Papa Ahi (ˈpapa ˈahi)

Papa Ahi is the region located in the center of the island of Motu. It is an enormous volcanic plateau, with volcanos, lava fields, and crater lakes. Many of the volcanos are active, and minor eruptions are a frequent occurance, with more significant events occuring every few decades. The plateau also has other geological phenomena, such as hot springs, geysers, and mudflows. Despite this, it is a lush and fertile area, and the Mu'o'a consider it to the be the sacred home of the Aku.

When the first Mu'o'a communities were established on Motu, they settled in the coastal regions and left the Papa Ahi to the Aku alone. As their population grew, some Aiga did build villages on the plateau, but it remains sparsely populated compared to the coastal ring. Those who do live on the Papa Ahi are known to wear special woven eye shields to avoid looking at the volcanos unintentionally, as they believe that it is disrespectful to the Aku to stare at their most sacred places. Most of these communities are along the banks of the Vai Tafe, and their Faifāitonu have petitioned Talavau'aku, the Moemoe'aku of the river, for permission to live there. One of the best known of these villages is called Vai Puna. It is built near a series of sacred hot springs, which are said to confer godlike health and vitality to those who enter with the blessings of the Aku. Mu'o'a who must face a great physical trial will travel to Vai Puna and request to bathe in its waters, that they may carry this blessing with them through their ordeal.

Notable Spirits

As one of the most sacred places to the Aku, the plateau is home to some of the most powerful and important among them. Fe'etasi'aku, the moemoe'aku of the entire archipelago, is said to manifest within the great lake of Ofuto'o, while the great mountain Maunavā is home to Ta'matu'aku, the moemoe'aku who rules all the Aku of wind and sky. The Fua'aku are less common upon the Papa Ahi, but the eastern pasturelands are home to Tuma'aku, who is said to have begun the practice of herding sheep among the Mu'o'a, and guards over the Mu'o'a who raise sheep to this day.

Geography

The Papa Ahi plateau dominates the center of the island of Motu, taking up nearly twenty-five percent of the island's total area. It extends for over 150 miles from north to south, and is over seventy miles wide. At the edges, the plateau is over nine hundred feet above the coastal regions. Closer to the center, the plateau rises to over 2,500 feet at the base of the volcanos that created it. The largest of these is Maunavā, which measures nearly nine thousand feet at its summit. Due to the elevation, the temperatures on the Papa Ahi are frequently five to ten degrees lower than in Motu's coastal regions, and they reduce further on the high slopes of the mountains.

Type

Plateau

Location under

Motu

Included Locations

• Alofalelei
• Lualoto
• Maunavā
• Ofuto'o
• Vai Puna

Geographic Details

Location: Southern Region
Latitude: 8.53 degrees South
Longitude: 0.48 degrees East 
Average Elevation: 1,984.25 ft
Highest Point: 8,694 ft (Maunavā)
Area: 10,975.14 sq mi

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