talafale: Reiter baker (Gifford)E. W. Gifford, Tongan Myths and Tales (1924), pp. 25–29 (primary)
• Tui Folaha: Reiter baker (Gifford)E. W. Gifford, Tongan Myths and Tales (1924), pp. 25–29 (primary)
• Tui Loloko: Reiter baker (Gifford)E. W. Gifford, Tongan Myths and Tales (1924), pp. 25–29 (primary)

Names and tradition associations

• Tangaloa Eiki Tongan · resolvedE. W. Gifford, Tongan Myths and Tales (1924), pp. 16,25–28 (primary)
• Tangaloa Tufunga Tongan · resolvedE. W. Gifford, Tongan Myths and Tales (1924), pp. 16,25–28 (primary)
• Tangaloa Atulongolongo Tongan · resolvedE. W. Gifford, Tongan Myths and Tales (1924), pp. 16,25–28 (primary)
• Tangaloa (Lomu’s account) Tongan · resolvedE. W. Gifford, Tongan Myths and Tales (1924), pp. 19–20,25–28 (primary)
• Tagaloa (Tregear’s fishing account) Tongan · resolvedEdward Tregear, Maori-Polynesian Comparative Dictionary (1891), pp. 464, Tonga subsection of Tangaroa entry (secondary)

Variant accounts

• source review correctionThis source-bounded lifecycle follows the individually reviewed Reiter–Baker account. Earlier wording and citations remain in the correction history; claims about other accounts are not silently transferred.E. W. Gifford, Tongan Myths and Tales (1924), Reiter–Baker account, pp. 25–29 (primary)

Domains

• sky and heavens
• divine ancestry and kingship

Powers

• descends from the sky to earth upon the toa tree
• sires the sacred line of the Tu'i Tonga

Relations

• sibling: Tangaloa-'AtulongolongoBoth are sons of Tangaloa in the sky, hence brothers.Collocott, E. E. V. 'Notes on Tongan Religion', Journal of the Polynesian Society 30 (1921), naming Tangaloa 'Eitumatupu'a and Tangaloa 'Atulongolongo among the sons of Tangaloa in the sky (secondary)
• spouse: 'Ilaheva Va'epopuaHis mortal wife on earth, the mother of 'Aho'eitu.Gifford, E. W. Tongan Myths and Tales (Bishop Museum Bulletin 8, 1924), on 'Eitumatupu'a taking 'Ilaheva to wife (secondary)
• counterpart of: TangaroaCross-island counterpart comparison. This link does not identify the portrayals as one individual or transfer genealogy, cult, powers or objects.Comparative Polynesian mythology: reflexes of the same ancestral deity across the island groups (E. Tregear, Maori-Polynesian Comparative Dictionary, 1891; R. D. Craig, Dictionary of Polynesian Mythology, 1989) (secondary)
• counterpart of: KanaloaCross-island counterpart comparison. This link does not identify the portrayals as one individual or transfer genealogy, cult, powers or objects.Comparative Polynesian mythology: reflexes of the same ancestral deity across the island groups (E. Tregear, Maori-Polynesian Comparative Dictionary, 1891; R. D. Craig, Dictionary of Polynesian Mythology, 1989) (secondary)
• counterpart of: TagaloaCross-island counterpart comparison. This link does not identify the portrayals as one individual or transfer genealogy, cult, powers or objects.Comparative Polynesian mythology: reflexes of the same ancestral deity across the island groups (E. Tregear, Maori-Polynesian Comparative Dictionary, 1891; R. D. Craig, Dictionary of Polynesian Mythology, 1989) (secondary)
• counterpart of: Ta'aroaCross-island counterpart comparison. This link does not identify the portrayals as one individual or transfer genealogy, cult, powers or objects.Comparative Polynesian mythology: reflexes of the same ancestral deity across the island groups (E. Tregear, Maori-Polynesian Comparative Dictionary, 1891; R. D. Craig, Dictionary of Polynesian Mythology, 1989) (secondary)
• counterpart of: TangaroaCross-island counterpart comparison. This link does not identify the portrayals as one individual or transfer genealogy, cult, powers or objects.Comparative Polynesian mythology: reflexes of the same ancestral deity across the island groups (E. Tregear, Maori-Polynesian Comparative Dictionary, 1891; R. D. Craig, Dictionary of Polynesian Mythology, 1989) (secondary)
• counterpart of: TangaroaCross-island counterpart comparison. This link does not identify the portrayals as one individual or transfer genealogy, cult, powers or objects.Comparative Polynesian mythology: reflexes of the same ancestral deity across the island groups (E. Tregear, Maori-Polynesian Comparative Dictionary, 1891; R. D. Craig, Dictionary of Polynesian Mythology, 1989) (secondary)
• counterpart of: TakaroaCross-island counterpart comparison. This link does not identify the portrayals as one individual or transfer genealogy, cult, powers or objects.Comparative Polynesian mythology: reflexes of the same ancestral deity across the island groups (E. Tregear, Maori-Polynesian Comparative Dictionary, 1891; R. D. Craig, Dictionary of Polynesian Mythology, 1989) (secondary)
• counterpart of: TanaoaCross-island counterpart comparison. This link does not identify the portrayals as one individual or transfer genealogy, cult, powers or objects.Comparative Polynesian mythology: reflexes of the same ancestral deity across the island groups (E. Tregear, Maori-Polynesian Comparative Dictionary, 1891; R. D. Craig, Dictionary of Polynesian Mythology, 1989) (secondary)

Sources

• Tangaloa 'Eitumatupu'a is the Tongan sky-god — one of the four sons of Tangaloa in the heavens — who descended to Tongatapu on a great toa (casuarina/ironwood) tree, took the mortal woman 'Ilaheva (Va'epopua) to wife, and fathered 'Aho'eitu, whom he made the first Tu'i Tonga of divine descent, so founding the sacred paramountcy of Tonga.: Gifford, E. W. Tongan Myths and Tales (Bishop Museum Bulletin 8, 1924) (secondary); Collocott, E. E. V. 'Notes on Tongan Religion', Journal of the Polynesian Society 30 (1921) (secondary)
• Tangaloa Eitumatupua descends by a casuarina tree and fathers Ahoeitu with Ilaheva. After Ahoeitu’s heavenly brothers kill him, Eitumatupua directs his restoration and appoints him to rule Tonga. Gifford’s collected accounts distinguish this figure from other named Tangaloa.: E. W. Gifford, Tongan Myths and Tales (1924), pp. 16,19–20,25–29 (primary)