Maori Myth and Legend

In the beginning

FIRST WOMAN

by Hana Weka

When Tane Mahuta, god of the Forest and Birds, separated Ranginui, the skyfather, and Papatuanuku, the earth mother, he and his brothers were horrified to see how bare and ugly their world looked. Papatuanuku was covered in soft, oozing mud that shifted and slid every time she sighed. Ranginui was hidden in mist as he wept frozen tears for Papatuanuku.
"This will not do,"muttered the brothers.
"This is our world too, but Rangi and Papa must help us as well."
The brothers began to make all things on earth and in the sky. Time dreamed in darkness.A tiny spark was wrapped in warmth until it became a pale glow. Then it broke and scattered all over the world. A little piece flew to Uru who lived with Ranginui. He made glittering lights that blazed all over the Sky Father.The work went on. Tane Mahuta flung two baskets of magic into the air and a huge ball of fire burst into the world and broke time into day and night. One day the work was done. The gods looked at their mother, Papatuanuku. She was dressed in a beautiful gown that shimmered green and gold in the sunlight. The gods looked at their father, Ranginui. He stretched high above them in a magnificent cloak that was blue by day and as the light fled, the cloak turned from the palest gold into a fiery red. Then at night the cloak became as black as black and millions of glittering stars blazed and twinkled down on Papatuanuku.It was a beautiful world but there was no one to enjoy it.
"We must make some people," said Tane Mahuta.
"A man who looks a bit like us," said Tu Matauenga, the god of War.
"No," said Rongomatane, the god of Peace.
"A man cannot have children."
"We shall make a woman," said Tane Mahuta.
"She shall be like Papatuanuku, our mother, and she will have children."
"A baby," said Ruamoko, the Earthquake god.
"I like babies."
The gods agreed and watched their brother, Tane Mahuta, take red earth from Papatuanuku and shape it into the form of a woman.
"Take my breath. Give her life," whispered Tawhiri Matea, god of the winds.
Tane Mahuta bent over the earth form and breathed into it's nostrils. The chest moved. The figure took a breath and then she sneezed,
"Tihei!"
The gods smiled and together they gave her the gift of life - mauriora.
"She is like Papatuanuku," they cried.
"We shall call her Hineahuone, Woman - made - from - earth," said Tane Mahuta.
"I shall build her a house to live in."
Tane Mahuta took Hineahuone and looked after her. He taught her many things.His brothers came often and made sure that Hineahuone knew about their worlds too.Tane Mahuta was pleased with Hineahuone. He decided to marry her. It was not long before Hineahuone gave birth to a daughter. She was full of life and very beautiful. The gods were so happy. They named her Hinetitama - the Dawn Maiden - because her cheeks were the same colour as the first morning light.Tane Mahuta and his brothers sang to each other with joy as they watched Hineahuone and her child.
"A mother and child," boomed Tangaroa, god of the Sea.
"A mother and child," whispered Tawhiri Matea, god of the Wind.
"Yes, a mother and child," chanted Tumatauenga god of War and Rongomatane, god of Peace.
"Child," rumbled Ruamoko, the Earthquake god.
"They will live in our world forever," said Tane Mahuta.
"They will look after all the things we have made and we shall teach the child all that we know."
"Yes!" shouted the gods.
"Tihei mauriora!"
The brothers gently touched noses and departed.

The End

RUAMOKO

 By Hana Weka

When Ranginui the Sky father and Papatuanuku the Earth mother clung to each other, their children complained bitterly. No light could penetrate between the parents and there was very little space for the children to move. Ranginui and Papatuanuku did not want to part and took no notice of their children's cries of discomfort and unhappiness.

When the youngest child was born, life became unbearable. The new baby was very active and had a terrible temper. He was named Raumoko. He was the god of volcanoes.

Raumoko loved Papatuanuku dearly and often pushed his long fingers of fire through her body to warm her. He was her beloved potiki and both Rangi and Papa thoroughly spoiled him.

One day the older brothers held a hui. Ruamoko was too young to be included so he was not invited. The brothers decided to separate their parents and they chose Tane Mahuta god of the forest and birds, to carry out the separation. Tane Mahuta lay on Papa and shoved Rangi up into the heavens. Light rushed into the world. Tangaroa spread his waters around Papa and Tawhiri Matea, god of the wind screamed across the empty space between his parents.

Ruamoko peeped out from his mother's arms and howled with rage at the sight of his father's tears and his mother's agony. The ground cracked and opened and Ruamoko threw boiling mud into the air, and huge clouds of foul smelling steam. His brother's stared in amazement at their little brother's fury.

"How dare you!" screamed Ruamoko and the earth shook with his voice.

"How dare you!" he shrieked and he took the fires from inside Papatuanuku and made them erupt high above the ground.

So it was that Ruamoko howled and shook with rage for many days until finally Papatuanuku folded her arms around him and sang him to sleep.

Time passed. Ranginui stopped weeping for Papatuanuku and Papatuanuku began taking an interest in her children's work especially when they dressed her in gowns of many colours.

But Ruamoko is still the baby and a very bad tempered baby at that. When he wakes from a nap he is inclined to shake Papatuanuku rather hard and then hurl mud and hot, foul smelling steam into the air.

And when Papatuanuku cannot sing him to sleep, Ruamoko hurls red rivers of fire into the forests of Tane Mahuta. He shoves ugly islands of molten rock upon the waters of Tangaroa. And he speaks to his brothers saying;

"Ko Ruamoko, e ngunguru nei,

Au, au, aue ha!

"Hark to the rumble of the Earthquake God.

Au, au, aue ha!"

THE END

HINENUITEPO

by Hana Weka

There is only one female god in Maori Legend. She is the daughter of Tane Mahuta, god of the Forest and Birds, and Hineahuone, woman - made - from - Earth.

Today she is known as Hinenuitepo but she began life as Hinetitama, the Dawn Maiden.

Tane Mahuta was very proud of his daughter, Hinetitama, and watched her growing up with great interest.

One day he called his brothers and said, "when my daughter, Hinetitama grows up, who will she marry?"

The gods looked at each other.

"Why don't you make her a husband out of earth?" said Tu Matauenga, the god of war.

"Choose one of us," sighed Tawhiri Matea, the god of the wind.

"Marry her yourself," thundered Tangaroa, god of the Sea.

"It is your problem," they shouted, "leave us out of it," and they departed.

So Tane Mahuta changed his form and became a simple man. When Hinetitama saw him she fell in love with him and became his wife. She was very happy.

Children were born. Hinetitama was very busy.

One day a wicked little breeze drifted past Hinetitama and whispered, "who is your father, Dawn Maiden?" Hinetitama paused thoughtfully.

Another day while she was gathering shellfish, a wave sneaked up around her ankles and rippled, "who is your father, Dawn Maiden?"

Puzzled, Hinetitama returned home and asked Tane Mahuta, "who is my father?"

Tane Mahuta replied, "ask the four corners of this house."

At once Hinetitama realised that her father and her husband were the same person.

At night she left her family and fled into the Underworld. When Tane Mahuta came to fetch her home she replied, "go back to our children. I shall never return to the world that you have created. I shall stay here and welcome our children and their children's children into this world."

Tane Mahuta replied, "so shall it be. Hinetitama you were called in the world of light. Hineuitepo you shall be called in the world of darkness. Hineuitepo, the Goddess of Death."

The End

Maui

MAUI FINDS FIRE

by Hana Weka

Maui Tikitiki-a-Taranga loved playing with fire. He liked putting them out and he liked making them burn fiercely. One day he put out all the fires in the village. The people were angry and complained to Taranga, Maui's mother. She called Maui and said to him, "the people are angry with you. I am too. There is no fire burning in the village. How are we going to cook our food and warm ourselves? You must go as quickly as you can to the old kuia, Mahuika, and ask her for some fire. She is a dangerous old woman so you had better be careful."

Maui travelled down into the underworld. No one had offered to come with him for everyone was terrified of the spirits that lived there.

Mahuika lived alone. She never touched anything. When she did, it would burst into flames. Maui found Mahuika sitiing in front of her whare trying to eat a meal. "Let me feed you," he said, and took his taiaha and scooped up the food on the spearhead. Mahuika ate and ate. When she had finished, Maui took a shell and filled it with water. Then he held it to her lips so that she could drink. Mahuika was very thirsty.

"Welcome, Maui Tikitiki-a-Taranga. I know why you are here. You wasted the fire in the world of light. How careless you are. Never mind. Because you have been kind to me, I shall give you what you want." She lifted her hands and pulled off a fingernail. At once it burst into flame. "Here, take it. Light your fire and bring it back to me."

Maui took the fingernail and set off. As he carried it away a wicked little plan began to develop in his head. He dropped the fingernail into a stream and watched it hiss out of sight. He went back to Mahuika and told her that he had tripped and the fingernail had fallen into the stream. Mahuika smiled and said, "that's all right Maui Tikitiki-a-Taranga, I have plenty more. Here you are," and she gave him another fingernail.

Maui did this many times and each time Mahuika gave him another fingernail. But when he returned for her last fingernail, Mahuika lost her temper.

"Enough!" shrieked Mahuika. "You die, little fire waster!"

And she threw the last fingernail at Maui. Maui flung himself upwards and turned into a hawk. He beat his wings rapidly and as he looked down he saw the ground below him explode in flames. He threw himself into the world of light but the fires of Mahuika still followed him crackling and snarling as they licked their way through the forest of Tane Mahuta.

High in the heavens the gods watched in astonishement as the fires leaped into the air after the fleeing hawk. "It is Maui Tikitiki-a-Tanraga," said Tawhiri Matea. "He needs our help."

So the wind roared over the raging fires and blew icy rain into the flames. Water rose up from the streams and fell on top of the burning trees. And far below the earth Ruamoko, the earthquake god, shook the ground until it split open, and then he swallowed the fires of Mahuika .

Maui flew to his home and he dropped down beside his mother and took his own shape again. In his hand he held a glowing stick.

"You cannot go into the Underworld to get fire anymore. The way is closed to those who live. If you need fire again just look for the kaikomako tree and rub two of its twigs together."

In a faraway land hidden from the inquisitive eyes of a man Mahuika sat muttering to herself as she looked into the rivers of fire that ran past her.

"Pest!" she muttered. "Ratbag!"

"He'll never find me now!"

The End

MAUI COMES HOME

 by Hana Weka

As Tangaroa tumbled into the bay where Tamanuikiterangi, the wise one lived, he was pleased to see how well Maui Tikitiki-a-Taranga was growing. Many seasons had passed since Tangaroa had tossed Maui, wrapped up in his mother's hair, on to the beach, giving him to Tamanuikiterangi. Now Maui was as clever as the old man and knew as much about hidden magic in the earth and the sky as his old koro.

One day Tamanuikiterangi said to Maui, "go on, go and find your whanau. I have been waiting for you to ask me but you have chosen to use magic instead. Put away your spells and let me do this one last service for you. Your time with me has ended."

And Maui left Tamanuikiterangi.

He travelled by day and when the land became too rugged he took the form of the kahu and skimmed over it. He crossed into his tribal land and found his family's whare exactly where Tamanuikiterangi had said it would be.

When night fell and everyone had gone to sleep he crept inside and lay down beside his brothers.

The following morning Taranga looked at her four sleeping sons. "Maui Taha....... Maui Roto...... Maui Waho....... Maui Pae........But there was a fifth person asleep with her sons."Who's that?" She shook the stranger roughly and shouted, "wake up, whoever you are! Where did you come from?"

Maui sat up and looked at his mother. His brothers sprang to their feet and rushed for their weapons to kill the intruder.

"Well may you ask, woman" said Maui. He stood up and faced his whanau. "I come from the heaving waters of Tangaroa where I was thrown by my mother who had wrapped me in her hair. I would have perished had Tangaroa not taken pity on me and tossed me to Tamanuikiterangi. He named me Maui Tikitiki-a-Taranga."

Taranga's eyes filled with tears and she opened her arms to Maui.

"My son. My last born son. My potiki. My potiki who came too early into this world. Welcome back to your whanau. Welcome home."

The End

Hine Hukatere

HINE HUKATERE

by Hana Weka

  Nestled among the rocky folds of the mighty Aorangi mountain is a white river of ice that creeps very slowly towards its father, Tangaroa. When the air is still and the sky is newly sprinkled with stars, a snow maiden picks her way through the debris and peers into the icy crevices of the glacier.

"Wawe," she calls. "Wawe," she murmurs. "Where are you?"

Her voice is so chill that those who have heard her calling have shuddered with dread and have held tight to each other saying, "it is Hine Hukatere, the snow maiden. She still looks for Wawe, her own true love."

"How can that be?" says someone.

"I'll tell you," says the One-Who-Knows.

Many years ago Hine Hukatere saw a young man walking in the foothills of Aorangi looking for cutting stones. He was very charming and she was so beautiful that they soon fell in love. However, every time Wawe tried to touch the Snow Maiden, she screamed in pain because his warm hands would melt her skin. Wawe would spring back in shock because she was so cold that his fingers would freeze instantly.

One day, Hine asked Wawe if he would go with her high into the mountains to ask Aorangi for warm breath and pink cheeks just like his.

Wawe was overjoyed and readily agreed and so they set out across the foothills and up into the mountain. As they climbed Wawe became afraid. His ancestors had forbidden everyone from climbing Aorangi. It was the home of the tribal gods who jealously guarded their resting place. Higher and higher they went. The air grew cold and thin. Hine Hukatere called to Wawe, "Isn't it beautiful? Could we not live up here together?"

Wawe was too cold to reply. His fingers and toes were numb. His face was blue and his eyelids were heavy with snow. He slowly turned to Hine and saw her skipping with pleasure over the snowy ground.

"Come on Wawe, not far to go."

Wawe stumbled towards her voice. He heard Tawhiri Matea scream in his head, "Get off this mountain, you mortal!"

He felt Hine touch his hand as Tawhiri Matea pushed him off the edge of the path. As he fell Hine Hukatere shook millions of snowflakes from her fingers so that Wawe would fall into their softness. But Tawhiri Matea blew the snowflakes over the mountain and Wawe plunged down to his death.

Hine Hukatere never leaves the mountains now. Nor does she seek the company of people anymore. Instead she wanders along the white river of ice peering between the thick blocks and walls hoping to find Wawe again.

And as she goes she cries and her tears are ice that fall into the glacier and move it ever so slowly towards Tangaroa.

The End

The Forgotten Brother

PURAPURAWHETU 

by Hana Weka 

In the dark folds of Ranginui the Skyfather's great cloak lived the forgotten brother of Tane Mahuta, Tangaroa, Rongomatane, Tawhiri Matea, Tumatauenga, the gods of the new world, created when Tane separated his mother the Earth, and his father the Sky.

Uru was so silent that even his father Ranginui, had forgotten about him.

Sometimes his brother, Tawhiri Matea, god of the Wind, would roar over Ranginui and peer curiously into the dark creases of Ranginui, and then whirl madly back to Papatuanuku, the mother of the gods, convinced nobody lived with his father.

The forgotten brother would weep silent tears which hardened as they slipped down his face and fell twinkling at his feet. Uru would gather up his teardrops and quickly hide them in a basket. "Firstborn though I am" he mourned silently, "what use am I to this new world that is being created by my brothers?" And once again the tears would come and Uru would stoop quickly and gather up his twinkling tears.

Far below him he could see his mother, Papatuanuku being dressed by Tane Mahuta, in the most beautiful gown of green and yellow and rich purple. Around her rippled the glistening blue waters of Tangaroa, god of the Sea, and now and then long, blue ribbons would weave in and out of Papa's gown ending in little blue gems that sparkled in the light.

Seeing how beautiful Papatuanuku looked, his father Ranginui would weep for her and the world would disappear in a mist of grey wetness.

All the while, the tears in Uru's basket grew and grew until there were many baskets at the feet of the forgotten brother. Then one still evening he heard his name being called. "Uru, my tuakana, I need your help." At once, Uru wrapped Ranginui's black cloak around him and vanished. The voice called. "Uru, Uru, my eldest brother, I need your help. Look at our father. See how unhappy he is. Our mother has sent me to teach him how to be happy again. But I need your help because you know him better than we do."

Uru replied, "what do you want me to do?"

Tane Mahuta answered, "I want your baskets."

"They are nothing," said Uru, "only the sadness of a forgotten brother."

Tane Mahuta smiled and touched the top of a basket. "Open it, brother."

Uru lifted the lid and at once the sky was lit with bright lights that tumbled and chattered around him. Little feet danced all over him and little voices called to Uru, "Father, father, here we are, your little seeds of light. Your purapurawhetu."

"Just two baskets," said Tane. "Our father will not be lonely in the dark anymore if some of your children are with him."

Uru nodded and said, "take two baskets, my brother, but don't come back here again. My children and I shall not be here should you return."

Tane Mahuta scooped up two baskets and hurried away and as he went he sprinkled little gatherings of stars all over Ranginui until he glowed with millions of lights. Then he took the empty baskets and shook the stardust into the air and flung the baskets into space. One fell away into the west like a giant orange globe and the other spun itself into a pale, silvery ball that hung above Ranginui and Uru's children.

As Tane Mahuta returned to Papatuanuku he thought he heard Ranginui chuckle and high, piping voices calling to each other as they twinkled in the night sky.

"Father, Father, here we are, your purapurawhetu."

The End

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