MÃÂori mythology and MÃÂori traditions are two major categories into which the remote oral history of New Zealand's MÃÂori may be divided. MÃÂori myths concern tales of supernatural events relating to the origins of what was the observable world for the pre-European MÃÂori, often involving gods and demigods. MÃÂori tradition concerns more folkloric legends often involving historical or semi-historical forebears. Both categories merge in to explain the overall origin of the MÃÂori and their connections to the world which they lived in.
The MÃÂori did not have a writing system before European contact, beginning in 1769, therefore they relied on oral retellings and recitations memorised from generation to generation. The three forms of expression prominent in MÃÂori and Polynesian oral literature are genealogical recital, poetry, and narrative prose. Experts in these subjects were broadly known as .
The rituals, beliefs, and general worldview of MÃÂori society were ultimately based on an elaborate mythology that had been inherited from a Polynesian homeland (Hawaiki) and adapted and developed in the new setting. Alongside different Polynesian cultures having different versions of a given tradition, often the same story for a character, event, or object will have many different variations for every , , or individual who retells it, meaning there is never a fixed or 'correct' version of any particular story.
The reciting of genealogies () was particularly well developed in MÃÂori oral literature, where it served several functions in the recounting of tradition. Firstly it served to provide a kind of time scale which unified all MÃÂori mythology, tradition, and history, from the distant past to the present. It linked living people to the gods and the legendary heroes. By quoting appropriate genealogical lines, a narrator emphasised his or her connection with the characters whose deeds were being described, and that connection also proved that the narrator had the right to speak of them.
Prose narrative forms the great bulk of MÃÂori legendary material. Some appear to have been sacred or esoteric, but many of the legends were well-known stories told as entertainment in the long nights of winter.
MÃÂori poetry was always sung or chanted; musical rhythms rather than linguistic devices served to distinguish it from prose. Rhyme or assonance were not devices used by the MÃÂori; only when a given text is sung or chanted will the metre become apparent. The lines are indicated by features of the music. The language of poetry tends to differ stylistically from prose. Typical features of poetic diction are the use of synonyms or contrastive opposites, and the repetition of key words.
Few records survive of the extensive body of MÃÂori mythology and tradition from the early years of European contact. The missionaries had the best opportunity to get the information, but failed to do so at first, in part because their knowledge of the language was imperfect. Most of the missionaries who did master the language were unsympathetic to MÃÂori beliefs, regarding them as 'puerile beliefs', or even 'works of the devil'. Exceptions to this general rule were Johan Wohlers of the South Island, Richard Taylor, who worked in the Taranaki and Wanganui River areas, and William Colenso who lived at the Bay of Islands and also in Hawke's Bay. Their writings are valuable as some of the best sources for the legends of the areas where they worked.
In the 1840s Edward Shortland, Sir George Grey, Te RangikÃÂheke, and other non-missionaries began to collect the myths and traditions. At that time many MÃÂori were literate in their own language and the material collected was, in general, written by MÃÂori themselves in the same style as they spoke. The new medium seems to have had minimal effect on the style and content of the stories. Genealogies, songs, and narratives were written out in full, just as if they were being recited or sung. Many of these early manuscripts have been published, and scholars have access to a great body of material (more than for any other area of the Pacific) containing multiple versions of the great myth cycles known in the rest of Polynesia, as well as of the local traditions pertaining only to New Zealand. A great deal of the best material is found in two books, (The Deeds of the Ancestors), collected by Sir George Grey and translated as Polynesian Mythology; and Ancient History of the MÃÂori (six volumes), edited by John White.
The earliest full account of the genealogies of and the first humans was recorded from NgÃÂti Rangiwewehi's Wë Maihi Te RangikÃÂheke in (The Sons of Heaven), in 1849.
Myths are set in the remote past and their content often have to do with the supernatural. They present MÃÂori ideas about the creation of the universe and the origins of gods () and people. The mythology accounts for natural phenomena, the weather, the stars and the moon, the fish of the sea, the birds of the forest, and the forests themselves. Much of the culturally institutioned behaviour of the people finds its sanctions in myth, such as opening ceremonies performed at dawn to reflect the coming of light into the world.
The MÃÂori understanding of the development of the universe was expressed in genealogical form. These genealogies appear in many versions, in which several symbolic themes constantly recur. The cosmogonic genealogies are usually brought to a close by the two names Rangi and Papa (sky father and earth mother). The marriage of this celestial pair produced the gods and, in due course, all the living things of the earth.
The main corpus of MÃÂori mythology are represented as unfolding in three story complexes or cycles, which include the world's origin, the stories of the demigod MÃÂui, and the TÃÂwhaki myths.
In one generalised telling of the universe's creation: in the beginning, there was Te Kore (The Nothing; Void) which became Te Korematua (The Parentless Void) in its search for procreation. From it came Te Pà  (The Night), becoming Te Pà Âroa (The Long Night), and then becoming Te Pà Ânui (The Great Night). Gradually Te Ao (The Light) glimmered into existence, stretching to all corners of the universe to become Te Aotà «roa (The Long-Standing Light). Next came Te Ata (The Dawn), from which came Te MÃÂkà « (The Moisture), and Mahoranuiatea (Cloud of the Dawn). Te MÃÂkà « and Mahoranuiatea wed to form Rangi.
Generally, Rangi's wife is Papa, though they are known throughout Polynesia, even when they're not considered spouses. The pair laid in a tight embrace which blocked light from touching the world. From them came the children Haumia, Rongo, TÃÂwhiri, Tangaroa, Tà «, and TÃÂne. Some traditions may list some of these children alongside Rehua, Urutengangana, AituÃÂ, Tiki, Whiro, or Rà «aumoko, among others. Often, a war or skirmish between the siblings ends with them becoming the ancestors of certain concepts, habitats, mannerisms, animals, tools, or plants that they each represent. For instance TÃÂne became TÃÂne Mahuta, the father of birds and the forest, and Tà « became Tà «matauenga, the father of humanity and its activities, such as war. Sometimes, TÃÂne Mahuta ascends to the sky after Ranginui to dress him with stars, who mourns for his wife every time it rains. Similarly, Papatà «ÃÂnuku strains in an effort to reach the sky, causing earthquakes, and the mist comes from her sighing.
In a version involving Urutengangana, Whiro, TÃÂwhiri, Tangaroa, Tuamatua, Tumatakaka, Tà «, Paia, and TÃÂne; TÃÂwhiri "finally" agreed to the separation, while Whiro was against it. TÃÂne instructed Tumatakaka and Tà « to fetch axes with which to cut Rangi's arms off, and the blood that dripped from him down onto Papatà «ÃÂnuku is said to be where the red sunset now comes from, as well as the origin of the colours red and blue in painting: red oxide and blue phosphate of iron. This is very different to the telling in which TÃÂne discards Tà «'s suggestions to slaughter the parents to ensure their separation, where TÃÂwhiri is the brother most upset by the idea to separate the parents at all.
In South Island traditions, Rakinui weds at least three wives including Papatà «ÃÂnuku. Poharuatepà  is one of Rakinui's wives, and they are Aoraki's parents. In these versions, the gods that are usually considered Rakinui's children may become each other's half-siblings, some even becoming Rakinui's grandsons.
Aoraki and his brothers Rakiora, Rakirua, and Rarakiroa travelled across the waters of the ocean to visit Rakinui's new wife â Papatà «ÃÂnuku. On the return journey, their canoe () became capsized on a reef, so they climbed atop its hull to escape drowning. They froze into stone, becoming the tallest peaks of the Southern Alps. Afterwards they were discovered by Tà «terakiwhÃÂnoa who enlisted Kahukura's help in shaping and clothing the land. Hence became the South Island.
In a slight variant, Aoraki and his grandfather Kirikirikatata landed at Shag Point aboard the , where they turned into the ever-associated mountain and range. Kirikirikatata persuaded Aroarokaehe to come sit with them there, while her husband Mauka Atua became a peak on the Ben à Âhau Range.
There are many mythologies that describe the creation of humankind. Though Tà «matauenga is the major god associated with humanity and its activities, humanity's creation is sometimes credited to TÃÂne Mahuta, and often involves Tiki. In one story, TÃÂne Mahuta abandoned his wife Rangahore, for only giving birth to a stone.
One such legend of humanity's origins is which TÃÂne Mahuta created the first woman, Hineahuone, from soil and with her became the father of Hinetëtama. TÃÂne Mahuta concealed Hinetëtama's parentage to her, and together they had children. Upon the realisation that he is her father, she flees to the underworld and renames herself to , becoming the goddess () of night, death, and the underworld, where she receives the souls of their descendants. A similar story tells how Tiki found the first woman in a pool, imagined through his reflection and birthed into reality by covering the pool with dirt. She later became excited by the sight of an eel, passing on the excitement to Tiki and resulting in the first reproductive act.
Other versions say either TÃÂne Mahuta or Tà «matauenga created Tiki as the first man. In NgÃÂti Hau traditions, MÃÂrikoriko is said to be the original woman created by ÃÂrohirohi with Paoro's help. After seducing Tiki, she gave birth to Hinekauataata.
In the days of old TamanuiterÃÂ, the sun, used to move through the sky at much too fast a pace for humanity to complete all their days' chores leaving long, cold nights that lasted for many hours while TamanuiterÃÂ slept. MÃÂui and his brothers journeyed to TamanuiterÃÂ's sleeping pit with a large rope, which in some tellings was made from their sister Hina's hair. The brothers fashioned the rope into a noose or net, and in doing so "discovered the mode of plaiting flax into stout square-shaped ropes, (); and the manner of plaiting flat ropes, (); and of spinning round ropes", which when TamanuiterÃÂ awoke found himself caught in. Using a patu made from the jawbone of their grandmother, Murirangawhenua, MÃÂui beat the sun into agreeing to slow down and give the world more time during the day.
In south Westland, KÃÂti MÃÂhaki ki Makaawhio's Te Tauraka Waka a MÃÂui Marae is named in honour of the tradition stating that MÃÂui landed his canoe in Bruce Bay when he arrived in New Zealand.
In a tale collected from a KÃÂi Tahu woman of Lake Ellesmere / Te Waihora, MÃÂui threw a giant to the ocean and then buried him beneath a mountain at Banks Peninsula. The next winter, the giant remained still underneath the mountain, but stirred during summer, which caused the land to split and form Akaroa Harbour. MÃÂui would continue to pile earth on top of the giant, and the giant would continue to stir every summer, creating a lake and Pigeon Bay in the process, until finally the giant could not move anymore.
MÃÂui's brothers constantly shunned him, and so never allowed him to join their fishing trips. One day he managed to sneak out to the waters with them by hiding in their canoe. Once they were far out to sea he revealed himself and used Murirangawhenua's jawbone, now fashioned into a fishing hook, to catch fish. Since his brothers would not allow him to use their bait, he pierced his nose with the hook and used his blood instead. Soon, MÃÂui caught hold of a giant fish said to be a gift from Murirangawhenua, which he successfully hauled up to the surface of the ocean, the canoe getting caught atop Mount Hikurangi which according to NgÃÂti Porou, is still there. MÃÂui went to examine his catch, and have it blessed by priests from Hawaiki, trusting his brothers to look after it. Out of jealousy though, the brothers took to beating the fish and cutting it open, carving out the mountains and valleys of what would become , the North Island. , the South Island, likewise was the name of MÃÂui's canoe, Stewart Island was , MÃÂui's anchor stone, and Cape Kidnappers became , MÃÂui's fish hook.
One night, MÃÂui put out all the fires in his village, out of a curiosity to learn where it actually comes from. His mother Taranga, the village's , sent MÃÂui to his grandmother Mahuika, the of fire, to retrieve more. She gave him a fingernail, but he extinguished it, so she kept giving him fingernails until she became furious with him, setting fire to the land and sea to attack MÃÂui. He transformed into a kÃÂhu to escape, but the fire singed the underside of his wings, turning them red. He talked to his ancestors TÃÂwhirimÃÂtea and Whaitirimatakataka to send rain to extinguish the fire. Mahuika threw her last nail at MÃÂui, which missed and set fire to the , , , , and mÃÂhoe trees; the dried sticks of the were brought back by MÃÂui to show his people how to make fire for themselves.
MÃÂui turned Hina's husband, Irawaru, into the first dog () after a dispute they had during a fishing trip. Once they reached the shore MÃÂui crushed Irawaru underneath the canoe, breaking his back and stretching out his limbs, turning him into a dog. Upon learning of this, Hina threw herself to the ocean. Instead of drowning, she was carried across the waves to Motutapu, where she became the wife of Chief Tinirau, son of Tangaroa. She took on the name to reflect her mood since MÃÂui changed Irawaru.
With Tinirau, Hina became the mother of Tà «huruhuru. The , Kae, performed the baptism ritual for the child, and so Tinirau allowed Kae to ride his pet whale (possibly a ), Tutunui, in order to return home. This proved to be a mistake on Tinirau's part, as despite his strict instructions to the contrary, Kae rode Tutunui into shallow water where he became stranded and died. Kae and his people then used the whale's flesh for food. Hinarau and a party of women put Kae to sleep with a magical lullaby and brought him back to Motutapu. After he woke he was taunted and killed. This broke out into a war, a notable event of which Whakatau assisted Tinirau in burning his enemies.
In a South Island variant of that myth, Tinirau and Tutunui met Kae who was in a canoe. Kae borrowed Tutunui, and Tinirau borrowed a nautilus from his friend Tautini in a continued search for Hineteiwaiwa. When Tinirau smells the wind he realises Tutunui is being roasted.
In a very different variant, Hina was MÃÂui's wife. Over a period of time where Hina visited a bathing pool Te Tunaroa, the father of eels, molested Hina. As revenge, MÃÂui cut Te Tunaroa's body into bits, throwing them into different habitats where they became different kinds of fish; conger eels, freshwater eels, lampreys, and hagfish.
One day MÃÂui followed his mother to the underworld in search of his father, Makeatutara, who mistakenly performed the baptismal rituals for MÃÂui's birth improperly, making it certain that he would die, so MÃÂui decided to overcome death by facing his ancestress Hinenuitepà Â. Makeatutara instructs that she can be seen as the red flashes of sunset. His companions vary from version to version, usually being either his brothers or a group of small birds. To defeat Hinenuitepà Â, MÃÂui had to crawl through her vagina in the form of a worm, and climb out through her mouth. Unfortunately, one of his brothers, or one of the birds named Pëwakawaka, bursts out into laughter at the sight of MÃÂui beginning the task which wakes Hinenuitepà Â, who crushes him with the obsidian and pounamu teeth between her thighs.
In one rare tradition, MÃÂui swapped faces with his wife Rohe against her will, out of jealousy that she was much prettier while he was ugly. She left to the underworld in anger, becoming the of night and death. The spirits of those who pass through her realm of Te UrangaoterÃÂ may get beaten by her. MÃÂui and Rohe's child was Rangihore, the of rocks and stones.
Whaitiri, a cannibalistic of thunder and a granddaughter of MÃÂui, married the mortal Kaitangata (Eat people) believing, as his name suggested, that he too was a cannibal. After she killed her favourite slave for him, she was disappointed to learn that he is instead a kind man, who was horrified at the flesh offering. His diet consisted of fish instead, but Whaitiri grew tired of eating fish, and so killed Kaitangata's relatives. When he returned from a fishing trip she asked him to perform the chants that are used to offer flesh to the gods, but he did not know any such chants. After eating, she turned his relatives' bones into barbed fish hooks for Kaitangata to use, with which he caught a few . She ate the fish, which had become infused with from the hooks, and as a result she was gradually blinded. Later she was insulted by her husband when he remarked at her strange nature, so she revealed that she is 'thunder' from the sky, and returned there.
Whaitiri's son HemÃÂ had been killed by the . His sons, TÃÂwhaki and Karihi, made an ascent into the sky, where they found Whaitiri, who had since become fully blinded. Her only food consisted of and taro. She reveals to her grandsons how to climb further into the heavens but, in some versions, Karihi falls to his death.
While they were in the sky, TÃÂwhaki met his wife, either Tangotango or Hinepiripiri. In the version with Tangotango, the couple quarrel and she returns to heaven. There's another version where TÃÂwhaki was entirely human, and offended his wife Tangotango (daughter of Whaitiri), prompting her to return to the sky. In order to find her he meets his blind ancestress Matakerepà Â, who helps him climb further.
The brothers managed to save their mother, and together they trapped the in their house and blocked off all potential sources of light or escape. Their mother explained that sunlight could kill the , so the three tricked the into believing it was still night, and then suddenly lit the building on fire, and tore the door off. Only two survived; Tongahiti and .
A son named Wahieroa was born to TÃÂwhaki and Hinepiripiri, so named because after an attack on TÃÂwhaki, Hinepiripiri warmed him by the fire, with firewood. Alternatively, TÃÂwhaki's people were too lazy to collect firewood for their village, so TÃÂwhaki collected it himself and threw it to the ground, startling the people. Wahieroa would marry Matoka-rau-tÃÂwhiri, who when pregnant had a craving for flesh, and so asked her Wahieroa to kill for her to eat. In journeying through the forest, Wahieroa is captured and killed by the ogre Matuku-tangotango.
RÃÂtÃÂ, the son of Wahieroa and Hinepiripiri, set out to avenge his father's death. How he killed Matoka-rau-tÃÂwhiri is dependent on where the tale is told, but, he won in the end, and used the ogre's bones to make spears. He soon found out though, that Wahieroa's bones were lying with TÃÂwhaki's old enemies, the .
In order to get to the , RÃÂtÃÂ had to build a canoe. RÃÂtÃÂ set about chopping down the tree for his canoe, cutting the top away, and went home after the day's work was over. The next day, he found the tree standing upright as if it had never been touched. He repeated the task of chopping it, and the next day it was again re-erected. He decided to hide in a nearby bush for the night to understand what was happening, and discovered that his work was being undone by the birdlike spirits, who explained that he didn't perform the correct rituals and thus his attempts to fell the tree were an insult to TÃÂne Mahuta. With expressing regret, the constructed his canoe for him.
While rescuing Wahieroa's bones, RÃÂtÃÂ overheard the singing a song called while banging the bones together. He killed the priests and later used the song to turn the tides of a losing battle against them. In a flash, the dead of RÃÂtÃÂ's people returned to life and slaughtered the in their thousands.
RÃÂtÃÂ's sons by Tonga-rau-tawhiri were Tà «whakararo and Whakatau. In other accounts, their parents were Tà «huruhuru and Apakura. In other accounts still, Apakura as Tà «whakararo's wife threw an apron or girdle into the ocean, which a deity named Rongotakawhiu turned into Whakatau. The boy was taught a handful of magical secrets by the deity, and he was capable of living under the sea. As Whakatau's brother, Tà «whakararo had been murdered by the ÃÂti HÃÂpai (or Raeroa) tribe, so the former avenged him by gathering an army and slaughtering the offending tribe. This is one event that was said to trigger migrations from Hawaiki.
The South Island's earliest , Waitaha, traces its ancestors back to the , captained by RÃÂkaihautà « who sailed from Te PatunuioÃÂio to New Zealand with the (astronomer) Matiti's advice, and in mythology was credited with digging many of the island's great lakes and waterways. The is sometimes said to have arrived at a similar time, bringing the progenators of NgÃÂti Hawea â an that became absorbed into Waitaha. Similar ancient groups that have slipped into mythology might include Maero and Rapuwai.
Toi (Toi-kai-rÃÂkau; Toi-the-wood-eater) is the traditional origin ancestor of the tribes of the east coast of the North Island. Their traditions make no mention of his coming to New Zealand, and the inference is that he was born there. NgÃÂi Tà «hoe say that Toi's 'ancestor' Tëwakawaka was the first to settle the country aboard , "but only his name is remembered". A man named Kahukura would take Toi's canoe, the and return to Hawaiki with it. He sent back to the new lands with the canoe, which in NgÃÂti Kahungunu traditions was accompanied by Kiwa, who later sailed around to Gisborne and became the first man there.
According to the of North Auckland and the west coast of the North Island, Kupe sailed to New Zealand in the from Hawaiki after murdering a man called Hoturapa, and making off with his wife, Kà «rÃÂmarotini. Traditional songs recount Kupe's travels along the coast of New Zealand. In NgÃÂpuhi tradition, he brought the first three dogs and sent them to Cape Reinga with a few men to guard the passage to the afterlife, who would become the NgÃÂti Kurë. Kupe's exploration of Marlborough had been impeded by Te KÃÂhui Tipua, frequently described as a tribe of ogres or giants that arrived with RÃÂkaihautà «. Kupe managed to kill Te KÃÂhui Tipua by creating Lake Grassmere and drowning their villages. He sailed back to Hawaiki and never came back to the land he discovered. However, others came to New Zealand according to his directions.
Ngahue, a contemporary of Kupe, sailed to New Zealand in his canoe, the . While there he killed a moa and discovered pounamu. After returning to Hawaiki, Ngahue helped build the using adzes made from the pounamu.
were credited with being the source of fishing nets and flax weaving. There are at least two traditions regarding this: In one story, another man named Kahukura happened across the pulling in their nets during the night, and offered to help them. When they realised he was a mortal, they fled from him. In another story of the Hauraki MÃÂori, a named Hinerehia from the Moehau Range married a mortal man. She only weaved during the night, and so was tricked into weaving past dawn. Upset by this, she travelled within a cloud back to her mountains, where her laments can still be heard under heavy fog.
Migration traditions are numerous, and often only pertain to small areas and to small groups of .
A deifed person, or persons, named Uenuku features with certain roles in some canoes' migration stories. Often he is an of Hawaiki who serves as a catalyst for disputes, which end with the migrations to New Zealand. The name Uenuku also belongs to one or more associated with rainbows and war; depending on the telling, he was either a mortal who was visited by a mistmaiden from the heavens and then turned into a rainbow to be with her after tricking her into staying in his house past dawn, or he was a spirit who visited Tamatea Arikinui's wife night after night and impregnated her. is a Tainui artefact associated with the rainbow entity.
Each tribal group, whether or , maintained its discrete traditional record, which generally concerned "great battles and great men"; these stories were linked together by genealogy, which in MÃÂori tradition is an elaborate art. were often named after a notable ancestor from the wider ; the name of the itself was often borrowed from a founding ancestor. Sometimes, a group was named after a particular event.
After the arrival of the in the Bay of Plenty, its people dispersed outwards and towards Lake Taupà Â. From the canoe, a separate Waitaha evolved. Descendants of the canoe's priest NgÃÂtoro-i-rangi, NgÃÂti Tà «wharetoa, began attacking the local NgÃÂti Hotu and NgÃÂti Ruakopiri, and drove them from Lake Taupà  and Lake Rotoaira. The Whanganui MÃÂori would later drive them from Kakahi further into the King Country, after which they disappeared from history.
Most of the greatest remembered traditions of the South Island are often told by or involve KÃÂti MÃÂmoe, NgÃÂi Tara, NgÃÂti Wairangi, NgÃÂti Tà «matakà Âkiri, NgÃÂi Tahu, or RangitÃÂne; Waitaha was conquered and absorbed into KÃÂti MÃÂmoe, which along with NgÃÂti Wairangi and NgÃÂti Tà «matakà Âkiri were conquered by NgÃÂi Tahu. NgÃÂti Tà «matakà Âkiri were additionally harassed by their brethren NgÃÂti Kuia and NgÃÂti Apa.
The MÃÂori that clashed with Abel Tasman's crew at Golden Bay in December 1642 were of NgÃÂti Tà «matakà Âkiri, and it is sometimes theorised that NgÃÂti Tà «matakà Âkiri may have interpreted the Dutch as . Another theory suggests that the was concerned about the intruders possibly waking the NgÃÂrara Huarau in anchoring too close to a certain point.
Some of NgÃÂi Tahu's more memorable ancestors included;
One battle that KÃÂti MÃÂmoe won against NgÃÂi Tahu was at Lowther under Tutemakohu, whose retreated to the mist after their victory. A KÃÂti MÃÂmoe chief of Waiharakeke PÃÂ named Te Whetuki was described as being "of strangely wild aspect", and covered in long hair. One tradition states that a group of KÃÂti MÃÂmoe managed to escape an attack by forever disappearing into the forests on the other side of Lake Te Anau, the descendants of which were possibly sighted in the HÃÂwea / Bligh Sound by Captain Howell in 1843, and again in 1850/1 by Captain Stokes, and in 1872 by Kupa Haereroa at Lake Ada, and finally in 1882.
Io is a godly figure whose existence before European (specifically Christian European) arrival has been debated. He didn't appear in manuscripts or oral discourse until late in the 19th century. At least two references to him from 1891 appear in Edward Tregear's The Maori-Polynesian comparative dictionary, where he is described as "God, the Supreme Being", and as a figure in Moriori genealogy, but as Tiki's descendant. A third reference might be found in the same book under NgÃÂti Maniapoto's genealogy. It should also be noted that Io seems to be present in mythologies from HawaiâÂÂi, the Society Islands, and the Cook Islands.
In some versions of TÃÂwhaki's story, he sends his people to a high place to escape a flood which he summons to drown the village of his jealous brothers-in-law. There is a suggestion that this story might have inspiration from the Genesis flood narrative, and HemÃÂ is sometimes reimagined as Shem. The way George Grey recorded the myths of TÃÂwhaki in his 1854 Polynesian Mythology may have given rise to these connections:
Similarly, in the migration story where Ruatapu attempts to kill his brother Paikea, one NgÃÂti Porou tradition says that Ruatapu summoned great waves that destroyed their village, which Paikea only survived through the intervention of a goddess named Moakuramanu, and that Ruatapu then threatened to return as the great waves of the eighth month.