Tokelauan

The religion of Tokelau centred on Tui Tokelau, the chief god of the atolls of Atafu, Nukunonu and Fakaofo, settled from Samoa about a thousand years ago. He was worshipped beside the usual Polynesian pantheon until Christianity came to the islands.

On Fakaofo, the chiefly island, the marae held a house containing a monumental slab of coral, covered with mats, that personified the god, and the principal chief, the ariki, was chief priest. In May all the people of Tokelau gathered at Fakaofo, marking the new year with a feast, prayers to Tui Tokelau for protection, and offerings of fish, coconuts and pandanus. A fire was lit in the temple, and the people danced through the night.