Tuimotuliki

Overview

After the deaths of Atalanga and Kijikiji, Sinailele repeatedly passes over their bones while going to gather shellfish. The narrative attributes her pregnancy to the bones and explicitly clears her brothers of blame. The child is born without flesh, appearing as bones and sinews until bathing fills out his body. Soon he speaks and runs independently, possessing strength said to exceed that of both Maui fathers.

Tuimotuliki’s fires alarm his mother and uncles because they reveal their survival to neighbouring people. When boats arrive from Bau, he breaks coconut trees into heavy striking beams and defeats nine boats before taking the tenth for a voyage. In Tonga he drives a mooring stake into solid rock, another narrated sign of exceptional power. A later fish restriction becomes part of the account’s court relationship, but Collocott explicitly says he has neither observed nor specially investigated a universal restriction of that sort. The profile therefore records the tale without presenting its claimed custom as established contemporary practice or reproducing the subsequent sacred lineage list.

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 unusual birth, early speech, growth and strength are narrated attestations, not claims about real pregnancy or development. Collocott's express reservation about the later fish restriction is preserved, and sacred lineage names are not reproduced.

Selected bibliography

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

1. 01

   Legends from Tonga. The Maui, pp. 53–57

   E. E. V. Collocott (printed signature Collcott) · 1921

   Selected public primary pages read in full, including continuations. English missionary-era presentation is attributed, and its judgments are not treated as community consensus.

2. 02

   Legends from Tonga. The Maui

   Ernest Edgar Vyvyan Collocott (E. E. V. Collocott) · 1921

   E. E. V. Collocott, Legends from Tonga. The Maui, Folklore32 (1921), pp45–58; proofread Wikisource page transcription inspected, facsimile not independently checked.

Family, evolution & connections

Tuimotuliki’s stated parents in Collocott’s Sinailele episode

The child born after Sinailele steps over the dead Mauis’ bone heaps.

The text names Sinailele as mother and repeatedly calls both Mauis the child’s fathers. This extraordinary narrative paternity is not a biological reproduction model. Atalanga and Kijikiji are themselves father and son in the preceding episode. They are grouped as jointly stated parents here, not equated or turned into a linear ancestor chain. Later living-family descendant lists are excluded.

Located primary passages

Specific passages supporting details in this entry, grouped by their published witness.

References

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

1. Primary textLegends from Tonga, Folklore 32 (1921), printed p. 53Research access: 2026-10-05
2. Primary textLegends from Tonga, Folklore 32 (1921), printed p. 54Research access: 2026-10-05
3. Primary textLegends from Tonga, Folklore 32 (1921), printed p. 55Research access: 2026-10-05
4. Primary textLegends from Tonga, Folklore 32 (1921), printed p. 56Research access: 2026-10-05
5. Primary textLegends from Tonga, Folklore 32 (1921), printed p. 57Research access: 2026-10-05
6. 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.