Magic in Oceania
Mana and tapu, tohunga and kahuna, the Dreaming and its restricted knowledge, and sorcery beliefs across Melanesia. 51 entries on EveryJaadu so far.
Places of magic
Ahu Tongariki 1Arnhem Land 1Buariki village 1Coromandel Peninsula 1Fagamalo 1Falealupo 1Gisborne 1Haleakalā 1Hawaii 1Hokianga 1Hokianga Harbour 1Hoover Dam 1House of Taga 1Kakadu National Park 1Kikowhakarere 1Kilcoy 1Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park 1Lake Waikaremoana 1Lamakara 1Marine Parade 1Matavai 1Molokaʻi 1Mount Arowhana 1Mount Moehau 1Mount Ngongotahā 1Mount Pirongia 1Napier 1Pentecost Island 1Queen Charlotte Sound 1Rano Raraku 1
Rites of the region
Karakia and lifting tapuHooponoponoAboriginal smoking ceremonyPacific kava ceremonySorcery accusation in Papua New Guinea
Countries
PurposeProtectionHealingSeeing and foretellingLuck and prosperityLove and attractionCursing and harmCleansing and purificationSpeaking with spirits and the deadChange and initiationBinding and oathsPower and authorityWonder and entertainment
WhoShamansFolk healersPriests and ritual specialistsWitches, sorcerers and cunning folkDiviners and readersMediums and the possessedCeremonial magicians and alchemistsHouseholds and ordinary peopleStage magiciansScholars and sceptics
BeliefHindu and TantricBuddhistJainMuslim and SufiJewishChristianSikhZoroastrianShinto and TaoistIndigenous and shamanicAfrican and Afro-diasporicPagan and NeopaganEsoteric and occultFolk and village customSecular and stageOther traditions
🇦🇺 AustraliaKurdaitchakwertatye
A ritual executioner and feathered shoes of the Arrernte people in Central Australia.Tradition · Cursing and harm · Power and authority Historical
🇦🇺 AustraliaMokoi
An evil spirit in Yolngu mythology that kills sorcerers and kidnaps childrenBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇳🇿 New ZealandTaniwha
Supernatural beings of Māori lore, acting as guardians or dangerous predators in water and earthBeing · Protection · Cursing and harm Living
🇳🇿 New ZealandPatupaiarehe
Pale-skinned forest spirits of Māori mythology who live in mist and mountainsBeing · Speaking with spirits and the dead Legendary
🇦🇺 AustraliaRainbow Serpent
A creator spirit of water and land in Aboriginal Australian mythologyBeing · Healing · Cursing and harm Living
🇺🇸 United StatesKahuna
A Hawaiian expert or priest, keeper of hidden knowledge in craft and spiritTradition · Healing · Seeing and foretelling Living
🇨🇱 ChileMoaimoꞌai
Monolithic ancestor statues of Rapa Nui, carved from volcanic stone between the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.Being · Power and authority · Protection Historical
🇦🇺 AustraliaMimi
Elongated rock-dwelling beings from Arnhem Land who taught Aboriginal people to paint and huntBeing Legendary
🇦🇺 AustraliaDaramulum
A one-legged sky hero of south-east Aboriginal culturesBeing · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇦🇺 AustraliaYara-ma-yha-who
A red frog-like vampire from Australian Aboriginal folklore that lives in fig treesBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇳🇿 New ZealandMoehau
A New Zealand woodland creature said to be a wild man or an escaped pet.Being Legendary
🇵🇭 Philippines and 1 moreTaotao Monataotaomo'na
Ancestral spirits of the Mariana Islands who guard wild places and influence daily lifeBeing · Protection · Cursing and harm Living
🇸🇧 Solomon IslandsAdaro
Ghosts and elemental spirits from Makira island in the Solomon IslandsBeing · Cursing and harm Historical
🇦🇺 AustraliaCleverman
A traditional Aboriginal healer and cultural keeper in Australia with varied magical abilities.Being · Healing · Cursing and harm Living
🇳🇿 New Zealand and 1 moreManaia
A composite guardian spirit in Māori art and beliefBeing · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇳🇿 New ZealandMaero
A wild supernatural people of New Zealand forests and mountainsBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇵🇬 Papua New GuineaBaloma
Spirits of departed kin who, Trobrianders hold, place each new child in the wombBeing · Love and attraction Living
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Moai: Rivi, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Taniwha: Pseudopanax at en.wikipedia, Public domain, source
- Patupaiarehe: Archives New Zealand, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Rainbow Serpent: unknown (as drawn by an Aboriginal), Public domain, source
- Kahuna: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Kurdaitcha: Unknown author, CC BY 4.0, source
- Mimi: Photo by and ©2002 Dustin M. Ramsey ( Kralizec! ), CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Manaia: Sarang, Public domain, source