Qat

The creator god of the people of the Banks Islands. Qat is a vui, a spirit, and he was born of Qatgoro, a stone that broke asunder. He grew up and talked immediately after being born. He fished up the land out of the sea, created people, pigs, trees, and rocks, but did this only out of boredom. He also introduced night, which he got from Qong. His friend and foe is the spider spirit Marawa, who both opposes and helps him.

Qat is perceived as being very inactive, sitting around all day and doing nothing. He was eleven brothers, of whom Tangaro Gilagilala and Tangaro Loloqong are the most notable.

In the creation myth, Qat carved the bodies of men and women from a tree, a process that took six days. He then hid them for three days, and then for three days brought them forth and, by dancing and beating a drum, beguiled them into life.

Qat's wife is the sky maiden Ro-Lei, whose wings he buried in order to keep her on the earth. One day Qat's mother reproached her, and her tears washed away the dirt that covered her wings. She put them on and flew away. Qat fastened one end of a rope to an arrow and the other end to the roots of a banyan tree, and shot the arrow into the sky. He climbed the rope and retrieved Ro-Lei but as the pair descended, the rope snapped and Qat fell to his death while the maiden flew safely back into the sky. According to different versions of the story, Qat did not die but boarded a canoe and sailed away.

On neighboring islands he is known as Iqet, Qo', Merawehih, and other names.

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