Ko wai Tāwhaki?

Māori Mythology Part 3

In 1966, An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand was published, presenting Māori mythology as three major story complexes. The first describes the birth of the world and the genesis of gods and humankind. The second recounts the exploits of the demigod Māui. We have explored both of these in earlier posts.

The third complex is known as the Tāwhaki myth complex.

It is important to remember that myths are told in different ways according to the intention of the storyteller. The tradition of kōrerorero, oral storytelling, is a taonga practiced throughout Aotearoa. The power of these stories lies not only in their content, but in their performance, how they are passed on, and how they relate to the world of the listener.

Māori myths have also been expressed through illustration, visual art, performance and film. One notable example is the origins myth exhibition at Te Toi o Tāmaki, Auckland Art Gallery. The kōrero of individual iwi often weave together history, genealogy and myth.

The Tāwhaki Myth Complex

Tāwhaki was the grandson of Whaitiri, a powerful cannibal goddess whose name means thunder. Whaitiri married a mortal named Kaitangata, meaning “man-eater.” They had a son named Hemā, who took Urutonga as his wife. Hemā and Urutonga had two sons, Tāwhaki and Karihi.

Tāwhaki was envied by his tūākana, his older male cousins, for his exceptional beauty. One day they attacked him and left him for dead. His beloved, Hinepiripiri, found him and nursed him back to health by a fire, feeding it with a single large log.

In remembrance of this moment, they named their son Wahieroa, meaning “long piece of firewood.”

A malicious tribe called the Ponaturi later killed Hemā and imprisoned Urutonga. Tāwhaki and Karihi discovered their mother held captive in the Ponaturi hut while the Ponaturi hunted by night.

The Ponaturi were not fully human, and light was fatal to them. Tāwhaki and Karihi hid in the rafters. When the Ponaturi returned before dawn, the brothers flung open the doors and windows at sunrise, destroying the Ponaturi, rescuing their mother and avenging their father.

Tāwhaki later fell in love with a woman from the heavens, Tangotango. They had a child named Arahuta. Tangotango eventually returned to the heavens with their daughter.

Tāwhaki’s grandmother Whaitiri guarded the entrance to the heavens. Blind and endlessly counting her kūmara, she was tricked by Tāwhaki and Karihi, who removed several kūmara from her pile. When she cried out, “Who is there?” they revealed themselves.

Two vines led to the heavens. Karihi climbed the aka taepa, the hanging vine, but was blown away by violent winds and carried far from the path. Following Whaitiri’s advice, Tāwhaki climbed the aka matua, the parent vine, rooted in both earth and sky. He was reunited with Tangotango and Arahuta.

Wahieroa later married Tonga-rau-tawhiri, and they had a son named Rata. When Wahieroa was killed by Matuku-tango-tango, Rata set out to avenge his father.

After observing proper tikanga for felling a tree, the forest guardians helped Rata complete a waka. Matuku-tango-tango emerged from his pit during the full moon, and Rata killed him, avenging his father’s death.

More Beautiful Māori Myths to Explore

Below are other well-known Māori myths we encourage you to explore:

• Tūtānekai and Hinemoa (Rotorua, and the subject of the waiata Pōkarekare Ana)
• Aoraki and his brothers (Kā Tiritiri o Te Moana / the Southern Alps)
• Te whāwhai o ngā maunga (the battle of the mountains, explaining the geography of the central North Island)
• Rona me te Marama (Rona and the moon)
• Tribal legends unique to individual iwi