To'a and Tane

The legend of Havai recounts the bad reception that the inhabitants of Tubuai did to their new king Tane and how he took revenge against his people with the help of his friend To'a, the king of Rurutu.

To'a and Tane were traveling in the great ocean. When they reached the channel that separates Tahiti from Moorea, they met the Queen of Tahiti who was on her way to Moorea. The Queen picked them up and took them to Tahiti and provided them with food until they were satisfied. Then she let them continue their journey. They arrived at the island of Tubuai. Tane landed and became king of Tubuai and To'a continued his journey to the island of Rurutu where he became king of this island.

To'a, king of Rurutu, took Teoa as his wife who was the daughter of Maariri with whom he had a child named Tane Au'ura. And this is what the people of Rurutu did towards King To'a: they brought him bad food, young fruits from the bread tree that had fallen to the ground (uru pî a'aiâ) and inedible taro (mai) capable of hurts him a lot.

Now, there is only one man in Rurutu who brings good food: ripe uru (maoa) big and good "taro", and this man was called Te-ihi-Taura (the skilful in astronomy). He had a compassionate heart.

The king said not a word; he received these foods and ate them without refusing anything, but, deep down, his entrails suffered from it and his heart was full of sadness.

While his father-in-law Maariri fished with tautai tao-raora (spear fishing) from evening to morning, for several days he remained without catching anything: "aora roa' 'ee maia" (without any luck)

However, it happened that one day To'a went for a walk on the shore, where he saw, suspended on a tree of iron (toa), the hook of his father-in-law. He took it in his hands and threw it in front of the Point of Outu-i-tai-tauraa (point to the sea of the perch). His line fell to the bottom of the sea and soon after he pulled it out with a good catch. To'a cast his hook a second time in the same spot and pulled it again with a big fish on the end of his line and so on.

The news spread throughout the island. They said: "Ua ma'ia te matau a To'a" (To'a's hook is lucky...) This rumor reached the ears of Maariri, who had a heart full of jealousy and anger, because his hook was lucky in To'a's hands and not his.

Maariri came to the shore, grabbed a big stick and struck To'a with it. This one remained on the spot, wept and turned his thoughts towards his friend Tane, when he saw a boat, in the distance towards the West, in front of Vaioini, which came in his direction. He motioned for the boat to approach and, when he was within earshot, shouted, "Where are you going?" »

Are'eoa, the owner of the boat replied: "I'm going to Tubuai..."
To'a said to him: "When you arrive in Tubuai, you will go to my friend Tane, and you will say to him: 'Embark for Rurutu.'

Are'aoa replied, “What else should I tell him? “.
You will say to him: "the pass of Tauraa is full of thorns (tataramoa), here is the surmounted rock and the reef hidden by the waves"
" Is that all ? Are'aoa told him. "That's all…" To'a replied.

The boat left for Rurutu where Are'aoa disembarked. He went to find Tane, and said to him: “To'a sends you a message: he asks you to leave for Rurutu. »
"Didn't he tell you anything else?" ".
“He also told me: “the Tauraa pass is full of tataramoa, and then, that the rock (To'a) and the reefs are invaded and hidden by the waves.”…

The people of Rurutu, seeing the boat, shouted: “A boat… in front of Arei…”. The news reached To'a. He sent his son Tane Au'ura to make sure of this. The latter returned, and said to his father: "The boat is near Tutaera'o"

The father replied, "Go back to the shore." Then the son came back: "He is in Areiuna" "Go again..." He is in front of Avarua "Go back again…." The son came back and said, “He is near Vaio (digging water). "Go back again, my son, and take a good look…." ". He ran away, came back, and said to his father To'a: "The boat is very close to Hue."

To'a took his son and his wife and locked them in their hut. He girded himself with his mâro, took his spear and the… (peipei a'era i ta'na omore), ran on the shore, offering himself in front of the Hotuava pass. There was a crowd of people there then.

The boat approached, Tane saw his friend To'a and shouted to him: "Where is the water that I can drink from it?" ". To'a nodded and said, “She's behind my back…. “. Tane grabbed his spear and threw it in such a way that it slammed into Maariri's chest, who sagged and breathed his last.

To'a and Tane then turned against the people of Rurutu and exterminated them all, except for Teihi Taurua and those of his household, for he had been the only one to bring To'a good food: big uru, big taro.

Thus ended this bloody carnage.