#vavau

[goelayne001]

And......We're Back - Our Podcast is live again!!

https://pacifictales497620751.wordpress.com/ A few years ago, we had a Podcast on Spotify called Pacific Tales. We interviewed many of our dear friends from the islands and here we are making them available to you. You won’t want to miss hearing stories from Liahona, the Tonga Nuku’alofa Mission 1989-1992, Ha’apai, Vava’u, Niuatoputapu, and of course Tongatapu. We have fond memories of all of…

[zabchan]

Big Moana 2 Spoilers ahead. Beyond the cut is the Samoan to english translation of maui's 2nd song for moana. (And the context it appears in)

ladies and gents of the moana fandom, thanks to the effort of samoan speaker @yuki685 on youtube, and my buddy @rykierykerman for hooking me up with the text and screenshots

what i'd like to discuss with yall today is not only sharing the translation for this song, but some of the character implication this has for maui, especially when you look at how his OG legends depict him.

LYRICS:

(Maui singing in Samoan):

Aue, aue, le faigata / Aue, aue, how difficult it is

Ua pa'ū fa'anoanoa / Falling into sadness

Aue, aue, fa'ataga ola / Aue, aue, please allow this life to continue

Lenā La'u talosaga / This is my prayer

---

(E manu malo) / May there be blessings

(Opataia Foa'i and Te Vaka singing in Tokelauan)

Tele tele mana e o te vavau (Vavau) / Great, great power of mana

Tau ke tu ke Manumalo / Fight, stand tall and be victorious

Ke Manumalo / Be victorious

---

(Grandma Tala)

Aue, aue, mana e o te vavau / Aue, aue, the power of mana

Tau ke tu ke Manumalo / Fight, stand tall and be victorious

Ke Manumalo / Be victorious

Ke Manumalo / Be victorious

Ke Manumalo / Be victorious

_____

The piece that made me flip my shit when I read it was the confirmation that this song is a PRAYER

when I first heard this song before the movie I assumed it was a funeral rite. a dirge, followed by a choral revival. during the film, when maui and then the ancestors sang it over moana's lifeless body and I had no subtitles to go on, I thought perhaps it was a spell, or maybe a lullaby from Maui's far distant past, then taken up by the ancestors as a comfort to the grieving Maui- then back to the spell theory as Moana awoke to the powerful music and emotion channeled by tala and her crew.

even my first google translate search of the lyrics missed the word prayer, which goes to show that AI translation is no match for native human insight.

Maui's song being a prayer is a friggin big deal.

Maui's stories span the width & breadth of the pacific islands, and each culture arising from those island tells variations on that legend. some emphasize his rebellious side, others his inventiveness, still others his drive, his humor, his ingenuity, his pride. But a common theme in most is that this man, this demigod- he does NOT get along with the majority of his ancestors or the gods. Even when he's not outright malevolent to them, he's tricking them or undermining their effort. He's usually stubbornly self-sufficient, if he gets help from someone divine, its usually because he tricked them into doing it. Maui does not beg, he does not plead. (at least, not with any lasting sincerity). he's a charmer, a schemer.

But here he is, his tattoos stripped away, his hook gone, his beloved Moana growing colder and colder- he's out of tricks. he's out of time, out of power. he's as helpless as the day he was thrown into the ocean to save her. rock bottom, figuratively and literally.

he does the absolute last thing he can, born of pure desperation. pure grief, pure need. He prays.

he prays not expecting an answer. he prays, knowing that the gods and all his family would relish the chance to tell him to fuck all the way off. he prays, even if to no one but moana's lifeless body.

i often joke that maui is bad at feelings. but really what i mean is that maui is bad at regulating his feelings. he represses them as hard as he can, denies them, wraps them in humor and when that fails he straight up tries to out run them. its a maladaptive coping skill he's had to pick up over his immortal 3000 year lifespan because otherwise, he'd be wallowing in endless grief as friend after friend either dies or lives long enough to become his antagonist. boy has some serious trauma built up and no good examples of how to handle it in a healthy way.

until moana.

moana provided an example of how to be vulnerable without being weak. a safe space where he could share his heart and be met with understanding and validation. we see him mature, even fractionally, and in the sequel he's not nearly so closed off. he worries openly about moana, admits his concerns about the mission, even returns moana's favor from the first film and gives her a sincere, supportive pep talk.

but all his progress in processing his emotions seems to backfire in this moment. the first time he'd opened his heart to a fragile mortal friend and here he is, exactly as he feared, devastated at her passing. He had invested real time and care and attachment into this human and he's utterly shattered that its all coming to an end so fast. that he'll never experience her voice or her smile or her wit ever again.

she's precious to him. he cant bear to lose her. his sadness in more crushing than the ocean he's surrounded by, denser than the rock he kneels upon. even if he got his powers back, even if he pulled up a million islands, if Moana isn't there to land on them...there's no point.

less than 10 minutes ago he was ready to die for her.

3 minutes ago in movie time, maui faced his own mortality. powers stripped bare, down to his last ounce of strength, frying in impossible lightning heat, he kept struggling. the first look he gives moana is fear, raw and unfamiliar on that handsome face. but in this penultimate moment, his eyes meet moana's. his grimace gentles, eyebrows lift, gaze softens into a regretful, heart melting smile. he finds small comfort in seeing moana for one last time, seeing her unhurt, hearing her call his name. the rope slips from his grip, and somewhere in the milliseconds between lightning flashes, he relaxes, relief skitters across his features. perhaps he thinks "ahh, at least she's ok." "at least she'll outlive me". perhaps he has a moment of acceptance for his fate, knowing she's proud of him, knowing he did his very best. maybe he thinks ,"this way ill be sure to meet her again, in the afterlife. its for the best."

or maybe, just maybe, he thinks

"see you out there, moana."

but now, 3 minutes later, its once again the worst case scenario. any relief he had in that last smile at her is obliterated in the wake of his grief. its once again the worst case scenario. he's not thinking now of the curse being broken or his hook or his tattoos. a world that she's not in, whether he be human or demigod, is not a world he can stand to exist in. he cant do this without her. he needs her.

so he digs deep inside himself, through the pain or losing her, through his own family trauma and antagonism towards authority, and pride, to beg, on his knees for help from a higher power. its unclear to us if he's intending to pray to the gods or to his own ancestors or both or neither. to anyone who can help. to anyone who will listen.

and its neither of those sources who answer, at least, not as directly as matai vasa or tala do. its moana's kin, her loved ones, (eventually including the ocean), who answer from the great beyond. he looks them in the eyes and they weep with him. they sing power over moana and the impossible happens.

(salacious handholding occurs)

the stars are put back in maui's eyes, the sun back into his sky.

does this mean...

yes.

his tattoos are still cooler than hers.

even when theyre mad at him. (same, little guy, same.)

bruh.

now kiss

[ifthesewings--couldfly]

I CAN FINALLY JOIN THE MOANA 2 BANDWAGON YIPEEE (Spoilers under the cut)

Storyline-wise, this movie was AMAZING. For someone who is into Polynesian culture like me, the storyline was a solid 10/10 and a worthy addition to the Moana franchise. It was packed to the brim with mythology and lore, and it didn’t feel like it broke the continuity with the first movie at all. All my “same scene as the first movie” issues were dissipated, for any similarity is handled so that it doesn’t feel stale, but rather like a neat homage; I especially like what they did with the Kakamoras. The relationship between Simea and Moana, like I was expecting, was really touching, and 19 years old Moana design is a feast for the eyes (guess who’s going to start saving for the Moana 2 limited edition doll now?).

Now, onto the flaws.

They made Moana too ‘quirky’. Some of her behaviors and expressions were way too exaggerated and downright cringe. The character of Matangi was really interesting, but her appearance was so brief, she felt a tad underdeveloped. I mean, her role in the movie is very clear to me, but I wish they had incorporated the character in the story better. Am I the only one who perceived an awkward romantic subtext between Moana and Maui (and didn’t like it)??

The songs were mid, a 6/10. Not the native ones, like Mana Vavau, those were amazing. But the ones written by Barlow and Bear were quite generic. I only really liked Beyond. We’re Back was enjoyable, but quite generic. Can I Get A Chee-Hoo? simply felt like a Warrior Face rip-off. For someone who loves Disney songs to pieces, the absence of Lin Manuel-Miranda’s lyrical genius was palpable. Had he contributed to the soundtrack, this movie would have reached peak perfection to me.

On the other hand, CAN YOU BELIEVE WE HAVE A DEMIGODDESS, CANONICALLY IMMORTAL DISNEY PRINCESS NOW?? I absolutely love what they did with her in the end; she is the first Disney Princess who dies for good and then gets brought back to life as something entirely new and different. And she even got a tat! (Fifth Spirit Elsa doesn’t count for me - in her case, the notion of ‘spirit’ feels more like a title than a change of status.)

Overall, I’m really satisfied. 9/10. Too bad for the songs! I really hope they bring Lin-Manuel Miranda back for Moana 3.

[climbhighsleeplow]

Kingdom of Tonga / beach in the Vavau Islands

[galexibrain]

The Moana 2 soundtrack is giving me such serious feels ngl

Especially Mana Vavau. I literally cried

[knuffi516]

The most memorable moment of Moana 2 for me was her resurrection scene! What if, when the same thing happens between Aaravos and Claudia?

Thats she died in the battle between Aaravos and the council and thats he uses a silmar chant to summoning helpful spirits?

[travelbinge]

By Disorn Lertchairit

Vavaʻu, Tonga

[blckclth]

[respectanimalrights]

Beautiful photo. Read Caption by © 📷 🖋 ✅ @steve_woods_photography For me it was just so much fun taking this image. We spent a good few hrs with this wonderful mother and her new born calf. The calves are so energetic and playful, but with a nervous restraint. They are constantly watching and receiving messages from their mothers, and as soon as the mother isn’t looking the calf will dart over to investigate you. This particular moment was so wonderful because the calf was arching and turning under it mothers pectoral fin (that I am sure acts as the boundary of the calf’s ‘playpen’). The position of the calf mirroring the line of the mothers pec and body make it pleasing for me. This is one of my favourite images and also one of the images that I have for sale as a 13”x19” signed print on my website ready for the holiday season. I will post a number of my favourite images that I sell as prints in the next few days. These are very easy to buy from my webshop, intl shipping is easily arranged. More will be added, sonic you have any specific requests simply drop me an email. The link to the webshop is in bio. • 👉 • •https://stevewoodsphotography.com/prints-1 • • • 1/200th f11 iso640 Canon 1DXii Canon ef8-15mm fisheye Subal housing. • • • #photography #photographicprint #underwater #wildlife #tonga #humpback #vavau #1dxmarkii #divephotography #keepitwild #exploremore #natgeo #free-dive @humpbackswims #humpbackswims #ourblueplanet #suuntodive #subal_underwater_housing https://www.instagram.com/p/B5pWK30BkjF/?igshid=1fboa248o9bk

[wokingtheworld]

All I need in life is a Paddle board and Turquoise water. 💦 But seriously, I haven’t been to many places more beautiful and picturesque than Tonga... Who can spot the Humpback Whales waaayyyy in the distance? (hint: I am looking at them in this photo) 🐳 🐳 🐳 @acanelaexpeditions #vavau #tonga (at Vava'u , Tonga) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1VGp_5gRdO/?igshid=1ugbray05mee0

[whalelifeus-blog]

from @aaronlynton - I wanted to share this raw clip of this playful calf from my trip to Tonga with @dancewithwhales. So glad I shot some video :) This calf came right between @karimiliya and I, barrel rolling, blinking and giving us a little grunt. (turn the volume up). This one was shot at 60fps and to me, emphasizes how time seems to stop when your in these kinds of moments. Thankful I had my @canonusa with me to capture every moment! . . . #lyntonproductions #vavau #tonga #kingdomoftonga #humpbackwhale #calf #playful #dancewithwhales #ocean #teamcanon #underwater #humpbackcalf #whale #🐋 #👁 #sealice #diveeasy #travel https://www.instagram.com/p/BoRIV_wgfXf/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=gn1exz3pmyuw

[morethanus-life]

Wide-angle category - winner. Humpback whale spy hopping by Greg Lecoeur (France). Location: Vavau’ , Tonga

Tonga offers probably the best opportunity to interact with humpback whales in blue water. The judges commented: “An amazing subject, caught at the precise peak of the action. Greg’s split level is an image that truly justifies being a split level. The gesture of the humpback reaching out with its pectoral fin completes the moment.”

Photograph: Greg Lecoeur/UPY 2018

[richienorton]

:: Vava’u, Tonga 🇹🇴 ::⁣ ⁣ If you’re still in the boat of uncertainty and indecision on what to start next in life or business, don’t fret. Here are two soul-searching (and admittedly somewhat melodramatic) questions that will help you further refine your list.⁣ ⁣ 1. If this idea is the last thing I ever do, will it be something I’d be proud to be remembered by?⁣ ⁣ 2. If I were forced at gunpoint to choose only one of these ideas, which one would it be?⁣ ⁣ The urgency created by these two scenarios often serves to provide the clarity necessary to knock us free from indecision. If you really take these questions seriously, they can effectively shake your best ideas from the tree, and you’ll quickly and confidently be able to determine which projects are most important to you.⁣ There’s more to it. A lot more. Just get started and overcome the mental block that you “can’t”…because YOU CAN.⁣ ⁣ “Done is better than perfect." - Sheryl Sandberg⁣ ⁣ What gets you excited about life? Share what’s on your mind for a project you want to do. 🤙🏾 // #dreams #vavau #tonga #richienorton #entrepreneur #entrepreneurship #motivationalquotes #motivation (at Tu`Anuku, Vava`U, Tonga) https://www.instagram.com/p/BpTeHv-nWju/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=10fkayayj0s4o

[waternomadsnz]

Sometimes things do go to plan, @waternomadsnz believe these can be the best opportunities! He we hitched a ride with @aunofohavea to the fabulous Vava’u Islands, Tonga 🇹🇴 • • • #tonga #okeanos #vavau #waternomads #adventure #adventureholiday #wakasailing #islandsofadventure #pacificexplorer (at Tonga)

[torchuck]

Baby whale at Vava'u. #tonga #tongawhales #whale #babywhale #tail #underwater #black #pacificocean #vavau #dive

[surferdude1979]

Happy Sunday 🤗 #padi #ikelite #scuba #scubadiving #ocean #discoverocean #vavau #tonga #kingdomoftonga #travelblogger #travelgram #macro #natgeoyourshot #natgeohub #suunto #uwphoto #uwphotography #underwaterphotography #underwaterworld #tauchen #plongee #buceo #thisiswhatido #mypassion #spon_reise #tierfotografie #animalphotography #natgeo #natgeowild #findingnemo #clownfish #anemone (at Vava'u , Tonga)