In one of the Marquesan legends or religious chants of the creation of the world—Te Pena-pena—by the God Atea, the then known world extended from Vavau to Hawaii, “me Vavau i Hawaii;” and after the earth was made or, rather, brought to light, the order was given:
Pu te metani me Vevau
A anu te tai o Hawa-ii
Pu atu te metani me Hawa-ii
A anu te ao o Vevau.
(Blow winds from Vavau and cool the sea of Hawa-ii; blow back winds from Hawa-ii and cool the air [or the region] of Vavau); and the burden of each stanza or act of creation is
O Vevau me Hawa-ii.
Again in the chant of the Deluge, it is said that after the flood the ribs of the earth [[237]]and the mountain ridges of Hawaii rose up and extended far and near over the sea of Hawaii
Una te tai o Hawaii.
The question now arises where and what were this “Vevau” and “Hawaii,” which constituted the boundaries of the world when this chant was composed?