Tupuai - A ‘Ori Mai 2025 - Hiti Mahana

Tupuai by Ohotu In this song, the artist expresses gratitude to his native island, Tupua’i. The Polynesian concept of Tumu Ra’i Fenua is the legend of the great octopus who brought down the sky so close to the earth that it caused an eternal darkness. The tentacles of the octopus reached as far north to Hawai’i, and south to Aotearoa and Rapa Nui, spread out to Sāmoa, Tonga, Fiji, and Tahiti, with the Marae Taputapuātea in Ra’iātea right in the center, the birthplace of all Polynesians. The God Tāne & the Demi-God Maui worked together to cut off the tentacle of the octopus in order to form the island of Tupua’i, thus allowing light to enter the world, and allowed for the cycle of day and night. The legend is not only about one of creation, but how the islands are still connected and are one people.