Hi everyone this is a recap of the chapter on the myths of Oceania I'm actually going to stop putting sample answers on the screen now we're past midterm so you should be on track with how to approach your responses but I will still go over them in detail. okay so I thought this would be fun to share just a few images of the birds mentioned in the Australian story of "How Fire Was Stolen from the Red Crested Cockatoo" This is what a red crested cockatoo looks like in case you're curious this is the red crest obviously and then this is the Robin again this is from Australia so not a kind of Robin that we think of but we do have a red-breasted Robin but this one is a little bit different but there you can see again this is an etiological tale that shows how the Robin got its red breast and also why the Kookaburra lives in trees and this bird is a kookaburra-- so, the question asked you to compare this story to other fire theft stories that we've read this semester so I'm hoping that you found some similarities and differences to point out-- you needed to mention other specific stories --okay so obviously you could have used Prometheus. Maui also from this chapter steals fire too but instead of stealing it for mankind like Prometheus did, his original intent is to destroy it as a trick --you could have pointed out that the fire gatherer or fire thief is usually punished or marked in some way for the offense even if he has good intentions so again you know this this bird is considered heroic for his deed but is marked for it by the red breast-- these tales illustrate the importance of fire in a civilization and there is typically a consequence for the act of taking fire from its original place-- also the motive of the fire gatherer or fire thief should be considered as this reflects the attitude of the culture-- look at how Prometheus is viewed by the Greeks versus how Maui is portrayed-- island life could be unpredictable (weather, volcanoes, and so on) and this capriciousness is illustrated by the nature of the trickster Maui-- he is more unpredictable than Prometheus who again is a culture hero but also considered a trickster. Tatkanna the Robin is quote "celebrated for his bravery" and not exactly considered a trickster --also the attitude of this story is somewhat different than the others the only punishment the Robin gets or the Robin doesn't actually get punished the only punishment that occurs I should say is the destruction caused by the fire-- a natural occurrence-- this story is also different than the tales of Prometheus and Maui because it involves animals as the main characters-- you'll see more stories like this in chapters 9 and 10-- a respect for these creatures and consideration of their place in the world is much more prominent here than in the tale of Prometheus, however Maui does shape-shift and that's something to note as well he's certainly more connected with the natural world than Prometheus-- we can argue that this is because the people had a more primitive civilization. We can also see the differences between Oceanic cultures here-- although they are grouped together the island cultures of the Polynesians and New Zealand was different than that of the Australian people and they had different environments which shaped their stories so very important to remember that-- okay speaking of Maui-- in discussing Maui's role as both a hero and a trickster you were asked to consider if his deeds as a trickster devalue his heroic efforts-- there could have been a variety of responses to this question-- you scored well as long as you were able to defend your answer with specific examples from the text-- thorough explanation of your argument was the important part. Maui seems to need his traits as a trickster in order to become a hero but whether or not his deeds are heroic is up for interpretation (sorry about that) Okay so again like a lot of tricksters he's also a culture hero he is portrayed in the human shape although he does shape-shift and I also want to make sure that you know that there are some big differences about the Maui story in Hawaii versus New Zealand-- he has several great deeds more than what mentioned in our book so first of all this let's talk about some of the motifs notice the "baby thrown in the water" motif common in heroic epics this can be seen as symbolic of rebirth also hope you noticed the reference to baptism in the story --an example of how Christian interpreters and translators work their beliefs into the tale --again some other things to note I just mentioned a second ago the differences between the Hawaiian and the New Zealand versions so in another telling Maui argues with the Sun and snares its 16 legs, also in the Hawaiian version Maui goes to the underworld to get fire and shows people how to rub sticks together so he is a less of a of a trickster I should say less of a mean trickster in the Hawaiian version than he is in this one --note his behavior in this story he's not being honorable at all he's described as being quote "fond of deceiving and injuring others"-- also in another version of the death of Maui he goes through his ancestors mouth to get to her heart --so that's different than this one-- it's not always explicitly stated but in this version he does crawl up through her vagina like you know we had we see that depiction in art some versions of the story again like this one and like many others they clean it up a little and don't mention that-- also as I mentioned a second ago he has seven great deeds in all we don't have them all in this version of the story and sometimes they're told in different order --so the seven deeds in total are fighting his mother's house (I know sounds weird), raising the sky, fishing up New Zealand, slowing the Sun or snaring the Sun, claiming fire for humanity (in one way or another), killing a giant eel, and the final one the task that he fails-- bringing immortality-- like many other tricksters he brings us both good things and bad things into the world and his exploits are certainly entertaining. I hope you found the Crash Course video about Maui that I posted in the module. ok just some images to leave you with as I go over the final question and --note depiction of Maui here again in human form as he's most always depicted-- this is just a piece of Maori art that's particularly beautiful, and then this is a drawing of Pele. okay so when comparing the "Deceiving of Kewa" to other tales we've read so far you could have chosen Inanna and Dumuzi or Demeter and Persephone or Ishtar --recall the Asia chapter recap for the underworld journey motif because this is this is again something we keep seeing in many cultures-- the important thing in this question was to point out specific similarities and differences-- one similarity is the family connection these stories often focus on a spouse or other family member that is being rescued --a difference here though is that there doesn't seem to be a price to pay for the rescue or any kind of trade arrangement instead cleverness and magic are all that's needed for the sister to be saved-- the intention is different here too instead of being captured or killed in battle or simply going to the underworld intentionally on a quest Miru's sister commits suicide in her sadness at being separated from her brother --did you notice her desire for him? It was subtle-- in other versions of this story she is referred to as his sister wife-- this version is somewhat fragmented we're never even given the reason for their separation and there are other versions that feature magic arrows that help Miru find her --this story doesn't seem to serve the same etiological functions as other underworld myths as well too, like the vegetation cycle --so again pointing out those similarities and differences was key in looking at this particular underworld journey motif. okay so this was a brief one --again I hope that you're enjoying the tales and as always let me know if you have any questions.