Hihimanu is called the bird of the ocean and is considered by the Hawaiian people to be a family guardian to mariners and fishermen. It is considered to be especially favorable towards those who go after large fish like the skipjack tuna, the swordfish, and the mahimahi. The “eagle manta ray” is the most sacred of all. It is like a bird underwater and glides with ease thru the roughest of seas. The Hawaiian/Polynesian people believe that Hihimanu rays are the offspring of Maui the demigod. The word “hihi” means extremely personal or “sacred to one’s body”, and “manu” means to take flight or to be propelled by an unseen force that would create life. The hula speaks of the masculine and physical beauty of Maui the demigod. There is not much written in English about the Hihimanu. However the legends and the sacred story of the “Hihimanu” are still there if you study the hula and Polynesian dances (Tahitian, Samoan, Tongan, or Maori).
Maui was the Hawaiian Hercules and was renowned throughout Polynesia as the most perfectly made man ever. There are ceremonies that those of the Warrior Elite followed that are said to have come directly from Maui. When a Hihimanu is seen in dreams it is believed to mean victory over war, the culmination of years of hard work coming to fruition, and a love that works but is not traditional.