Ахоэиту: Тонган мифологиясындағы алғашқы патшаның тарихы

In Tongan mythology, or oral history, Ahoeitu is a son of the god Eitumātupua and a mortal woman, Ilaheva Vaepopua. He became the first king of the Tui Tonga (Tonga king) dynasty in the early 10th century, dethroning the previous one with the same name but originating from the uanga (maggots) instead of divine; see Kohai, Koau, mo Momo.

When Ahoeitu was growing up, his ceaseless curiosity about his paternal heritage was repudiated by his mother, with his habitual inquiries gradually wearing down her resolve. His mother, Ilaheva Va'epopua, was an earthly woman living in what is now Popua (called after her name), a suburb of the capital city, Nuku'alofa, and located near the large lagoon of Tongatapu. She was once the mistress of the sky god, Tangaloa 'Eitumatupu'a, enjoying his affections and cohabitating with him when he visited the earth, an affair that led to the conception of 'Aho'eitu, prompting the sky god to leave before his son was born. After years of constant queries, Ahoeitu's mother finally revealed to him the identity of his father. She directed him to the great toa tree, which the lad scaled, landing in his father's realm. He followed the path to which his mother had directed him, and found his father catching doves. Eitumātupua was moved to see his son, and invited him to his house for kava and food.

Afterwards, the god introduced him to his other sons, Ahoeitu's older half brothers, who were the sons of celestial women. These other sons, who were also living in the sky, were at that moment playing sika ulu toa, a volley throwing game with javelins made from the wood of the toa (ironwood) tree. When his brothers were introduced to their half blooded sibling, they grew extremely envious of him. Once they were left alone with 'Aho'eitu, they challenged their brother to join in the game, during which the boy was mortally wounded by one of his brothers' well aimed javelins. The boy died, and his remains were cooked (some sources say they were not) and cannibalised by his gleeful siblings, who tossed his head into a hoi bush, making it poisonous ever since.

Some time afterwards, Eitumātupua sent a woman to fetch Ahoeitu, but she returned with the message that the boy was not to be found. The god immediately deduced what had happened and confronted his other sons, forcing them to vomit their brother's remains into a (a large wooden bowl, now widely used throughout the South Pacific islands for kava drinking ceremonies) by tickling their throats. Noticing that the boy's head was missing, Eitumātupua sent a messenger to seek out the head and the bones. When the last of 'Aho'eitu's missing remains were located, everything was combined in the , together with water and some leaves from the nonufiafia, which is a known medicinal plant able to revive people who were near death. The contents were then stirred and the bowl covered with banana leaves, and then the process repeated a second and third time, when Ahoeitu suddenly sat up, body reconstituted and very much alive.

He and his brothers were then summoned into Eitumātupua's presence, where the god rebuked his elder sons for their treachery. He punished them by confining them to the sky, while Ahoeitu was sent back to the earth, with divine mandate to become the King of Tonga. The wicked half brothers repented, and begged their father that they also be allowed to follow Ahoeitu onto the earth. Their father eventually relented, but stipulated that regardless of their divinity and seniority in age, they and their descendents were to serve Ahoeitu and his house forever.

According to Samoan legend, Aso'aitu (Aho’eitu in Samoan) was the first Tu’i Tonga (ruler of the south) and son of a deified Samoan high chief, Tangaloa ‘Eitumâtupu’a, and whose mother was a Tongan woman, Va’epopua, of great noble birth. This double origin, entitled the Tu’i Tonga to hold both divine and secular offices. For Samoa in particular, it was especially important to have these genealogical links in order for one's rule to be legitimized. This is seen again in later centuries during Queen Salamasina's time, as she was descended from this same line of both Samoan and Tongan aristocracy. In principle, the close cultural and historical interlinkages between Fiji, Samoa and Tonga were essentially elitist, involving the intermarriage between regional aristocratic families.