Hina is the name assigned to a number of Polynesian deities. The name Hina usually relates to a powerful female force who has dominion over a specific entity. Some variations of the name Hina include Sina, Hanaiakamalama, and Ina. Even within a single culture, Hina could refer to multiple goddesses and the distinction between the different identities are not always clear. In Hawaiian mythology, the name is usually paired with words which explain or identify the goddess and her power such as Hina-puku-iʻa (Hina-gathering-seafood) the goddess of fishermen, and Hina-ʻopu-hala-koʻa who gave birth to all reef life.
Mararu: Offerings of gratitude to Tahitian goddess Hina. Woodcut by Paul Gauguin (1894).
Wooden carved kiʻi of Hina (right) and Kūkaʻilimoku (left)
In Māori mythology, as in other Polynesian traditions, Māui is a culture hero and a trickster, famous for his exploits and cleverness. He possessed superhuman strength, and was capable of shapeshifting into animals such as birds and worms.
Māui took on the appearance of a kererū when he went to find his parents in the underworld. The white on his chest was his mother's apron.
Māui stole fire from the fingernails of Mahuika
New Zealand fantail, South Island subspecies. In some versions, small birds like this accompanied Māui on his quest to win immortality for humankind.
