User:Myth-buster-chick/Wākea

Mary Warren Beckwith's "Hawaiian Mythology" describes Wakea and Papa as the first parents in Hawaiian history and the architects of the earth and the sky. Wakea is the deity of the sun and the heavens, while Papa is the goddess of the planet earth and the underworld. The two created a bowl and cover from a calabash gourd, which was born to Papa, and used its various components to make the earth, sky, and everything in between.

According to Beckwith, Wakea represents the sky from which the sun and rain descend to irrigate the soil, and the word Papa, meaning "flat surface," represents the top layer of the earth, containing the seeds that need to be fertilized. Beckwith claims that "Father Sky and Mother Earth are the first parents of human life on earth, just as they are of plant life that springs from the earth, living under the influence of sun and rain from heaven, and of animal life that feeds upon it."

This legend emphasizes the significance of the earth and nature to Hawaiian culture, with Wakea and Papa representing the earliest names found in Hawaiian lineages. According to the tale, Wakea vomited up various components of the calabash, including the sun, stars, moon, clouds, and rain, demonstrating the importance of the environment to Hawaiian life. Laie resident Paul Tovey remarked that it is all about respecting the environment and stewardship in faith, as taking care of the land ensures that it will take care of us. According to Native Hawaiian mythology, Ho'ohokukalani was the daughter of Papa (Earth Mother) and Wakea (Sky Father). Her stillborn fetus was buried when her first pregnancy ended in miscarriage. A never-before-seen plant had emerged from the tomb the following morning. The first taro plant was this one. The following pregnancy of Ho'ohokukalani was successful. The infant, Haloa, became the first Hawaiian man. Native Hawaiians see taro as their revered elder brother and elder sibling.