Fiji

(map)

The great god Ndengei had a favorite bird, called Turukawa, which would wake him every morning. His two grandsons killed the bird and buried it to hide the crime. Ndengei sent his messenger Utu to find the bird. The first search proved fruitless, but a second search exposed the grandsons' guilt. Rather than apologizing, they fled to the mountains and took refuge with some carpenters, who built a strong stockade to keep Ndengei at bay. In their fortress, the rebels withstood Ndengei's armies for three months, but then Ndengei caused the earth to be flooded with rain. The rebels sat securely as the surrounding lands were submerged, until the waters reached their walls. They prayed to another god for direction, and they were brought canoes (or taught how to make them) by Rokoro, the god of carpenters, and his foreman Rokola. (By other accounts, they were instructed to make floats out of the shaddock fruit, or they floated in bowls.) They floated around picking up other survivors. The receding tide left a total of eight survivors on the island of Mbengha. Two tribes were destroyed completely--one consisting entirely of women and the other with tails like dogs. The natives of Mbengha claim to rank highest of all the Fijians.

Kelsen, 1943, 131; Frazer, 1919, 239-240.

A great rain came, and the waters rose until all the land was submerged. But before the highest places were covered, two large double canoes appeared. In one was Rokova, god of carpenters; Rokola, his head workman, was in the other. They saved eight people in their canoes, landing at Mbenga (where the god first appeared) when the water subsided. The chiefs of the Mbenga today rank higher than all others.

Nelson, Byron C., The Deluge Story in Stone (Minneapolis, MN, Augsburg Publishing House, 1931), 189.