Hina: The Woman in the Moon
Hina (also called Sina or Ina across different Polynesian cultures) was a mortal woman who became the moon goddess. In the Maori version, Hina went to fetch water at night and cursed the moon when she stumbled in darkness. The moon descended, caught her, and lifted her into the sky. In Hawaiian tradition, Hina was the mother of Maui who escaped human troubles and found refuge in the moon. Cook Islands stories tell that the moon god Marama fell in love with Ina and carried her away. In Samoa, Hina makes tapa cloth in the moon, her form visible during full moon nights. Across Polynesia, Hina rep