Who hid the masks on Mata Nui for the Toa Mata to find?

[bohrokmaster]

I have another question that was bugging me which might have been answered before - Who hid the masks on Mata Nui for the Toa to find and collect before receiving their gold masks at the Kini-Nui temple? Was it the Toa Metru before they became Turaga?🤨

[confused piraka]

probably the turaga being gits but according to some of the books the rahi hid them?

[bohrokmaster]

It was definitely the Toa Metru who brought the masks to Mata Nui. I've just found out on Makuta's guide to the universe!

[Lenny7092]

I think Vakama created them, and then he and the other Toa Metru hid them across the island to get ready for the Toa Mata.

[(-Kopaka Toa of Ice-)]

But they would never have had the Nuva masks for hiding them. And how would the Order of Mata Nui get the news or had spies on the island and order a set 30 nuva mask from Artakha ready for hiding ?

[T.B.O.C]

I believe it's established in canon that the original Kanohi on the island were in fact hidden by the Toa Metru/Turaga. They brought spares from Metru Nui, and it's been a hot minute so I could be wrong: but I'm fairly certain the idea was to have the Toa Mata prove their skills and abilities before they challenged the Makuta. I don't recall if this was something they did before their transformation - though if they did, it was not directly mentioned. Nonetheless, they had a significant time to do so during the 1000 years between inhabiting Mata Nui and the arrival of the Toa. It would give credence to why the Turaga and subsequently Matoran had a degree of information about where they might be hidden - easy to establish tales and stories when the Turaga likely knew where they were.

Kanohi Nuva were from Artahka, who had created them. He was prone to making a lot of objects offhand - such as the Great Kanohi, so I'm not too suspicious he figured this out. I believe they sort of got teleported to the island? It's a retcon/later established factoid that has little basis, but at the same point, is as reasonable as any other answer was.

On 7/4/2024 at 2:17 PM, (-Kopaka Toa of Ice-) said:

But they would never have had the Nuva masks for hiding them. And how would the Order of Mata Nui get the news or had spies on the island and order a set 30 nuva mask from Artakha ready for hiding ?

The Order did have a member on Mata Nui, actually - they were killed fairly quickly by Teridax (if I recall), but are the reason there was a seventh Toa canister on the island for Vezon to take. I don't believe the Order distributed the Kanohi Nuva, though.