A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.
Overview
Gill’s Aitutaki account places Rata’s canoe between a giant whale’s open jaws, one below and one above the vessel. Nganaoa breaks his spear into two props to prevent them closing, enters the mouth and discovers his long-lost parents Tairitokerau and Vaiaroa alive within. They had been swallowed while fishing and are still plaiting coconut-fiber cord.
Leaving one prop in place, Nganaoa makes fire-sticks from the other and lights the fatty interior. The distressed whale swims to the nearest shore, where all three walk out of its mouth as it lies stranded and dying. The island is Iti-te-marama; the company later sails home without further peril. Gill explicitly distinguishes the tale’s toora, whale, from the great fish in the translated Jonah story, while recording a contemporary comparison between them. That comparison does not establish borrowing.
Origins & earliest records
William Wyatt Gill, Myths and Songs from the South Pacific (London: Henry S. King, 1876). Introduction names Tereavai and Sadaraka among major contributors, but the selected tale has no individually named narrator.
Records & interpretation
Complete selected narrative and relevant collector notes read from digitized 1876 OCR. Original-language spelling on scan remains a further visual-collation queue.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Myths and Songs from the South Pacific, VII: Rata’s Canoe, pp. 147–149
Title-page imprint verified in digitized OCR; colonial religious judgments not adopted.
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.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Primary collected textMyths and Songs from the South Pacific, VII: Rata’s Canoe, pp. 147–149Research access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.