Papatūānuku
Papa
Polynesian Living tradition
These are living traditions, honored by Native Hawaiians, Māori and other Pacific peoples.
Māori earth mother, from whom all living things are born.
Papatūānuku and Ranginui, the sky father, once lay locked in an embrace, their children trapped in darkness between them. Their son Tāne pushed them apart, letting light into the world. Rain is said to be Ranginui's tears, and the mist rising from the land, Papatūānuku's sighs.
Symbols
In the ancient sources
Māori tradition written down in the 1850s
- Grey, Polynesian Mythology (1855): 'The Children of Heaven and Earth' Their children live in darkness between Rangi and Papa; Tū wants to kill their parents, but Tāne argues to separate them so the earth can stay close as a nursing mother.
- Grey, 'The Children of Heaven and Earth' Only Tāwhirimātea, god of winds, refuses; Tāne plants his head on Papa and pushes his feet against Rangi until they part.
- Grey, 'The Children of Heaven and Earth' Rangi's tears falling on Papa through the night are the dew, and Papa's warm sighs rising from the forests are the mists.
Grey's book draws on writings by Māori scholars such as Wiremu Maihi Te Rangikāheke, whose names are often left out. Tribal traditions differ in their details.
Cross-checked against these texts and records, in public-domain or freely available versions where they exist. Line, section and chapter numbers follow the standard editions, so a particular translation may differ slightly.
Correspondences Explore all
- Element
- Earth
These come from the tradition itself, and practice differs between regions, lineages and houses. To go deeper, learn from the people and communities who keep this tradition.