Magic in Oceania
Mana and tapu, tohunga and kahuna, the Dreaming and its restricted knowledge, and sorcery beliefs across Melanesia. 52 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
🇨🇱 ChileMoaimoꞌai
Monolithic ancestor statues of Rapa Nui, carved from volcanic stone between the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.Being · Power and authority · Protection Historical
🇦🇺 AustraliaKurdaitchakwertatye
A ritual executioner and feathered shoes of the Arrernte people in Central Australia.Tradition · Cursing and harm · Power and authority Historical
🇼🇸 Samoa and 1 moreAitu
A Polynesian term for spirits, ghosts, or calamityBelief · Cursing and harm Historical
🇰🇮 Kiribati and 4 moreMicronesian mythology
The traditional belief systems and legends of the island peoples in the southwest Pacific.Belief · Wonder and entertainment Historical
🇹🇴 Tonga and 2 moreTongan mythologytala-ē-fonua
The myths and legends of the Polynesian island nation of TongaTradition · Wonder and entertainment Historical
🇳🇿 New ZealandTohunga Suppression Act 1907
A New Zealand law banning traditional Māori healers and faith practitionersText · Cursing and harm · Protection Historical
🇸🇧 Solomon IslandsAdaro
Ghosts and elemental spirits from Makira island in the Solomon IslandsBeing · Cursing and harm Historical
🇦🇺 AustraliaTjurunga
Sacred objects of the Arrernte people, embodying ancestral power and clan identity.Charm · Power and authority · Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
🇦🇺 AustraliaPortal (magic trick)
A stage illusion where the magician and a volunteer vanish to appear in a distant location.Illusion · Wonder and entertainment Historical
🇳🇿 New Zealand and 4 moreFeather cloak
A garment of feathers worn by royalty and gods across cultures to signal rank or enable flightCharm · Power and authority · Wonder and entertainment Historical
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Kurdaitcha: Unknown author, CC BY 4.0, source
- Feather cloak: Lusanaherandraton, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Tjurunga: No machine-readable author provided. Sepu~commonswiki assumed (based o, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Moai: Rivi, CC BY-SA 3.0, source