Takuaka- The Shark God

Takuaka- The Shark God

Among the Tonga Islands in Oceania

Background

During the Dark Age, there was a Fijian god named Takuaka. He was one of the high gods in Fiji and he was the guardian of the reef. This god was brave, strong, fearless, and jealous of all of the other reef guardians. He was the best known of all of the gods that guard the reefs. a god, Takuaka could sometimes change into an ‘anga (shark), so that he can travel from island to island. He often turned into an ‘anga so that he could travel around defeating the other reef guardians.

The Story

One day, Takuaka went to the Lomaiviti Island group to challenge the guardians of the reef. He beat the guardians here quite easily. Then he decided to go to Suva. When he arrived in Suva, the guardian of this reef challenged him. During the battle, the two creatures were massive and they generated large waves. The waves caused the rivers to overflow flooding the valleys for many miles inland. The seas also caused really rough seas and people were scared. Takuaka won yet another battle. He continued challenging most of the other reef guardians and he won each battle.

ANother Battle

One day, Takuaka met an old friend Masilata, another god. Masilata told him that there is a brave guardian that guards the Kamatuvú Islands. Tukuaka didn’t waste any time and he went to look for this guardian. He listened for the sounds of the reef and swam towards the sound. When he found the entrance to the reef, he saw a great big feke (octopus) waiting for him. The feke had four tentacles that floated on the surface of the water, while the other four tentacles grasped the reef. Takuaka swam straight for the feke. The four floating tentacles wrapped around Takuaka and squeezed his body tightly. In this moment, Takuaka could feel that the feke was really strong and he felt that death was upon him. For the first time ever, Takuaka admitted defeat.