Myths & Traditions - Samoan, Maori

Samoa

http://www.samoa.co.uk/creation.html
http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-TuvAcco-t1-body1-d48.html

Fa'asamoa (the Samoan Way)
http://www.samoa.co.uk/faasamoaintro.html

Rangi & Papa - Creation

In Māori mythology the separation of sky and earth allowed light to enter the world which in turn led to the growth of all plants and animals. However, the separation was bitter, painful and precipitated by the children’s need to dominate their parents.

In the beginning there was no sky, no sea, no earth and no Gods. There was only darkness, only Te Kore, the Nothingness. From this nothingness, the primal parents of the Māori came, Papatuanuku, the Earth mother, and Ranginui, the Sky father.

Papa and Rangi came together, embracing in the darkness, and had 70 male children. These offspring became the gods of the Māori. However, the children were locked in their parents embrace, in eternal darkness, and yearned to see some light.

They eventually decided that their parents should be separated - Tumatauenga, the god of War, said "Let us kill our parents". However, Tane-Mahuta, the god of man and forests, and all which inhabits the forests, thought they should be separated. He thought that Rangi should go up above, to the sky, and that Papa should should go below, to dwell on earth. All the children, except Tawhiri Matea (god of winds and storms who feared that his kingdom would be overthrown) agreed with Tane.

One by one the children tried to separate their parents but with no luck. Lastly Tane-Mahuta rose. Strong as the kauri tree, he placed his shoulders against his mother and his feet against his father Ranginui, and he pushed hard. Rangi and Papa cried in pain, asking their sons" why do you wish to destroy our love?"
After a long time Tane finally managed to separate Rangi and Papa, and for the first time the children saw the light of day come streaming in. Once this happened, Tawhiri Matea, the god of winds and storms, and who had been against the separation of his parents, left for the sky to join his father.
The turbulent winds and storms on earth are caused by Tawhiri Matea, in revenge for this brother's acts.