What did Maui actually do?

Maui is a demi-god who is popular in the Native Hawaiian culture. He is known for being the “trickster.” It is said that he owns a great fish-hook called Manaiakalani. Legend has it that Maui created the Hawaiian islands by tricking his brothers into going fishing with him.



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To do this, he needed a strong rope and lasso, which is mother and grandmother provided for him. After studying the ways of the sun, Maui climbed to the top of Haleakala (house of the rising sun), and lassoed the sun. The sun was caught and could not hurry across the sky.

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Lifting the Sky Maui also sought out an old woman and drank from her gourd, giving him the great strength he would need to lift the sky. After a great struggle, Maui was able to push the sky beyond the mountains, lifting the edges over the wide expanse of the ocean, where it remains to this day.

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In these times Ka La (the sun) would travel across the sky very fast leaving the people and Hina with short days. One day Maui noticed how hard it was for his mom to complete her kapa because Ka La wasn't out long enough to dry the cloths. Maui became mad and was determined to make Ka La slow down.

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Although Moana is from the fictional island Motunui some 3,000 years ago, the story and culture of Moana is based on the very real heritage and history of Polynesian islands such as Hawaii, Samoa, Tonga, and Tahiti. In fact, once you start looking for ties to Polynesian culture in Moana, it's hard to stop!

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15 FACTS ABOUT MAUI
  • The islands in Maui County were once all connected. ...
  • Molokini was once an active volcano. ...
  • You can fly to Hana instead of driving the winding road. ...
  • Maui is home to many different microclimates. ...
  • Lahaina was once the capital of Hawaii. ...
  • Maui's mother reef is home to corals that are over 1,500 years old.


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Thousands of years before the film, Maui lost this weapon after his theft of the heart of Te Fiti and his subsequent battle with the lava demon Te Ka. The fish hook was lost in sea, and eventually was found by Maui's arch-rival Tamatoa, who placed the fish hook on his shell as a prize.

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If you're short on time, here's a quick answer: Maui stole Te Fiti's heart in an attempt to give humans the power of creation and to earn praise and validation for doing so. However, this impulsive act unleashed chaos, requiring the ocean to choose Moana to make things right again.

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Moana and Maui are getting married and they have a cute daughter, who is the bridesmaid!

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Inspired by Polynesian mythology, Moana is depicted as the strong-willed daughter of a chief of a Polynesian village, who is chosen by the ocean itself to reunite a mystical relic with the goddess Te Fiti.

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If you're short on time, here's a quick answer to your question: Moana is considered both Polynesian and Hawaiian in different respects. She was created by Disney as an amalgamation of various Polynesian cultures and mythologies, but is set specifically on the Hawaiian island of Motunui.

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Some enjoy the movie but believe Maui should have been portrayed as a warrior. As a proud Polynesian woman, it's not often that you see a film like Moana come out. It headlines our Pasifika culture, and it's lead by our Polynesian artists in the industry.

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