Although Moana is from the fictional island Motunui some 3,000 years ago, the story and culture of Moana is based on the very real heritage and history of Polynesian islands such as Hawaii, Samoa, Tonga, and Tahiti. In fact, once you start looking for ties to Polynesian culture in Moana, it’s hard to stop!
What ethnicity is Moana?
Polynesian
The majority of the film’s cast members are of Polynesian descent: Auliʻi Cravalho (Moana) and Nicole Scherzinger (Sina, Moana’s mother) were born in Hawaii and are of Native Hawaiian heritage; Dwayne Johnson (Maui), Oscar Kightley (Fisherman), and Troy Polamalu (Villager No. 1) are of Samoan heritage; and New Zealand-
Is Maui from Moana Samoan?
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson plays the character of Maui, the Polynesian demigod who is the most recognizable mythic character Disney tapped from Polynesian legends and oral histories.
Is Moana kiwi or Hawaiian?
No. Moana is Samoan. Probably from the Island of American Samoa. According to Disney, she comes from the Southern Hemisphere, which makes her not Hawaiian.
What language is spoken in Moana?
As far as I can tell, the non-English lyrics of the standout Moana song are in the Tokelauan language. This is the native language of Foa’i, who is the lead singer/songwriter for the group Te Vaka, and most of their songs are performed in this language as well.
Is Moana a Samoan?
Although Moana is from the fictional island Motunui some 3,000 years ago, the story and culture of Moana is based on the very real heritage and history of Polynesian islands such as Hawaii, Samoa, Tonga, and Tahiti. In fact, once you start looking for ties to Polynesian culture in Moana, it’s hard to stop!
Is Hawaiian and Polynesian the same?
Hawaii is the northernmost island group in Polynesia and can be rightfully be referred to as a Polynesian. It includes almost the entire of volcanic Hawaiian Archipelago which is made of several islands spread over 1,500 miles in the central Pacific Ocean.
Is Te Fiti based on a real island?
Te Fiti is not a real place. However, the creators of Moana did base Te Fiti on Tahiti, the largest island in French Polynesia. Art directors Bill Schwab and Andy Harkness told Variety that the research for the film was crucial in perfecting the animation.
Is Te Fiti a real God?
Is Te Fiti Based On a Real Legend? Yes and no. Te Fiti does not exist in Polynesian mythology, but there is a goddess of fire, lightning, wind, and volcanoes called Pele. Some fans are speculating that Pele is Te Fiti’s real-life legend counterpart.
Who is demigod Maui?
Māui is a demi-god who is popular in the Native Hawaiian culture. He is known for being the “trickster.” It is said that he owns a great fish-hook called Manaiakalani. Legend has it that Māui created the Hawaiian islands by tricking his brothers into going fishing with him.
Who is Te Fiti modeled after?
Filmmakers charted out relative distances in the world they created. Te Fiti, another island in the film, was based on Tahiti, and the tattoos on Dwayne Johnson’s character, Maui, are modeled on Marquesan tattoos.
Is Polynesian a race?
Polynesians form an ethnolinguistic group of closely related people who are native to Polynesia (islands in the Polynesian Triangle), an expansive region of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean.
Is there a Hawaiian version of Moana?
Hawaiian language version of ‘Moana’ to be distributed to schools across Hawaii. The new version, which premiered in June, marked the first time a Disney feature film was dubbed in Hawaiian. “Moana” was nominated for two Academy Awards in 2017, including Best Animated Feature.
What does Hei Hei mean in Hawaiian?
chicken
Hei Hei means “chicken.” Moana’s father Tui is named after a New Zealand bird. Her grandmother’s name, Tala, means “story” in Samoan. Moana’s pet pig is named Pua, which means “flower.”
Is Moana based on a true story?
Is ‘Moana’ based on a true story? The character of Moana is not a real person. However, the demigod, Maui (voiced by Dwayne Johnson in the movie), has been around in Polynesian folklore for centuries. According to Smithsonian Magazine, settlers started to colonize Western Polynesia around 3,500 years ago.
According to linguistic evidence, Polynesian languages are closely related to each other and belong to the Austronesian language family that can be traced back to East Asia, in particular to the present-day languages of Taiwanese Aborigines (Blust 1999; Diamond 2000).
Is Moana cultural appropriation?
Since the movie’s 2016 debut, “Moana” Halloween costumes have been controversial. Minority groups say non-Polynesians dressing up as Moana and Maui, the story’s male lead, equals cultural appropriation. Proponents say it’s fine to wear costumes of your heroes even if they’re a different ethnicity.
Are Hawaiian and Samoan the same?
The Samoans are a Polynesian people closely related to the native peoples of New Zealand, French Polynesia, Hawaii, and Tonga.
Is Fiji a Polynesian island?
Fiji is now classified as both Polynesian and Melanesian.
What are native Hawaiians called?
kānaka maoli
Native Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians (Hawaiian: kānaka ʻōiwi, kānaka maoli, and Hawaiʻi maoli), are the Indigenous Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. The traditional name of the Hawaiian people is Kānaka Maoli.
What does Motunui mean?
Motunui (large island in Maori, from Motu Nui) is a settlement in northern Taranaki, in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located on State Highway 3 close to the shore of the North Taranaki Bight, six kilometres east of Waitara.
Contents