atua

Atua is a term used in several Polynesian languages to denote a deity or god. In Samoan, Māori, Tahitian, and related languages, atua refers to divine beings ranging from creator gods to local spirits and ancestral guardians. The exact nature and names of atua are culturally specific; different communities have their own pantheons and mythic genealogies, and some atua appear across cultures while others are unique to a particular island or iwi.

Linguists reconstruct Proto-Polynesian *atua as the root of the word, with cognates in multiple Polynesian languages. A related term in related Polynesian languages is akua in Hawaiian, which serves a similar function as a word for deity or divine being.

In traditional cosmologies, atua are central figures in creation myths, natural phenomena, and moral exemplars. They may be invoked in rituals, songs, and genealogies, and the concept of atua is closely linked to ancestral lineage and land.

In modern contexts, atua continues to be used in religious and cultural discourse. In Samoan Christian usage, Le Atua is the expression used for God in translations of the Bible and liturgy, while the word retains its broader meaning in discussions of traditional beliefs.