The forgotten children of Maui

Description:

In Polynesia, Maui is best known as a superman, a demigod who performed incredible feats of strength like fishing up islands and capturing the Sun. Yet, hidden within the ancient mythology, extinct tattoos, and dying rituals of the Philippines, lays the powerful impact of a man well known in Polynesia, but nearly forgotten in the Philippines. In this book, the author deciphers the fragments of the Maui tradition of the Philippines and compares them with what is known in the Pacific Islands to restore a holistic understanding of Maui and the traditions surrounding him. He reveals the actual life history of a world changing progenitor hidden in the metaphors of mythic traditions that still affect us today.--From back cover.

subjects: Tattooing,  Social life and customs,  Mythology,  Folklore,  Maui (Polynesian deity),  History

Places: Philippines