Ahakoa ko Ranginui e tū iho nei, ko Tāwhirimātea kē te atua whakahaere i te āhuarangi.
I roto i ngā kōrero mō te orokohanga, ka toko ake te hiahia a ngā tamariki a Ranginui me Papatūānuku kia whakawehe i o rātou mātua, e tiaho ai te mārama ki te ao. Ko Tāwhirimātea anake te mea kāore i whakaāe kia whakawehea ngā mātua. Nō te wehenga a Rangi me Papa, ka kake ake a ia ki te rangi kia noho me tōna pāpā, ki reira wānanga ai rāua i te riri ki ōna tuākana. Nō konei anō ka tīmata a ia te whakawhānau uri.
Ka tukuna e Tāwhirimātea ōna tamariki ki raro: ko tētahi ki te tūāraki, ko tētahi ki te tonga, ko tētahi ki te marangai, ko tētahi ki te hauāuru. Koinei anō hoki ngā ingoa o āna tamariki.
Kātahi ka tono a Tāwhirimātea i ōna kapua, i a Aonui (he kapua mātotoru) rātou ko Aopōuri (he kapua pōuri), ko Aowhētuma (he kapua tarakakā), ko Aowhēkere (he kapua ka pā i mua i te hau āwhiowhio), ko Aokānapanapa (he kapua mākurakura), ko Aopakakina (he kapua pohū ka ahu mai i ngā wāhi katoa), ko Aopakarea (ngā kapua o ngā marangai) me Aotakawe (ngā kapua ka rere wawe i te rangi).
Koia ko te whai utu tēnei a Tāwhirimātea mō te whakawehenga o ngā mātua. Ka whakaeke tuatahi a ia i te atua o te ngahere i a Tāne Mahuta – nāna nei a Rangi me Papa i whakawehe. Ka tuatua a ia ki raro ngā tinana o ngā kōhure o te wao tapu a Tāne. Kātahi ka whakapuke a ia i ngā ngaru teitei hei patu i te atua o te moana i a Tangaroa. Whai muri ka tahuri a ia ki te haukerekere i a Rongomātāne, te atua o te hauhake me te kūmara, me Haumia-tiketike, atua o ngā aruhe. Ka puta o rāua ihu i tā rāua huna ki raro i a Papa. Koinei e tipu whakaroto ana te kūmara.
Ka tukuna anō e Tāwhirimātea ōna toa a Uanui, a Uaroa me Uawhatu. Ko o rātou uri ko Haumaringi, ko Haumārotoroto me Tōmairangi.
Otirā ka whakaeke a Tāwhirimātea i a Tūmatauenga, te atua o te riri me te ira tangata. Ka tū mārō a Tūmatauenga i ngā āki mai a tōna tungāne. Ka pūkengatia e ia ngā tūmomo karakia kia pā kē mai ko ngā hau mirimiri. Ka matau i a ia ngā karakia tūā hei whakamahea i te rangi. Kore rawa tētahi i hinga i tētahi. E āki tonu ana a Tāwhirimātea i ngā marangai me ngā hau āwhiowhio hei patu i te tangata, i runga i te moana me te whenua.
Ko Kōanga te kupu Māori mō te wā o te tau atu i Mahuru ki Whiringa-ā-rangi. E whakahuahia ana i roto i tēnei kupu te kupu kō: inā rā koinei te marama e kaha kōia ai te māra. Inā te kōrero, ‘Takē Kōanga, whakapiri Ngahuru’. E pā ana tēnei kōrero ki te tangata tē kitea i ngā mahi whakatō o te Kōanga, heoi ka puta mai i te wā o te hauhake i te Ngahuru.
Nō te kōanga ka heke ngā ua kōwhai i te puanga mai o te kōwhai i te marama o Mahuru.
Atu i Hakihea ki Huitanguru ko te wā raumati. Ka whakamoea a Te Rā ki a Hine Raumati kia puta ko Tānerore. E pā ana te kōrero a ‘Te haka a Tānerore’ ki te hau ārohirohi o te raumati.
Arā anō ngā kōrero e kī ana ko te wāhine o Rehua i a Pareārohi te whakatinanatanga o te ārohirohi.
Ko Rehua tētahi o ngā whetū nui e kānapanapa ana i te rangi. He pānga nui tō Rehua ki te wā raumati. E kī ana te kōrero, ‘Te tātarakihi, te pihareinga; ko ngā manu ēnā o Rehua. Ka tangi ana ēnei ngāngara kua tīmata te raumati.
Whakataua te kēkerewai ko ‘te manu a Rehua’. I te wā o te raumati ka hauhaketia te tini kēkerewai mai ngā paru kei ngā tahataha o ngā kōawa me ngā roto. Whāia, ka whakatauritetia te rerenga o ngā ika i te raumati, pērā i te maomao me te moki, ki ‘Ngā pōtiki a Rēhua’.
He maha ngā kōrero kino a te Māori mō te raumati. Inā te kupu kōrero, ko ‘Rehua whakaruhi tangata’, e kōrero ana mō te ruhi o te tangata i te wā raumati. Kua pau hoki ngā kai i tēnei wā. Ā ‘Te Rā o Te Waru’ (ngā rā o te waru patote) kua tino whiti te wera o te raumati. Whāia ka hua te kōrero a ‘Rehua pona nui’, i te pupuhi mai o te āhua o ngā pona o te tangata i te kaha wera.
Ka whakaritea te āhua o te huarere ki ngā rā i whānau mai ai tētahi tīpuna. Me he rangi paki, kua kī te tangata, ‘Mehemea ko te rangi i whānau ai a Te Rangitauarire’. Ka marangai ana, kua kīia, ‘Mehemea ko te rangi i whānau ai a Te Tuarariri’.
E whai pānga ana te ingoa ngahuru, ki te kupu tawhito a te Māori mō te tekau. Inā hoki, ka hī ake te ngahuru i te marama tua ngahuru o te maramataka. Ko ngahuru anō te kupu i whakamahia e te Māori mō te hauhake kai. E ki ana te whakataukī mō te mahi o te kai i te wā ngahuru, arā, ko ‘Ngahuru, kura kai, kura tangata’.
Ko Hōtoke me Makariri ētahi kupu e pā ana ki te mātao me te wā Takurua. He whetū a Takurua. Ka kī ana te kōrero, ‘Takurua hūpē nui’.
He huhua ngā ingoa mō te kapua. Ko ao anō tētahi kupu e whakahuatia ana i roto i te ingoa a Aotearoa. Nā te wāhine a Kupe i taunaha te ingoa nei i tōna kitenga i te kapua roa e uwhi ana i tēnei whenua.
Ka pānui te kaumātua o te Tai Rāwhiti i ngā kokonga o ngā kapua, e karangatia nā he ‘pīpipi o te rangi’. E tohu ana ngā kokonga ki te wāhi e haramai ana te hau. Mēnā he whero te tae o te kapua, ka ua. Mēnā he mā, ka pupuhi te hau. Mēnā he kōwhai, ka pā mai te hauangi, me te rangi paki. Mēnā e anga whakarunga ana te kapua, he marangai kei te haere. Mēnā e pōuri ana kāore e roa ka heke te marangai.
Ahakoa te huhua o ngā ingoa mō ngā kapua me ō rātou momo āhua, kāore ētahi kupu i te whakamahia. Anei ētahi e whai ake nei:
He maha ngā kīanga mō te hanga mai o te kapua. Ko ngā rārangi kapua ka kīia ko ‘te kupenga a Tara-mainuku’. He kīanga Pākehā te ‘mackerel sky’, e whakarite ana i ngā kapua ki te āhua o te ika. Heoi ki tā te Māori titiro, he ōrite kē ngā kapua nei ki te māra kūmara, nā reira ka kīia ērā momo kapua ko ‘te māra kūmara a Ngātoroirangi’. Ko ngā ‘mares tail’ a te Pākehā ka kīia ērā he iorangi.
Ko ngā kapua papatahi ka whakaritea ki te tātua:
Ka pānui anō ngā tīpuna i ngā kapua hei kite i te āhua o te rangi:
Ko Te Ihorangi te atua nāna te ua, ā, ko Hinewai te atua nāna te ua kōnehunehu.
Ko te ingoa mō rain he ua, heoi mō te turu kotahi, he kōpata tērā. Ko whakataritari ua, koirā te wā i mua paku i te uatanga. Ko te taru whakaru he rangi mākū, kāpuapua hoki. Ka maomao ana kua mutu te ua. Ko te māwake rangitahi he rōpu poto, ā, ko te māwake pā roa he marangai roa. Mēnā ka ua mō te katoa o te rā, ka kīia tērā he kōripo marama.
He maha ngā tūmomo kupu mō ngā tūmomo ua.
Ko te ua kōnehunehu he:
Ko te ua kōpatapata:
Me ka uaina tētahi tangihanga, he tohu roimata tērā. I tū tēnei āhuatanga ki te tanumanga o Te Pūea Hērangi ( te tūmū o Waikato, mokopuna a Tāwhiao):
As the cortege approached Taupiri mountain, fierce rain began to fall. All the Maori kings were, it is said, buried in heavy rain, but no rain could have been more violent and powerful than it was on this occasion. It was the heavens weeping. 1
Kei roto i ngā apakura ā-iwi ka whakaritea te ua ki te roimata. He tangi apakura tēnei nā Te Wano o Ngāti Apakura.
E ua e te ua e taheke
Koe i runga rā
Ko au ki raro nei riringi ai
Te ua i aku kamo.
He karakia tēnei hei maomao i te ua, ā, e kīia ana ‘he tūā i te rangi’. Nā Tuta Nihoniho o Ngāti Porou tēnei karakia i tuhi i te rau tau 1800.
E ua, e te uaua; e mao, e te maomao!
Tihore ma i runga, tīhore mai i raro,
Koi mate nga tamariki a te ika nui
E kiko! E kiko e.
Rain, O rain, cease raining, fair sky!
Clear away from above, clear away from below,
Lest the offspring of te ika nui be distressed
Bring about a blue, unclouded sky. 2
He maha ngā tuakana teina o te whānau puhi. Ko te hau te kupu ka whakamahia nuitia mō te wind. Ko hauraro te ingoa o te hau ka pupuhi mai i te raki, ko tonga te hau tonga, ko hauāuru te hau ka haramai i te uru. Arā noa atu ngā ingoa ā-iwi mō ngā hau puta noa i ngā rohe o Aotearoa.
Kei ētahi rohe ko te kupu marangai te hau rāwhiti, ki ētahi ko te hau tokerau kē tēnei. Koinei anō te kupu ka whakamahia mō te rangi whākere. Ko te āhua nei i rerekē ai tōna tikanga ki tēnā rohe ki tēnā takiwā. Waihoki ko ori te kupu mō te hau ka ahu mai i tētahi takiwā pākia ana e te āwhā. He kupu ā-rohe tēnei mō ngā hau raki mā-uru, raki mā-rāwhiti me te hau tonga mā-rāwhiti.
Kei ia rohe ōna ingoa whai tikanga tonu:
I taea e ngā tohunga ō mua te whakaara i ngā hau hei āwhina i te iwi, hei patu rānei i te hoariri. I karangatia ēnei tūmomo karakia he whakaara hau. Ko ngā karakia o te pururangi o te tūāumuiterangi rānei he patu i te taikaha o te hau – hei tauira, i ngā wā o te hī ka whakamahia ko ēnei karakia.
I tana haramaitanga tuatahi ki Aotearoa i te tau 1769, ka ū mai a Kāpene Hēmi Kuki ki tētahi wāhi kei te Tai Rāwhiti o Te Ika-a-Māui e karangatia ana ko Tolaga Bay. He whakapono nōna koinei te ingoa Māori ake o te wāhi rā. Heoi nā Rēweti Kōhere o Ngāti Porou i kōrero ko Ūawa kē te ingoa. I te tūtakihanga o ngā Māori i a Kuki, i pōhēhē rātou tērā i te uia e ia ko wai te ingoa o te hau, nā reira ka whakautu rātou ko tāraki (te hau raki o tērā rohe). Ka hua mai a Tolaga i te kupu tāraki.
Ko te āwhā me te tūpuhi ētahi ingoa anō mō te marangai. Ko te rōpu he (squall), ā, ko te taupoki he (hurricane). E kī ana te whakataukī, ‘Ngā uaua o te whitu rāua ko te ono’. He kōrero tēnei mō te takiwā marangai o te tau atu i Whiringa-ā-nuku ki Hakihea.
Ko Whaitiri te atua o te whaitiri. Ko tētahi anō ingoa mōna ko Hinewhaitiri. Ka papaki ana te whatitiri, he papaki whaititiri tērā. Mēnā ka pāorooro te tētere, he paoro tērā. Ko Aputahi a pawa tētahi anō atua mō te whaitiri. Ko te ngaruru mai rangi he whatitiri roa. Ka pohū te whatitiri a tangi pōhutu. He karakia te oho rangi hei whakaoho i te whatitiri.
Ko Tamateuira he atua nō te uira. Ko Tāwhaki ka noho mokopuna mā Whaitiri. Ki te iwi Moriori o Wharekauri he atua a Tāwhaki nō te uira me te whatitiri.
I ngā tau tōmua o te rau tau 1900, ka tuhi te kaumātua o Ngāi Tahu i a Teone (Hōne) Taare Tīkao, e toru ngā momo kē atu i te uira. Ko te kohara he hanga pākati tōna kānapanapa i te rangi. Ko ngā kapo ka kānapa i runga i te paerangi. He tohu hau tēnei.
He tihi maunga te rua kōhā, te rua kanapu rānei ka kitea te uira e kānapanapa ana. Mēnā ka hikohiko i runga ake i ngā maunga nei, he tohu tērā kua mate tētahi rangatira nui. Kei roto i ngā mōteatea ā-iwi ngā kōrero mō te uira ka kanapu ki runga ake i ngā maunga nei.
Nā Tuta Nihoniho o Ngāti Porou i whakamārama i te tūhonotanga o te uira ki te mate:
Kia ata titiro ki te hiko, haunga ia te uira me te kanapu, ko te hiko hiko he toto rangatira e hinga i te parekura, i te waka tahuri, i te whare wera rānei, i te mate tūpāpaku rānei.
He mea whakarite anō te uira i te waiata tangi mō Te Huhu, rangatira o Te Rarawa:
Tērā te uira e hiko i te rangi
E wahi rua ana rā runga o Tauwhare
Kāore ia nei ko te tohu o te mate. 1
E mōhiotia ai te snow ko te huka, te huka rere rānei. Ko te hail he ua whatu, he huka-ā-whatu rānei. Ko te kupu hukapapa i huaina mō te ice, me te frost, ā, ko te hukapiri he hard frost. He ōrite anō te ūpokomārō, tae atu ki te whenua kua tio.
Ko Ngāi Tahu e whakapono ana i hua mai te puaheiri i te atua a Whēkoi. Ka rere ana te huka, ka kīia e rātou, ‘Kai te rere te tama a Whēkoi’. Ki ētahi atu tāngata he uri te tio me te huka i a Whaitiri (atua o te whatitiri), ā, ka kīia ērā ko ‘ngā ika a Whaitiri’. Kei roto i ētahi atu kōrero hei tamariki te takawai me te puaheiri nā Tongariro me Pīhanga. Kāore e kore i toko ake te ariā nei i te reiatanga o ēnei maunga i te huka.
Ko Pūkohu te kupu mō te kohu. Ko te kohu e uwhi ana i te rangi he papanui tērā. He tohu tēnei mō te rangi marino āpōpō. Tērā te kōrero ko te kohu e ara mai ana i ngā maunga me ngā riu, koirā te hā mahana o Papatūānuku i tōna mapu kau ake mō Ranginui.
Ki a Ngāi Tūhoe o ngā pae o Te Urewera, ko Hine-pūkohu-rangi tonu te kohu. E ai ki ngā kōrero ko Tūhoe tonu ngā uri o te kohu i moe i a Te Maunga. E karangatia ana tēnei iwi ko ‘Ngā tamariki o te Kohu’.
Ko tētahi kupu mō te tōmairangi he haukū. I roto i ngā kōrero mō te orokohanga ko te haukū ngā roimata o Ranginui e hakū ana ki tōna heunga i a Papatūānuku. Ka rukea e ia ngā roimata ki runga ki ōna ū, ka tau hei tōmairangi ki te whenua. E kī ana te kōrero mō te whenua mōmona o Te Matau-a-Māui, ko ‘Heretaunga haukū nui’.
E hia kē nei ngā ingoa rerekē mō te kahukura. Ko ngā kupu kaha whakamahia ana ko te āniwaniwa me te āheahea. Ko atua piko anō tētahi o ōna ingoa.
Ko ngā atua o te tāwhana ko Kahukura, ko Uenuku me Haere. Arā atu ētahi ingoa ririki. E rua ngā tāwhana o te Kahukura. Kei raro ko te wāhine, ko Pū-te-aniwaniwa, ā, kei runga ko te mea tāne, ko Kahukurapango.
Best, Elsdon. The astronomical knowledge of the Maori, genuine and empirical. New ed. Christchurch: Kiwi, 2002 (originally published 1922).
Best, Elsdon. Māori religion and mythology. 2 vols. Wellington: Te Papa Press, 2005 (originally published 1924).
Orbell, Margaret. A concise encyclopedia of Māori myth and legend. Christchurch: Canterbury University Press, 1998.
Reed, A. W. Reed book of Māori mythology. Revised by Ross Calman. Auckland: Reed, 2004.