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Melanesian Folktales - Page 3

Rich oral storytelling from Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu—each tale reflecting ancestral wisdom and deep ties to nature.
A sepia parchment-style illustration of three Fijian maidens standing on a rocky sea cliff in Kadavu, singing a sacred chant as two giant sea turtles rise from the ocean below, symbolizing the transformed spirits of Tinaicoboga and her daughter Raudalice answering the ancient Namuana call.
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The Sacred Turtles of Kadavu

On the island of Kadavu, where volcanic peaks rise green and lush from the Pacific Ocean and coral reefs shimmer beneath crystalline waters, there exists a ritual so ancient and sacred that it has been passed down through countless generations. In the village of Namuana, perched on dramatic sea-cliffs where
A sepia ink illustration of a sacred banyan tree glowing with spirit lights, as a Fijian boy and woman sit beneath it offering prayers on aged parchment background.

The Spirit Tree of Vanua Levu

November 4, 2025
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On the northern island of Vanua Levu, where the mountains rise green and misty from the sea and rivers run clear through valleys thick with tropical growth, there stood a village that had witnessed the passage of countless generations. The houses clustered together like a family gathering, their thatched roofs
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Folktale-style illustration of Lewa-ni-Cagi-Bula gazing at red prawns in a tide pool on a rocky Fijian shore

The Red Prawns of Vatulele

November 4, 2025
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The island of Vatulele rises from the turquoise waters of Fiji like a crown of coral and stone, its shores carved by centuries of waves into shallow pools and rocky ledges. Here, beneath the equatorial sun, the tide brings gifts twice daily shells, seaweed, small fish darting through crystal shallows.
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A parchment-style ink drawing of the Fijian shark god Dakuwaqa battling the giant octopus guardian in the ocean, with waves crashing and islands in the background.

Dakuwaqa: The Fijian Shark-god

November 4, 2025
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In the ancient waters surrounding the islands of Fiji, where turquoise waves crashed against coral reefs and fishing canoes carved paths through endless blue, there lived a being of tremendous power Dakuwaqa, the shark-god. He was no ordinary creature of the deep. Born with abilities that transcended the natural world,
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Sepia-toned parchment illustration of a giant crocodile lying on a riverbank as the first man emerges from its body, depicting the Sepik River creation myth from Papua New Guinea.

The Crocodile Father

November 3, 2025
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In the beginning, before the first human footprint marked the earth, the world was a place of water and wilderness. The great Sepik River wound through the northern territories of Papua New Guinea like a living serpent, its dark waters flowing endlessly between walls of impenetrable jungle. Massive trees rose
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Sepia parchment illustration of the Rainbow Snake emerging from cracked earth, her rainbow scales glowing against the dry land.

The Rainbow Snake

November 3, 2025
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In the time before water flowed across the land, the earth lay parched and broken beneath an unforgiving sun. The East Sepik region of Papua New Guinea, which today bursts with green abundance and rushing streams, was then a place of endless thirst. The ground cracked open like old pottery,
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Tiddalik the Thirsty Frog

In the Dreamtime, when animals still spoke the first language, the land woke to find no water anywhere. Rivers were empty, the
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