Key Info

- Sky Father and Earth Mother

- Common Ancestor of all Chiefs and Nobles

Brief Bio

According to the ancient myths, Papa is the wife of Wākea, son of the god Kahiko. Wākea is the Father Sky in the Hawaiian religion and a personification of the male creative power. He and Papa are representations of the divine masculinity and femininity. Together, they created the Hawaiian Islands and became the ancestors of the Hawaiian chiefs and noblemen. The most important offspring of Papa are the islands called Hawaii (the Big Island), Maui, Oahu and Kauai. Chiefs claimed their descent from Papa and it was believed they were divine as well.

The most famous child of Wākea and Papa is called Hoʻohōkūkalani, and she became Wākea's lover, according to the famous myth. When Hoʻohōkūkalani gave birth to a stillborn baby, it was Papa who named the child Haloa and buried him in the soft earth; from that place sprung the first taro. Hoʻohōkūkalani again mated with her father, and had a living child, who was also named Haloa.