Editing Atua

{{Short description|Polynesian gods and spirits}}
{{About||the district in Samoa|Atua (district)|the river in Brazil|Atuá River}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=June 2020}}
'''Atua''' are the [[god]]s and spirits of the [[Polynesian people]] such as the [[Māori mythology|Māori]] or the [[Hawaiian religion|Hawaiians]] (see also {{lang|haw|[[Kupua]]}}). The literal meaning of the [[Polynesian languages|Polynesian word]] is "power" or "strength" and so the concept is similar to that of ''[[Mana (Oceanian mythology)|mana]]''. Many of the atua that are known have originated from myths and legends of each [[Polynesian culture]] before Christianity was introduced. These days, the word atua is related to the monotheistic conception of [[God]]. However for [[Polynesian people|Polynesian culture]]s, as opposed to having only one superior god, there are multiple atua. 

For [[Māori mythology|Māori]], there are eight main atua – excluding the parents, [[Ranginui|Ranginui (sky father)]] and [[Papatuanuku|Papatūānuku (earth mother)]]: 
* ''[[Tāne|Tāne Mahuta]]'' – god of the forest and all forest creatures such as animals, birds and trees;
* [[Tāwhirimātea]] – god of wind and storms;
* [[Haumia-tiketike]] – god of uncultivated food and fernroot (also known as [[Haumia-tiketike|Haumia]], [[Haumia-tiketike|Haumia-tikitiki]], and [[Haumia-tiketike|Haumia-roa]]);
* ''[[Rongo|Rongo-mā-Tāne]]'' – god of Agriculture and Peace (also known as [[Rongo|Rongohīrea]] and [[Rongo|Rongomaraeroa]]);
* ''[[Tangaroa]]'' – god of the sea;
* ''[[Tūmatauenga]]'' – god of war and humans (also known as [[Tūmatauenga|Tūkāriri]]); 
* [[Rūaumoko]] – god of earthquakes (also known as [[Rūaumoko|Rūaimoko]]);
* ''[[Whiro|Whiro-te-tipua]]'' – god of darkness, evil, and death.

In the  [[Samoan language]],<ref name="pratt">{{cite book |last=Pratt |first=George |url=https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-PraDict.html |title=A Grammar and Dictionary of the Samoan Language, with English and Samoan vocabulary |publisher=R. MacMillan |year=1984 |isbn=978-0-908712-09-0 |edition=3rd and revised |location=Papakura, New Zealand |page=270 |access-date=8 July 2010 |orig-year=1893}}</ref> where atua means "god", traditional [[pe'a|tattooing]] was based on the doctrine of [[tutelary spirit]]s.<ref>{{citation |last=Ratzel |first=Friedrich |title=The History of Mankind |year=1896 |publisher=MacMillan}}</ref> There is also a district on the island of [[Upolu]] in Samoa called [[Atua (district)|Atua]]. 
Atua or gods are also at the centre of [[Māori mythology|Māori]] mythology. In traditional [[Māori mythology|Māori]] belief, there is no specific word for "religion" because the natural and supernatural world are seen as one.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Taonga|first=New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu|title=Ngā atua – the gods|url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/traditional-maori-religion-nga-karakia-a-te-maori/page-1|access-date=2021-10-28|website=teara.govt.nz|language=en}}</ref>

In other [[Austronesian people|Austronesian cultures]], [[cognate]]s of ''atua'' include the [[Polynesian people|Polynesian]] ''[[aitu]]'', [[Micronesian people|Micronesian]] ''aniti'', [[Bunun people|Bunun]] {{lang|bnn|[[hanitu]]}}, [[Filipino people|Filipino]] and [[Tao people|Tao]] ''[[anito]]'', and [[Malaysian people|Malaysian]] and [[Indonesian people|Indonesian]] ''[[Hantu (supernatural creature)|hantu]]'' or ''antu''.<ref name="funk">{{cite book|last=Funk|first=Leberecht|editor1-last=Musharbash|editor1-first=Y.|editor2-last=Presterudstuen|editor2-first=G.H.|year=2014|chapter=Entanglements between Tao People and Anito on Lanyu Island, Taiwan|title=Monster Anthropology in Australasia and Beyond|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|pages=143–159|isbn=978-1-137-44865-1|doi=10.1057/9781137448651_9}}</ref>

In popular culture, Atua is the name that is used to refer to the deity which the character Angie Yonaga worships in the English dub of ''[[Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony]].'' The term "Atua" is often associated with her character.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Atua in Danganronpa: A Look at Polynesian Culture and Angie Yonaga |url=https://h-o-m-e.org/atua-danganronpa/ |access-date=2023-09-25 |website=h-o-m-e.org |language=en-US}}</ref>

Similar to [[Māori mythology|Māori]], there are many [[Samoa|Samoan]] mythologies with deities ("atua"). In Samoa, there two types of atua: [[atua]] (non-human origins) and [[aitu]] (human origins). In Samoa, the atua known as [[Tagaloa]] was regarded as the creator of all beings.<sup>[https://mythlok.com/tagaloa/ <nowiki>[6]</nowiki>]</sup> The atua known as [[Savea]] was recognized as being the ruler over Pulotu, the underworld of spirits. He is a complex figure in Samoan mythology and represents death and life.<sup>[https://mythlok.com/savea/ <nowiki>[7]</nowiki>]</sup> [[Mafuiʻe|Mafui'e]] was known as the god of earthquakes.<sup>[https://mythlok.com/mafui%ca%bbe/ <nowiki>[8]</nowiki>]</sup> However, since Christianity was introduced to Samoa in 1830<sup>[https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1546&context=isp_collection#:~:text=Christianity%20was%20first%20introduced%20in,Church%20of%20Samoa%20(CCCS). <nowiki>[9]</nowiki>]</sup>, the existence and belief of these deities were soon forgotten by the Samoan people, leaving only their myths and stories.

== See also ==
{{portal|Myths|Oceania|Religion}}
* [[Hawaiian religion]]
* [[List of Māori deities]]
* [[Māori mythology]]
* [[Polynesian mythology]]
* [[Zanahary]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Polynesian mythology]]
[[Category:Samoan words and phrases]]
[[Category:Polynesian deities]]
[[Category:Austronesian spirituality]]
[[Category:Nature spirits]]
{{oceania-myth-stub}}