A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.
Overview
After landing on ʻEua, the father and son encounter a paper-mulberry that bends down to bite them. Kijikiji grabs it, snaps it and pulls it up by the roots. The next hostile tree is named toto eitu in the printed account and makes the same biting attempt before being destroyed. The text establishes movement and predatory action, but supplies no separate mouth anatomy, facial features or speech.
The paired encounter belongs to a sequence also containing a briefly mentioned lizard and a much fuller giant-bird episode. Once the destroyers are defeated, the Mauis call the hiding inhabitants back to their homes and gardens. The two trees are kept together because the selected source gives parallel short actions rather than independent biographies. The unusual name is retained without an unverified botanical identification or a claim that all paper-mulberries in Tonga were regarded as dangerous. No magical wood product or later regeneration is stated.
Origins & earliest records
The selected witness is E. E. V. Collocott’s 1921 article in Folklore, volume 32, pp. 45–58. The eHRAF catalogue identifies a Tongan-language missionary journal as the immediate collection context. The English publication dates this witness rather than the oral beginning; that earlier journal text has not been independently collated here.
Records & interpretation
The two biting attempts and Kijikiji's uprooting are the limited explicit evidence. The source does not provide mouth anatomy or demonstrate predatory plants in nature. Botanical names beyond those printed remain unverified.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Legends from Tonga. The Maui, pp. 50–51
Selected public primary pages read in full, including continuations. English missionary-era presentation is attributed, and its judgments are not treated as community consensus.
- 02
Legends from Tonga. The Maui
E. E. V. Collocott, Legends from Tonga. The Maui, Folklore32 (1921), pp45–58; proofread Wikisource page transcription inspected, facsimile not independently checked.
Family & connections
A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.
Located primary passages
Specific passages supporting details in this entry, grouped by their published witness.
Legends from Tonga. The Maui, pp. 50–51
E. E. V. Collocott, Legends from Tonga. The Maui, Folklore32 (1921), pp45–58; proofread Wikisource page transcription inspected, facsimile not independently checked.
- Two biting trees attack the Mauis; Kijikiji destroys both. No botanical identification of toto eitu is independently established.
Printed45–57 selected narrative pages inspected; sacred descendant catalogue and ceremonial formula excerpts excluded. No uninspected original informant identity or facsimile verification claimed. No global public-domain claim. Author died1970, independently verified in Australian Dictionary of Biography / National Library of New Zealand. Underlying1921 text treated conservatively as protected; site footer is not proof of globally free underlying copyright. Shared article budget24 words including duplicate short quotations/evidence in both outputs; no further excerpts.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Primary textLegends from Tonga, Folklore 32 (1921), printed p. 50Research access: 2026-10-05
- Primary textLegends from Tonga, Folklore 32 (1921), printed p. 51Research access: 2026-10-05
- ReferenceeHRAF catalogue: Legends from Tonga, 1921, collection contextResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.