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Story: Whakapapa – genealogy

Rangi and Papa

This mural, ‘Te wehenga o Rangi rāua ko Papa’ (the separation of heaven and earth) was created by Cliff Whiting of Te Whānau-a-Apanui. It depicts Ranginui (sky father), Papatūānuku (earth mother) and their children, who are gods of the natural world.

Using this item

National Library Gallery

by Cliff Whiting

Permission of the National Library Gallery, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Rāwiri Taonui, Whakapapa – genealogy – Whakapapa of creation, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/zoomify/30900/rangi-and-papa (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Rāwiri Taonui, published 3 May 2011, updated 1 July 2015.