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origin of coconut

A young man planting the first coconut Marshall Islands folktale scene

The Coconut of Life

by Elizabeth Fabowale

November 7, 2025

Marshall Islands Folktales·Micronesian Folktales

Long ago, before the islands of the Marshall seas were covered with tall palms and whispering leaves, the people lived on fish, shellfruit, and what little the ocean offered. The atolls were dry and bare, and every season the people prayed for more food and fresh water. Among them lived a young man named Roko, known for his kindness and

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

Sepia-toned parchment illustration of a Trobriand Islands maiden standing on a moonlit beach, holding a glowing shell as a radiant moon spirit rises from the sea to meet her.

The Girl Who Married the Moon Shell

On the Trobriand Islands, where the coral reefs bloom like underwater gardens and the turquoise waters meet white sand shores, there once

An illustration of Hiro battling a storm in his magic canoe before it turns to stone, Tahitian folktale.

Hiro the Trickster and the Magic Canoe

Long ago, in the islands of Tahiti, when gods still walked among humankind and the sea was a living spirit, there lived

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