Rotuma – Siria, the island of Polynesian oral tradition
According to Rotuman oral history, the island was first settled by people from Tahiti Nui, the Marquesas and Rapa Nui, and was then known as Siria, named after a star said to stand directly above it. Tradition tells that it served as a royal burial ground and that a special seaweed, growing only on Tahiti and Rotuma, was given as a token of kinship.
Other stories speak of Princess Teura of Bora Bora, who married the legendary Prince Te-Fatu of Rotuma, and of Bulou ni Wasa, who arrived with her seven brothers in the canoe Rogovoka. Today Rotuma is a self-governing island group with its own language and customs. Do you know more of these legends? Share them with the community and help keep them alive.