Within Kiribati Folklore
How Did Nareau Raise the Sky?
Nareau's creation tales turn sky, sea, eel and meeting house into one of Kiribati's most memorable origin traditions.
On this page
- Nareau, Na Kika and Riiki
- The meeting house as a cosmos
- Why creation stories vary by island
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Introduction
Among the many creation traditions recorded in Kiribati, the stories of Nareau and the raising of the sky are some of the most vivid and distinctive. Rather than describing creation as a single moment, these narratives portray a world that is gradually organised and lifted into shape. The sky begins close to the earth, the world is associated with water and darkness, and powerful beings such as Nareau, the octopus Na Kika and the eel Riiki work together to create the conditions in which life can exist. In many versions, the most memorable act is the lifting of the heavens, transforming a cramped and unfinished cosmos into the spacious world known today. These stories are especially important because they connect the structure of the universe to the social world of Kiribati, linking creation itself to the design and symbolism of the traditional meeting house.[com.au]museumsvictoria.com.auNareau the Wise took two of Na Kika's legs and fed Riiki with them, the essence of procreation. As Riiki was eating, Nareau…
Who Is Nareau?
Nareau is the best-known creator figure in the traditions of the Gilbert Islands, now part of Kiribati. Early collections of oral traditions by Arthur Grimble and later researchers place him at the centre of several creation narratives, although details differ from island to island. Some traditions describe Nareau as a solitary creator, while others distinguish between different aspects of Nareau, such as Nareau the Creator and Nareau the Wise.[edu.au]asiapacific.anu.edu.auANU College of Asia & the PacificGilbertese myths, legends and oral traditionsSir Arthur Grimble went to the Gilbert Islands (Kiribati) a…
What remains consistent is Nareau’s role as an organiser rather than merely a maker. He brings order to a world that is incomplete, dark or confined. In many tellings, creation depends on cooperation with other beings rather than on divine command alone. This collaborative quality is one reason Kiribati creation stories feel different from many familiar Western creation narratives.[Museums Victoria]museumsvictoria.com.auNareau the Wise took two of Na Kika's legs and fed Riiki with them, the essence of procreation. As Riiki was eating, Nareau…
Nareau, Na Kika and Riiki
The best-known version of the raised-sky story centres on three figures: Nareau, the octopus Na Kika and the eel Riiki.
According to a widely cited Gilbertese tradition, Nareau prepares Riiki for an extraordinary task. Na Kika, the octopus, provides the life-giving substance that strengthens the eel. Nareau then encourages and empowers Riiki through ritual speech and chants. Only after this preparation can Riiki attempt to lift the heavens.[Museums Victoria]museumsvictoria.com.auNareau the Wise took two of Na Kika's legs and fed Riiki with them, the essence of procreation. As Riiki was eating, Nareau…
Riiki’s effort is not portrayed as effortless. The eel physically pushes upward, raising the sky higher and higher while Nareau directs and supports the work. As the sky rises, Nareau proceeds with the creation of light, winds, food, water, plants, the sea, the sun, the moon and the stars. The lifting of the heavens is therefore not a separate episode but the act that makes the rest of creation possible.[Museums Victoria]museumsvictoria.com.auNareau the Wise took two of Na Kika's legs and fed Riiki with them, the essence of procreation. As Riiki was eating, Nareau…
Other recorded versions differ in details. Some traditions suggest that Nareau begins the work himself before Riiki completes it. Others describe the cosmos as a giant shell that must be opened so that light can enter. Yet the central idea remains the same: the world becomes habitable only after the separation and elevation of heaven and earth.[persee.fr]persee.frjso 0300 953x 1981 numPerséeEels in Gilbert Islands culture: traditional beliefs, rituals…by K Luomala · 1981 · Cited by 4 — In the Arorae version, Na Area…
One striking ending links Riiki to the night sky itself. In several accounts, the eel becomes associated with the Milky Way, preserving a visible reminder of the being whose strength created the space in which humanity lives.[Museums Victoria]museumsvictoria.com.auNareau the Wise took two of Na Kika's legs and fed Riiki with them, the essence of procreation. As Riiki was eating, Nareau…
Why Raise the Sky?
For modern readers, the question is obvious: why does the sky need lifting at all?
Across Oceania, stories about the separation of heaven and earth often explain the transition from a cramped primordial state to an ordered world. The Kiribati version belongs to this wider family of myths but has its own local character. The sky is imagined as physically close, restricting movement and creation. By lifting it, Riiki creates room for light, weather, celestial bodies and human life.[archive.org]scholar.archive.orgArchive ScholarMyths from the Gilbert Islandsby A Grimble · Cited by 20 — So Riiki the Eel raised the heavens aloft and the earth. ' sank…
The story also reflects life on low coral atolls. In a landscape where the horizon dominates daily experience and where sky and sea seem to meet in every direction, the relationship between heaven, ocean and land carries particular symbolic importance. The creation story transforms these familiar elements into a dramatic account of how the world achieved its present form.[Persée]persee.frjso 0300 953x 1981 numPerséeEels in Gilbert Islands culture: traditional beliefs, rituals…by K Luomala · 1981 · Cited by 4 — In the Arorae version, Na Area…
The Meeting House as a Cosmos
One of the most distinctive features of Gilbertese creation traditions is the way cosmic ideas are linked to the traditional meeting house, known as the maneaba.
In some retellings of the Nareau cycle, the completed universe is imagined as a vast meeting house. The roof corresponds to the heavens, while the structure below represents the ordered world. This is more than a poetic comparison. The maneaba was historically the centre of political discussion, ritual life, genealogy and community identity. By imagining the cosmos as a meeting house, the stories place human society within the same framework as creation itself.[com.au]museumsvictoria.com.auNareau the Wise took two of Na Kika's legs and fed Riiki with them, the essence of procreation. As Riiki was eating, Nareau…
The symbolism works in both directions. Creation myths help explain why the meeting house is important, while the familiar architecture of the meeting house provides listeners with a concrete image for understanding the universe. The result is a creation tradition that feels grounded in everyday social life rather than detached from it.[Museums Victoria]museumsvictoria.com.auNareau the Wise took two of Na Kika's legs and fed Riiki with them, the essence of procreation. As Riiki was eating, Nareau…
Why Creation Stories Vary by Island
Readers looking for a single, authoritative version of the Nareau story quickly discover that no such version exists.
Most traditional Gilbertese myths were transmitted orally for generations before being written down. By the time Arthur Grimble and later researchers recorded them in the early twentieth century, different islands already preserved different versions. Some emphasised Nareau’s actions, others highlighted Riiki, and still others gave greater prominence to additional beings involved in creation.[edu.au]asiapacific.anu.edu.auANU College of Asia & the PacificGilbertese myths, legends and oral traditionsSir Arthur Grimble went to the Gilbert Islands (Kiribati) a…
These differences are not usually signs of corruption or confusion. In oral cultures, variation is often expected. Stories adapt to local histories, clan traditions and island identities while preserving key themes. In the case of the raised-sky narrative, the recurring motifs are the cramped primordial world, the cooperation between powerful beings and the transformation of the cosmos into an ordered space suitable for life.[persee.fr]persee.frjso 0300 953x 1981 numPerséeEels in Gilbert Islands culture: traditional beliefs, rituals…by K Luomala · 1981 · Cited by 4 — In the Arorae version, Na Area…
How the Story Is Understood Today
Today, Kiribati is overwhelmingly Christian, yet Nareau’s creation stories remain an important part of cultural heritage. They survive through educational materials, cultural institutions, museum displays, oral history projects and retellings intended to preserve traditional knowledge. The stories are valued not primarily as literal explanations of the universe but as expressions of Gilbertese identity, memory and ways of understanding the relationship between people, community and the natural world.[wikipedia.org]WikipediaTe UmanibongTe Umanibong
The image that endures most strongly is the raised sky itself. It is a simple but powerful idea: the world becomes possible because someone creates space. In Kiribati tradition, that task falls to Riiki under Nareau’s guidance, turning an eel, an octopus, a creator figure and a meeting house into one of the Pacific’s most memorable origin stories.[com.au]museumsvictoria.com.auNareau the Wise took two of Na Kika's legs and fed Riiki with them, the essence of procreation. As Riiki was eating, Nareau…
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Endnotes
1.
Source: persee.fr
Title: jso 0300 953x 1981 num 37 72 3063
Link:https://www.persee.fr/doc/jso_0300-953x_1981_num
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PerséeEels in Gilbert Islands culture: traditional beliefs, rituals...by K Luomala · 1981 · Cited by 4 — In the Arorae version, Na Area...
2.
Source: Wikipedia
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NareauNareau (Gilbertese: "spider lord") is the creator deity in the mythology of the Gilbert Islands. From sand and water, Nareau cre...
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Micronesian Religions: An OverviewOn the Kiribati atolls the cosmos are depicted as a gigantic clamshell that the god Naurea tried to pry...
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Title: Te Umanibong
Link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Te_Umanibong
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8.
Source: museumsvictoria.com.au
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20 Apr 2026 — Inside, every clan had its boti, its recognized place, and the roof itself echoed creation stories in which Nareau the Spid...
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Gilbertese Myths by Arthur Grimble | PDF | Social ScienceThis document provides a list and summaries of Gilbertese myths, legends, and or...
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NareauThe creator god of the Micronesian Gilbert Islands, Nareau used an eel to perform the necessary separation of earth and sky so that...
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PART 3 Essays on Mythology, History, and DancingThe universal belief of the modern Gilbertese race is that its forefathers came from Samo...
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