The character named GAIO (GA'I'O) in the Sāmoan Tala o le Vava'u (ancient history) called "O Le Tupuga O Le 'Ele'Ele Ma Tagata" regarding the "Origin of the Earth and People"... is a cognate of KAHIKO / TAFITO / TAWHITO / TAITO / TEFITO / TAHITO "The Ancient One" and creator of KI'I / TIKI the first man, who was deified and made in the image of the Sā Tagaloa.
Linguistic drift scheme: G==G == K==T===T______ A== A == A==A===A______ 'I =='I===HI=WHI='I==TI=KI 'O=TO==KO=TO=TO='O='O
In the first phase of the story, a genealogy of "trees" is detailed. When you examine the root meanings metaphorically for the so-called trees it is immediately apparent that what is being described is the appearance of a utopian society in the generation of Afi-mu-saesae and Mutalali - meaning "Fire burning brightly" and "Blazing fiercely". Perhaps this is the emergence of the first urban centers of the ancient world. With each generation, the characteristics and utility of the trees gradually waiver in quality and eventually begin to mean less and less savory things. In the end, the final tree generation is Vaolo-loa "long disobedient child"... The high god Tagaloa-a-Lagi then sends the Fue to crush the "trees", which are likely cities grown too proud, too tall, too independent from the gods and their order.
Fue, after succeeding in his mission of quelling disorder and likely carting off naked captives by the boatloads to serve in the imperial interior, negatively impacts food production, perhaps through corruption as Fue is described as "growing too luxuriously" for the food-bearing trees to produce much. This is an echo of the Garden of Eden story.
Tagaloa-a-Lagi then sends a punitive expedition with Tuli bearing a different kind of tree (La'au) to sasa (beat down) the Fue. Fue dies and from its rotting carcass humanity, or the first Samoans arise in the primitive state of large maggots... Born from the sacrificed remains of a dead god called Fue. This is the same parallel story structure as the Babylonian creation saga. Gai'oi'o / Gaitoito / Gaio appears to be the creator god known as IO in eastern Polynesian pantheons... and the first man to arise after IO (aka KI'O in Hawai'i) is Tiki / Ki'i, which means "image"....
Man made in the image of 'I'O.
The story is included here:
The Origin of the Earth and People (Masua, Lufilufi)
There was a man and a woman. The name of the man was Afi-mu-saesae, the woman, Mutalali. They had a child, a boy named Papaele. Papaele married Papa-sosolo and they had a son, Papa-nofo. Papa-nofo married Papa-tu, and their son was named Fatutu. Fatutu married Ma'ata'anoa and their son was called Tapu-fiti. Tapu-fiti married Mutia and they named their son Maʻuʻutoga. Maʻuʻutoga married Sefa. There was no child. So Sefa married Vaofali. They had no child either. Vaofali then married Ta'ata'a and they had a son named Mautofu. Mautofu married Tavai and their child was called Toi. Toi married Fuafua and their child was called Masame. Masame married Mamala and their son was called Mamalava. Mamalava married Malili but there was no child. Malili then married Tapuna and Vaololoa was born. These are all the trees of the forest.
Tagaloa-a-lagi looked down from the heavens and saw that the trees had grown very tall, almost reaching to his heavens. So he sent his servant Fue, a creeper vine, to remedy this. Fue crept among the tree tops weighing them down and as a result, the tree tops were bent down towards the earth. Tagaloa-a-lagi sent another of his servants, Tuli, to survey the earth. Tuli reported back to Tagaloa-a-Lagi and said, "The trees on the earth are growing well, but it is sad that the food bearing trees cannot grow because Fue has become luxuriant and thick down there." Tagaloa-a-Lagi then gave Tuli another tree with which to beat down Fue. Fue fell to the ground and he has remained there ever since. Tuli was sent down again to re-survey the earth. Tuli went down and saw that Fue had rotted, and in the rotting remains huge maggots were moving about. Tuli went back to Tagaloa-a-Lagi and told him about this. Tagaloa-a-Lagi then sent down Tuli and a spirt called Gaio (sinuous mover). Gaio created man out of these maggots.
The head was made first. Gaio said, "This is the head." Tuli answered, "My name should be included in that part." This is why one part of the head is called tuliulu (back of the head). Gaio said, "This is the stomach." Tuli said, "My name should also be mentioned here." Hence we have tulimanava (the loins). Gaio said, "This is a hand." "Mention my name there also," said Tuli. Thus we have tulilima (the elbow). Likewise all the other parts of the body. From then on, we have called the elbow joint and knee joint tulilima and tulivae respectively.
'O Le Tupuga o Le 'Ele'ele ma Tagata (Masua, Lufilufi)
'O le tane ma le fafine, o le igoa o le tane o Afi-mu-saesae, o le fafine o Mutalali. Na fanau le tama o Papaele. Na usu Papaele ia Papasosolo, fanau le tama o Papanofo. Na usu ia Papanofo ia Papatu fanau le tama of Fatutu. Na usu ia Fatutu ia Ma'ata'anoa fanau le tama o Tapufiti. Na usu ia Tapufiti ia Mutia fanau le tama o Mau'utoga. Na usu ia Mau'utoga ia Sefa, e leai se tama. Na usu ia Sefa ia Vaofali, e leai se tama. Na usu Vaofali ia Ta'ata'a fanau le tama o Mautofu. Na usu Mautofu ia Tavai fanau ia Toi. Na usu ia Toi ia Fuafua fanau ia Masame. Na usu ia Masame ia Mamala fanau ia Mamalava. Na usu Mamalava ia Malili, e leai se tama. Na usu ia Malili ia Tapuna fanau ia Vaololoa.
Ona silasila ifo ai lea o Tagaloa-a-Lagi, o le u'umi lava la'au. Ona auina ifo ai lea o lana auauna e igoa ia Fue. Ona sosolo ai lea o Fue i luga o la'au. Ona toe lolou ifo ai lea o tumutumu o la'au. Ona toe auina ifo ai lea o le tasi auauna a Tagaloa-a-Lagi, e igoa ia Tuli e asiasi ifo. Ona foi ae ai lea o le Tuli ia Tagaloa-a-Lagi, fai i ai ua lelei le nu'u, ae tasi le pona a nei e leai ni la'au aina e tutupu, ua malo le Fue i lalo.
Ona fai mai lea o Tagaloa-a-Lagi, sau ia, ina alu ma le la'au lea e sasa ai. Ona alu ifo lea o le Tuli ma le la'au; ua sasa le Fue, ona pau lea i le 'ele'ele, ua faupue ai. Ona alu ai lea o Tuli a Tagaloa-a-Lagi, ua fai atu, "Ua lelei, ae alu ia i lalo e toe asiasi." Ona alu ifo lea o Tuli, ua va'ava'ai ua pala le Fue, ua tutupu ai ilo tetele lava. Ua alu ae ia Tuli ia Tagaloa-a-Lagi ua fai atu, "Ali'i e, ua pala le Fue, ua tutupu ai mea tetele e gaoioi." Ona fai atu lea o Tagaloa-a-Lagi i le Tuli ia la o ifo ma le 'aitu e igoa ia Gaio. Ona fai ai lea e Gaio le tagata i le ilo.
Ua muamua le ulu. Ua fai atu Gaio, "O le ulu lenei." Ua fai mai le Tuli, "Ia tau ai lou igoa." O le mea lea ua taua ai o le tuliulu le isi fasi ulu. Ua fai atu Gaio, "O le manava lenei." Ua fai atu le Tuli, "Ia tau atu lou igoa." O lea ua tau ai o le tulimanava. Ua fai atu le Gaio, "O le lima lenei." Ona fai atu foi lea o le Tuli, "Ia tau ai lou igoa." Ua fa'apea lava foi i vae. O lea ua igoa ai gauga lima ma vae o tulilima ma tulivae.
Supplemental glossary:
* Afi-mu-saesae -
+ Afi - subject. (1) fire. ʻO lana afi. Malay, Api; (2) a bundle, parcel, package, ʻA ina a ʻea sina afi tunu lauti? ʻO lana afi. - verb: to do up in a bundle; pl. Afifi.
+ Mu - verb. 1. to burn. ʻUa faʻaeʻe ma mu ʻatoa le tuavao. 2. To glow, to redden. ʻUa mu le ataata. Pass. muina; redup. mumu.
+ Saesae - adverb. brightly, brilliantly, of a fire. ʻUa mu saesae.
* Mutalali - verb. to burn with a crackling noise, to burn fiercely.
* Papaele - subject. earth stone, rotten stone.
+ Papa - subject. (1) a rock. (2) A floor mat. ʻO papa o le fale. ʻO lana papa. (3) A board, Malay, papan. (4) One kind of banana. (5) The name of a fish; (6) a general name for the titles of high chiefs. ʻUa teʻa le papa i Lealataua. (7) One method of fishing. - adjective. (1) plain, level, flat, as a rock, a board, nose, &c.; redup. papapapa. (2) miscarried, aborted. ʻO le tama papa; - verb. (1) to be flat, level; redup. papapapa; (2) to miscarry, to abort. (3) pl. of pa. (4) To bleed at the nose. ʻUa papa toto le isu.
* Sosolo - verb. (1) to run, as liquids, or as fat when melting. (2) To spread, as a skin disease, or as creeping plants. Tau atu i le nau e sosolo. (3) To lie about, as a woman who has conceived. (4) To be a coward.
+ Solotaʻoto - verb. to desire to lie down, of a woman who has conceived. Syn. Sosolo. + Soloa - verb. passive of sosolo, (1) to be overspread, as by vines. (2) To be overrun with water. Ia soloa i le vai lalo. May your house stand in water.
* Nofo - verb. (1) to sit. (2) To dwell. (3) To live with. (4) To cohabit with, as a wife. Ona fanau lea ʻo le fafine ina ʻua nofo ia Tafaʻi. (5) To remain; pl. nonofo; redup. nofonofo; pass. nofoia. Nofo is used in composition with other words, indicating a certain condition, as nofolelei, to dwell peaceably.
* Papatu - subject. (1) a standing rock that cannot be moved. (2) A courageous man. (3) A hard-working man. - verb. (1) to crack while standing, as a tree about to fall. (2) To get reports beforehand of something about to happen.
* Fatutu - subject. (1) a heap of stones in the lagoon, left for a long time undisturbed. (2) A firm rock. (3) An industrious man.
* Maʻataʻanoa - subject. a loose stone.
* Tapufiti
+ Tapu - verb. to make sacred, to place under restriction; redup. taputapu. - s. one kind of club.
+ Fiti - subject. (1) the name of a plant. (2) One kind of song borrowed from Fiji. (3) A somersault. ʻUa ta lana fiti. (4) The name of a game. - verb. Malay, jintik, to fillip; pl. fitifiti.
* Maʻuʻutoga - subject. the name of a weed (Commelyna).
+ Maʻuʻu - subject. grass and weeds used to cover round the roots of taro.
+ Toga - subject. (1) native property consisting of fine mats and siapo. It takes either o or a in the genitive. ʻOna ʻau mai lea ʻo mea e ʻai ma toga. (2) the south wind. E mavae le toga le Puʻaʻivini. (2) The south. (Introduced meaning.) (4) a grove, a plantation; always compounded with the name of the trees of which it consists, as togaʻulu. It differs from ulu, which refers to the umbrageous tops of trees, while this refers to the planting in the ground.
* Sefa - subject. the name of a weed.
* Vao - subject. (1) bush, forest. (2) A tree, not producing anything edible. (3) A plant, a weed. (4) An uninhabited place in distinction from a village. (5) a sign of the plural before some nouns. Lena vao tagata vale. - verb. to eat; redup. vavaʻo, vaʻovaʻo. Used only in abuse.
* Fali - subject. (1) a species of grass. Ina ta soli le fali. (2) coitio.
* Taʻataʻa - subject. a species of grass. - adjective. strong. - verb. (1) to be strong. redup. of taʻa, to go at large.
* Mautofu - subject. the name of a plant (Urena lobata).
+ Mau - subject. (1) abundance. (2) A testimony. ʻO lana mau.
- verb. (1) to be firm. to be fast. (2) To have abundance of food; and by adding mea, ʻoa, toga, &c., meaning to possess plenty of such articles. (3) To dwell. ʻO le aliʻi lea e mau i le vao. (4) To be decided, to be unwavering. (5) to run off, to drain through. as water through sand. (6) To sink down, as the posts of a house. (7) To depart, to disperse, as a crowd of people. ( To result, to terminate, as a fono.
+ Tofu - verb. (1) to dive; pl. fetofui; redup. tofutofu. ʻUa paʻu le atigi faisua, ona fetofui lea i ai. (2) to be distributed to each, to have each a portion; to be all supplied; pass. tofusia. E tofu lava ma si ona loʻi.
+ Mautofutai - subject. the name of a weed (Triumfetta procumbens).
* Tavai - subject. the name of a tree (Rhus Taitensis, var. tartense).
* Toi - subject. the name of a tree (Alphitonia excelsa).
+ Toʻi - subject. a hatchet. ʻO lona toʻi.
* Fuafua - subject. (1) abscesses in the hands, feet, or face. (2) A young anae. - verb. from fua, (1) to measure, to weigh. (2) To ponder. (3) To take aim with the spear; pass. fuafuatia.
+ Fuʻafuʻa, s. the name of a tree (Kleinhovia hospita).
+ Fua, Malay, Buah - subject. (1) fruit, flower. I fua mai le nau ina utupupu ia. ʻO lona fua. (2) Seed. (3) An egg. Le fua lupe e tau tasi. (4) Spawn of fish. (5) A good-looking child of a chief. E le tauilo fua o aliʻi. (6) A fleet of canoes. (7) A measure. ( jealousy; only of the sexes; ʻO lona fua. - a particle suffixed to the units, with ga as a connecting particle, in counting breadfruit, shellfish, &c., e laufua, e tolugafua; it is prefixed in counting tens, e fualua. - adverb. (1) without cause. Lau sala e faʻapua fua. (2) Without success. (3) Uselessly, to no purpose. - verb. (1) to produce fruit. (2) To proceed from, to originate. Fua mai lava ʻiʻina masci ʻaisee. (3) To begin. (4) To measure. (5) To poise the spear. (6) To collect the leaves of the sugar-cane for thatch; also the leaves of the nau. Fai atu le aliʻi, ina fua sou nau; pl. fufua; pass. fuatia; redup. fuafua; pass. fuafuatia. (7) To infer. Ai lava ʻua ʻe le mafai, fua ina le tali mai. ( to be jealous; pass. fuatia. - adjective. jealous. ʻO le tane fua.
+ Fuʻa - subject. (1) a bow-string. Loʻu fuʻa. (2) A banner or flag. Recently adapted. O la latou fuʻa. (3) The strand of a rope. - verb. to cut the hair.
* Masame - subject. the name of a tree (Phyllanthus Taitense).
* Mamala - subject. (1) the name of a tree (Dysoxylon alliaceum). (2) Food given to visitors. So called by the visitors in returning thanks. (3) A name for masi in lands where the chief's name is Masi. - adjective. disease-producing, applied to a husband or wife who is supposed to communicate disease to the partner; also to a mother or wet nurse. - verb. See Malamala. - interjection. "well done!"
+ Maotamea
subject. the name of a tree. Called also Mamala (Dysoxylon alliaceum).
+ Malasia - verb. (1) to have a bad taste in the mouth from the mamala tree. (2) To be difficult to satisfy, as a child always eating. ʻUa le au malasia.
+ Malamala - subject. (1) chips of wood. (2) Small pieces of fish. ʻO malamala o le laʻau - verb. to have a bad taste in the mouth from eating poisonous food. ʻUa malamala gutu.
+ Mamalava - subject. the name of a tree.
* Malili - verb. to drop from a tree. Applied to fruits dropping immaturely. - subject. the name of a tree.
* Tapuna - subject. (1) a parasitic plant (Loranthus insularum). (2) fig. Persons acting as parasites. ʻUa se tapuna le faʻapipiʻi.
* Vaololoa
+ Vaolo - subject. (1) a poisonous crab. (2) A disobedient, troublesome child. (3) Anything difficult.
+ Loa - adjective. long; pl. loloa; redup. loaloa; of time and measure. - verb. to be long since. - adverb. directly, instantly. Ona auaga loa lea. - subject. (1) gravestones, a grave built over with stones. ʻO le loa o l aliʻi. (2) The name of an introduced tree (Bixa orellana).
* Fue - subject. (1) the general name for all creeping plants. (2) A fly-flapper carried by chiefs and orators. - verb. to beat persons; pl. fufue; pass. fuea.
+ Fuʻe - verb. (1) to put into a basket. (2) To uncover an oven of food. Ona fuʻe ifo lea ʻo le umu. Pl. fufuʻe; redup. fuʻefuʻe.
* Tuli, Malay, Lutut - subject. (1) the name of a bird. It is called by some tuli. Several birds bear this name. Actitis incanus, Limosu uropygialis, and Strepsilas interpres, are all called tuli or tuli; while Charadrius fulvus is called tuli and Tuli-a-Tagaloa; and Numenius femoralis (Peale) is called Tuli-olo-valu.—Whitmee. (2) An outside corner, as of a box, house, &c. (3) The knee. Malay, Tuli. ʻO lona tuli. (4) Any joint or bend, as Tuli-lima, elbow; tulialo, tuliulu; which see. - verb. (1) to drive, to chase. (2) pursue, to follow up; pl. tutuli; pass. tulia, tutulia. E tutulia ʻo malo, ʻa e laga le toʻilalo. (3) To search. Ou te tulia mai ni popotuʻu o le folau. - adjective. deaf; pl. tutuli.
* Gaiʻoiʻo - verb. to wriggle, as snakes and eels. Applied to a lanky man.
+ Gai - verb. (1) to be astonished, to be surprised. A jocular word. (2) to be pained or injured internally, as by a fall; redup. gaigai.
+ Gaigai - verb. to be exhausted, as by work or exposure to the sun.
+ Gaito - subject. (1) the name of a fish. (2) A tall lanky man.
+ Gaitoito - adjective. lanky.
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Expanded glossary supplemental for Gai'oi'o
TAWHITO, old, ancient: Ko te ingoa tawhito o Rupe, ko Maui-mua—P. M., 37:Ka tango ia i nga kowhatu papai, rimurimu tawhito —P. M., 80.
Samoan — cf. tafito, the end of a tree or post nearest the ground; the root of the penis; tafito'ulu, the root end of a breadfruit-tree.
Tahitian — tahito, old; decayed; formerly, anciently (Mai tahito mai, of old, from ancient times); (b.) to deride; to mock; tahitohito, derision, mockery; to deride repeatedly.
Hawaiian—kahiko, old, ancient: O ka mooolelo kahiko loa no Hawaii nei; The ancient history of Hawaii. Poe kahiko, the ancients: Nolaila i olelo mai ka poe kahiko; Hence the ancients say: I ka wa kahiko he pele no Maui; In ancient times there was a volcano also on Maui. (b.) To become old; to fade, as a flower or leaf; (c.) elderly; an elderly person: Ua paa kekahi mau mea ma ka naau o ka poe kahiko; Many things remain only in the memories of the elder people, (d.) A splendid dress; to put on a splendid dress and ornaments; (e.) to be armed for battle; armour; defensive weapons; (f.) to show honour; to dignify by honourable treatment; kahikohiko, to be very aged; to be well versed in ancient affairs; to speak the language of ancient times; to follow ancient customs. Cf. kahiko-kaua (Hale-kahiko-kaua-Whare-tawhito-taua), an armoury; lunakahiko, an elderly man of influence, from age, dignity of character, &c.
Tongan—cf. tefito, the root, origin.
Rarotongan — taito, old, ancient: E kite maata toku i to te aronga taito ra; I know more than the ancients.
Marquesan—tehito, old, ancient. Cf. tahito, fierce; proud.
Mangarevan—taito, and tehito, ancient; anciently; an aucestor of far-off times; (b.) perfectly; entirely; exceedingly: Ku ataata tehito te vaka; The canoe is exceedingly far away. Taitoito, less ancient than taito; aka-taito, ancient, antique; of other days; teito, anciently; anciently, but not archaic; not extremely ancient; (b.) perfectly; entirely. Cf. teitokito, extremely ancient.
Paumotan —tahito, ancient, antique. Cf. tapao-tahito, of ancient date.
TAHITO (myth.), some supernatural creatures or deities alluded to vaguely in old chants: Po ki tipua, tetahi po; Po ki tawhito tetahi po— A. H. M., i. 29. The god Tiki (the deified first man or creator of man) is called Tikitawhito (G. P., 423), and Whiro, the god of thieves, in also called Whiro-te-Tupua and Whiro-te-Tawhito, in the same incantation. It is probably a title “The Ancient One.”
Hawaii. —Tawhito (Kahiko) appears in all the old genealogies as some god-like ancestor. In the Ulu genealogy, he is the eleventh in succession from Vatea and Papa; he is the son of Manatu (Manaku), and the father of Ruanuku (Luanuu). In the Nana-ulu genealogy, he is the twelfth from Vatea; is the son of Ruanuku, and father of Tiki (Kii). In the genealogy of Kapapaiakea, Tawhito is the son of Uriuri (Uliuli), and the father of Vatea (Wakea). In the genealogy of Kumuuli, he is the twenty-seventh from Huriwhenua (Hulihonua), and is the son of Ruatahatonga (Luakahakona) and the father of Vatea. In the genealogy of Tumuwhenua (Kumuhonua), several Tahito are mentioned, but one of these, Ka-wa-Kahiko, is associated with Ka -wa-Kupua, as in the Maori verse above quoted. The chant of Moi-keha says that Tawhito is “the Root of the Land; he divided and separated the islands.” A legend states that, in times inconceivably remote, a Head was seen in heaven, which asked, “Who is the earthly king that conducts himself well ?” and the people all answered, “Tawhito is that King. He is skillful, he is a priest and diviner, and he sacrifices himself in finding out the way to benefit his people.” Tawhito had three sons; from the first, Vatea. sprung the chiefs, or Alii; from the second, Rihau-ura (Lihau-ula), descended the priests or kahuna; from the third, Matuku (Makuu), came the husbandmen, or Makaainana.
• old, ancient, antique, primitive, • long ago, • beforehand; • to age; • old person. (Usually in the singular ; cf. kāhiko₂)
kahiko v. To be or become old; to fade, as a flower or leaf; ua kahiko e, to become old prematurely; to be ancient. adj. Old; ancient; that which is long past; poe kahiko, the ancients; the old people; wa kahiko, old time. s. An elderly person; an old man; elua mau mea kahiko, e kipakuia'na e hele pela, two old men, they were being driven away. syn. with poohina. Iob. 15:10.
Kahiko₂ n. name of the first Hawaiian. (Malo 4)
kahiko s. The name of the first man upon the Hawaiian Islands according to some genealogies; ua hou ia mai, ma ka mookuauhau i kapaia Ololo, he kane ia kanaka mua loa, o Kahiko kona inoa, it is said again, in the genealogy called Ololo, that the very first inhabitant was a male, whose name was Kahiko. The question here discussed is whether the first person on the Islands was a man or woman. D. Malo, chap. 3,4.
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