Category: Oceanic

In nearly every Polynesian language, moana simply means the open sea or vast ocean. It evokes not only the physical expanse of water but also ideas of horizon, depth, and the domain of Tangaroa/Kanaloa—the great Ocean‑God who links all islands. The word appears in: Because Polynesian cultures see the ocean as highway, larder, and ancestral…

Introduction Whakapapa (genealogy or lineage) lies at the heart of Māori world views. It is more than a family tree – it is the thread that weaves people, land, sky and all living things into one great whānau (extended family). In simple terms, whakapapa means the layering of one thing upon another. As Māori elder…

1. Introduction The peoples who call Oceania home are sailors of mind and spirit. From the coral crowns of Micronesia to the green volcanoes of Melanesia and the wide‑flung triangle of Polynesia, they interpret the world not through stone monuments or written parchment but through moemoeā—dream‑vision—and through the pulse of oral story. To sit in…

Preface This work offers a sweeping yet respectful journey through some of the most revered narratives of the Australian Aboriginal Dreaming—stories that breathe life, law, and landscape into the world’s oldest living cultures. Although they are arranged here in a single volume for ease of reading, each narrative properly belongs to specific language groups whose…