Elekana was the first person to introduce Christianity to the Pacific islanders in what is now called Tuvalu.
He was born in the Cook Islands in the 19th century, although the dates of his birth and death are unknown.
[1][2] Christianity came to Tuvalu in 1861 when Elekana, a deacon of a Congregational church in Manihiki, Cook Islands, became caught in a storm and drifted for 8 weeks in a canoe before landing at Nukulaelae in the Ellice Islands on 10 May 1861.
[3] He then trained at the London Missionary Society (LMS) Malua Theological College in Samoa before beginning his work in establishing the Church of Tuvalu.
[6][7] Elekana, Ioane and Matatia, graduates of Malua Theological College, were appointed by the LMS to work in the Ellice Islands.