The people who would become Polynesians and Micronesians probably began their migrations some 3500 years ago· originating somewhere in East Asia. Developing amazing sailing skills, they made their way across the Pacific, passing through the islands of the Melanesians and, in the case of the Polynesians, gradually settling in Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Tahiti, New Zealand (Maori), and, finally, Easter island and Hawaii, completing the process in about 1000 AD.

Many Polynesians believe that in the beginning there was Rangi and Papa (Heaven and Earth) coupled in a tight embrace in the primeval darkness. It is a tale that is very similar to that of the Maori of New Zealand - bringing us to the first tale of the episode, the creation myth of the Maori.

The Maori are a Polynesian people who have inhabited New Zealand since long before the arrival of Europeans. The Maori religious and mythological system concerns itself with profound spiritual matters and the nature of Being itself.

The Maori cosmogony usually begins with the union of Rangi (Heaven) and Papa (Earth). In many parts of New Zealand the creation myth does not say much, if anything, about the supreme being, Io (Iho). There are several versions of this myth. Our tale begins with Io, the primordial deity who created the universe. 

The next two stories is of the Samoans. Samoa, in the South Pacific, was settled as early as 1000 B.C.E. by Polynesian peoples. By 200B.C.E., Samoans were the center of a trading relationship and cultural exchange with the islands of Tonga and Fiji. As widely scattered as their islands are, there are many similarities between the mythologies of the various Polynesian groups.

The final story is of the inhabitants of the islands of Hawaii. The indigenous people of Hawaii were a part of the large Polynesian people who, beginning in about 1200 B.C., gradually populated over a thousand islands in the south and central Pacific ocean. Their civilization comprised of the so-called Polynesian triangle. The people who inhabited these many islands eventually formed stories, mythologies, and cultures of their own, but were connected by a common ancestral thread. This becomes apparent in the creation myths of the episode. Now the original inhabitants of Hawaii came to the island between 300 and 700 A.D. Their culture, as was the case with many Polynesian Islands, maintained its own religion and way of life, before it was dominated by Christian and European and American ways in the 19th Century A.D. The Hawaiian creation myth is the part of a 2,000-line poem called the Kumulipo. It delineates a fascinating story of the creation of the world from a time when darkness and chaos reigned supreme. The tale celebrates nature, and the lush fertility of the islands by recognizing the many animals and fish that inhabit the surroundings. 

In fact, much like the Maoris of New Zealand, the creation story was once chanted at the birth of the children. It signified a new beginning and the relationship between the child and the flora and fauna of the first creation. The myth itself celebrates the islands and everything that grows on them, and the relationship between the people and their environment.

The stories have been inspired by David A Leeming's amazing book, "Creation Myths of the World: An Encyclopedia."

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The music used for the episodes are either free to use, or under creative commons license. Below are their links and attributions:

Danse Macabre by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?collection=005

Artist: http://incompetech.com/

Pendulum Waltz by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Artist: http://audionautix.com/

Prelude No. 6 by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/preludes/

Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/