Whātonga
Ko Rangitāne te iwi whakaheke mai i te tipuna a Whātonga, tētahi o ngā rangatira tokotoru nā rātou te waka o Kurahaupō i taki mai ki Aotearoa. E ai ki ngā kōrero tuku iho, he mea auaha te waka i tētahi rākau nō te wao o Tawhitinui, i Hawaiki. Ka heke te waka i ngā ngaru whakapukepuke o Te Moananui-a-Kiwa kia tau ki te whanga iti o Nukutaurua, ki Te Māhia, i te takiwā o te tau 1350 (kei ētahi kōrero e mea ana, nō ngā rau tau e rua ki mua tau mai ai te waka). I tōna ūnga ki reira, ka whakakōhatuhia te waka e te tohunga e Hau.
Rangitāne
Nāwai ā, ka noho a Whātonga ki Heretaunga. I reira, ka moe ia i a Hotuwaipara, ka whānau mai tā rāua tama, ko Tarataraika, te tipuna taketake o te iwi o Ngāi Tara kei Te Whanganui-a-Tara. Ka whānau mai ki tana murimanu a Reretua, tā rāua tama a Tautoki me tā rāua tamāhine a Rerekitaiari. Ko Tautoki ka moe i a Waipuna, te mokopuna tuarua a te kaumoana nui o Te Moananui-a-Kiwa, a Kupe. Ko tā rāua tama ko Rangitāne (e mōhiotia anō ko Rangitānenui, ko Tāne-nui-a-rangi, ko Rangitānenui-ā-rangi rānei) – nāna, ko Rangitāne.
Te nōhanga o te iwi
Heke iho i ngā whakatipuranga, ka heke te iwi o Rangitāne ki Tāmakinui-a-Rua (ko te tāone o nāianei o Dannevirke), ki ngā rohe o Te Wairarapa, Te Wairau, Te Whanganui a Tarai te tonga, tae atu ki ngā rohe o Manawatū me Horowhenua i te uru. E toitū tonu ana te mana o Rangitāne ki ngā takiwā nei.
Nō te hōrapa o te iwi ki ngā takiwā, ka puta te whakataukī nei:
Tini whetū ki te rangi
Ko Tānenui-a-rangi ki te whenua.
Ngā hapū
I te nui haere o te iwi, ka tū motuhake ētahi hapū hei iwi tonu, pēnei i a Muaūpoko, engari ko te nuinga i noho tonu hei hapū, taka rawa ki ēnei rā. Otirā, ko ngā hapū ko Ngāti Kere, Ngāti Parakiore, Ngāti Hāmua, Te Rangiwhakāewa, Ngāti Mairehau, Ngāti Hauiti, Ngāti Hineaute, Ngāti Rangitepaia, Ngāti Kuia, Ngāti Huataki, Ngāti Tauira, Ngāti Rangiaranaki .
