Octopus 'Orava

It is probably only at XIe century or even XIVe century that the islands would have welcomed their first inhabitants, most certainly from Tahiti, populated long before. here is legend on the octopus 'Orava.

octopus 'Orava

Octopus 'Orava of Tubuai

Octopus ink fishing (tutae fee) to catch parrot fish is a specific fishing on the island of Tubuai. The legend of the octopus 'Orava tells the origin of this fishery.

At that time, a green island emerges from the ocean. On this island called Tumurai (former name of Tubuai) lived men and women who by their stature and their beauty resembled gods. They worshiped the gods of nature: Atea, goddess of space; Oro, god of the sky and the rainbow; Hiva, goddess of the sea.

On this island lived a couple, Maraetoa tane and Maraetoa vahine. One day, Maraetoa tane decided to fill his calabash with seawater to prepare the meal. When he arrived at the Vaiharuru River, he saw something the size of a calabash floating on the surface of the water. He looked for a way to grab it, put the weird thing in his hands, tossed it and turned it. He was excited, because this shell, however completely closed, contained something.

He took a stone to split this shell. Inside, he discovered a tiny octopus. He put it in his calabash filled with sea water and ran home to show it to his wife.

Sensitive to the signs of Nature, they decided to raise her but she grew so fast that it became impossible to hide her. The whole village discovered the sacred animal, raised and protected by the Maraetoa couple.

The population then decided to raise the octopus to the rank of new goddess. The incantations are being prepared for the location of a new marae on Te Ha Umapurotu land. The two big drums Ruamanoparere and Ruareiparoro were installed. Each had a particular resonance. Ruamanoparere called the inhabitants of the valleys and Ruareiparoro called the inhabitants of the coast. The large umete Taitehepu was also placed, intended to engrave the names of the great families of the island.

The population gathered for the inauguration of the new marae and the enthronement of the new goddess 'Orava.

A large crowd had gathered that day. As an offering to the new goddess baptized "Tearamoana" we prefer two young people, Titoarii and Heinatoa. They were led and tied to the Natitai rock, which overlooked the sea.

At this time, the great shark Ma'o-Tuanui was seen circling near this place. The ceremony dedicated to Tearamoana made him very jealous and he decided to kill her. A struggle ensued and both sank. The octopus was thrown into the depths of the ocean. Ma'o-Tuanui filled with water and then drowned.

Tearamoana loses all its ink which darkens the ocean. At the nauseating smell of this black liquid, we saw many species of fish rise to the surface of the ocean.

Since that remote time, octopus ink fishing (tutae fee) to catch parrot fish is a specific fishing in Tubuai Island.