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Story: Māori creation traditions

Tāne raising the sky

Image
Tāne raising the sky

This carving, ‘Te wehenga o Rangi rāua ko Papa’, depicts one version of the creation story, which tells how the god Tāne Mahuta raised the sky by standing on his head and pushing upwards with his feet. The circle represents the sun – source of warmth and light.

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

Te Ahukaramū Charles Royal, Māori creation traditions – Different creation traditions, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/artwork/2433/tane-raising-the-sky (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Te Ahukaramū Charles Royal, published 4 March 2009.