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Kiribati Folktales

Stories of courage, navigation, and family honor across the sea.

Land and sea spirits uniting over Kiribati islands, symbolizing balance and harmony in a Micronesian folktale.

The Balance of Land and Sea

by Elizabeth Fabowale

November 6, 2025

Kiribati Folktales·Micronesian Folktales

Long ago, before the islands of Kiribati were shaped as they are today, the land and the sea were living beings with spirits as powerful as the gods. The spirit of the land, Nei Matang, was steadfast and nurturing. She gave roots to trees, firm soil for houses, and space for families to grow. The spirit of the sea, Nei

The sacred tree spreading islands across the ocean, Kiribati folktale scene.

Kiribati Folktales·Micronesian Folktales

The Sacred Tree Kai n Tiku Aba

In the time before the world was divided by sea and land, there existed only a vast, endless space where light and water intertwined. From this eternal stillness emerged Na Atibu, the first divine being, whose body became the foundation of creation. Out of his chest rose a magnificent tree,

The Clever Woman of Tarawa

In the days when the islands of Kiribati were young, Tarawa shimmered

Kiribati hero Tereitaki sailing through stormy seas guided by ancestral spirits in a Micronesian folktale.

Tereitaki the Ocean Hero

Long ago, on one of the coral atolls of Kiribati, the people

The sacred tree of life spreading islands across the sea Kiribati folktale scene.

Te Kaintikuaba -The Tree of Life

November 6, 2025

Kiribati Folktales·Micronesian Folktales

In the earliest age before the sun rose and before the stars found their places in the sky there stood a single tree called Te Kaintikuaba. It grew at the center of all existence where the realms of sky sea and underworld met as one. Its roots reached into the

The glowing Singing Fish returning to the sea before a fisherman, Kiribati folktale scene.

The Singing Fish of Kiribati

November 6, 2025

Kiribati Folktales·Micronesian Folktales

Long ago, when the world was young and the sea still whispered secrets to those who listened, the people of Kiribati lived in harmony with the tides. The ocean was their mother and their mirror, providing food, guidance, and life. Among its many wonders was a legend told from one

Nareau the spider god weaving the world of light and clay, Kiribati creation folktale scene.

Nareau the Spider God and the Creation of the World

November 6, 2025

Kiribati Folktales·Micronesian Folktales

In the beginning, there was nothing but the deep emptiness of space, where silence stretched forever and no land or light could be seen. From this endless stillness came Nareau, the great spider god, the first being of thought and purpose. He drifted in the void, spinning webs of light

Nei Tituaabine resting as sacred trees grow above her, Kiribati folktale scene.

Nei Tituaabine -The Tree Maiden of Kiribati

November 6, 2025

Kiribati Folktales·Micronesian Folktales

In the earliest days of the islands of Kiribati, when the land was new and the people still learned the ways of the sea and sky, there lived a maiden named Nei Tituaabine. Her name meant “the red-haired woman,” for her hair shone like the glow of sunset and her

Kiribati Folktales

The Balance of Land and Sea

The Sacred Tree Kai n Tiku Aba

The Clever Woman of Tarawa

Tereitaki the Ocean Hero

Te Kaintikuaba -The Tree of Life

The Singing Fish of Kiribati

Nareau the Spider God and the Creation of the World

Nei Tituaabine -The Tree Maiden of Kiribati

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