Asoatemuri and Suakmasta

Overview

C. Jacobsen’s account describes two fish born of human parents and placed in a pool at Maftoa. Growing very large, they become tanifa and are moved to the sea. Named Asoatemuri and Suakmasta, they protect people against other fish. The website glosses tanifa as a kind of dangerous shark.

Mesulama supplies a related Maftoa account of two nurtured tanifa that later protect people. He also reports changing food restrictions rather than an unchanging island-wide prohibition. The paired profile retains the names given by Jacobsen without inventing distinct biographies for each shark or merging every sacred Rotuman marine animal with them.

Origins & earliest records

The Rotuma archive presents MacGregor’s 1932 notes with named consultants. Its editors explain orthographic standardization and clarification; originals are deposited at Bishop Museum.

Records & interpretation

Animal Spirits (1), C. Jacobsen; related account (4), Mesulama.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

1. 01

   MacGregor’s Rotuma Notes: Asoatemuri and Suakmasta

   Gordon MacGregor, recorder; consultant identified in the record · 1932 fieldwork

   Animal Spirits (1), C. Jacobsen; related account (4), Mesulama.

Family, evolution & connections

Parents of Asoatemuri and Suakmasta

Jacobsen’s account (1).

Explicit parentage. Parents unnamed; narrative birth, not biological verification.

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

1. Edited primary field-note transcriptionRotuma archive: Asoatemuri and SuakmastaResearch access: 2026-10-05
2. Custodial and editorial contextMacGregor collection editorial explanationResearch access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.