Matamata (ma.ta.ma.ta)
Matamata is the southernmost island in the Atuao'umi archipelago and the entire Southern Region. Its location puts it far from the trade routes that connect the islands of the Great Ring, with few visitors from anywhere further than the large island of Motu, directly to the north.
The best known feature of Matamata is the strange aurora that appears over the island every night, known by the locals as Lagi Mūmū. This phenomenon is typically harmless, although it can intensify to lethal levels on occasion. During these extreme events, the local Mu'o'a communities will take shelter in underground caves an bunkers, or beneath the La'au Fa'amalu Uila trees, whose tentacled flowers drink in the harmful light and protect those beneath from their effects.
The population of Matamata is fairly small considering the size of the island. While it is the third largest island in the Atuao'umi archipelago, there are only a handful of Aiga who have made it their home. The largest settlement on the island is Vaitōiti, located on a small bay on the northeastern coast. Nearly all trade that reaches Matamata passes through Vaitōiti.
Notable Spirits
The Aku of Matamata is known as Ma'afi. Ma'afi is one of the Moemoe'aku, the spirits of the natural world, and manifests as a swarm of insects burning with the light of the Lagi Mūmū. Ma'afi is mostly indifferent to the people who live upon Matamata, and the Mu'o'a practices surrounding the Moemoe'aku are aimed at averting their attention from them. A few Faifāitonu have sought to gain the favor of Ma'afi for the Mu'o'a, but these attempts have had very mixed results, with most of the supplicants being reduced to ash, and one being directed to perform a series of impossible tasks in the Moemoe'aku's service that occupied them until they died of old age.
Geography
Matamata is a triangular island, with the northernmost point pointed towards the larger island of Motu. The northern portion of the island is dominated by a great swamp around the Vai'ele'ele, the longest river on the island. The northern and southern portions of the island are divided by a high ridge, with the mountain of Maunga Matāuli at the center. To the south of this ridge the island is comprised of rolling hills, with a few mountains. Twin spires of rock known as the Mauga Tātā'au rise above the southern hills, and are said to be giants who were turned to stone thousands of years ago by the Aku for warring so violently that they threatened to shatter the island itself.
Geographic Details
Location: Southern RegionLatitude: 11.51 degrees South
Longitude: 1.87 degrees West
Average Elevation: 207 ft
Highest Point: 3,220 ft (Maunga Matāuli)
Lowest Point: -7 ft
Area: 674.80 sq mi
What I love most about this article is the way you use related words to describe everything. I feel like I'm learning about the native culture as well as the location.
Thanks! I enjoy playing with culture and language, and it is nice to know that people like reading those bits.