Hikule'o, Tangaloa, and Maui Divide the Cosmos
In Tongan creation myth, after the primordial god Taufulifonua fathered Hikule'o with his sister Havea Lolofonua, the three great powers divided the universe. Hikule'o received Pulotu, the underworld realm of spirits and the afterlife. Tangaloa took the vast sky and heavens, becoming ruler of the celestial domain. Maui received the underworld (the earth's foundation) and was tasked with fishing up the islands from the ocean. This tripartite division established the cosmic order—the sky above (Tangaloa's realm), the earth's surface (under Maui's influence), and the underworld of Pulotu (Hikule'