Te Ika-a-Maui
Encyclopedia
Te Ika-a-Māui is the Māori
name for the North Island
of New Zealand
. It is translated to "the fish of Maui", from the story of when Māui
hauled up the North Island on his waka (canoe)
.
Also a name known by the indigenous Polynesian population as te Ika nui a Maui "The great fish of Maui".
The story follows:
Ranginui
(the Sky father) and Papatuuanuku
(the Earth mother) were lovers and embraced each other. They had six sons who lived between them. These sons were the gods of the sea, winds, forest, wild foods, crops, and man. Because these sons were crushed between their parents, they lived in darkness. The sons conspired to separate them and allow light into their world. The god of the forests, Tane, pushed the heaven from the earth, separating his mother and father. To this day, Māori tradition states that trees are actually upside down, with the leaves as their feet and roots and their backs, pushing the sky away from the earth. Rain is the tears of the sky father greeting his wife, the earth. Mists are the greetings through which Papa returns the longing as they rise up into the sky. In the light, the gods ornamented their parents with trees and ferns for their mother and stars pinned to their father's cloak. Tane created a woman from the earth and mankind was their posterity.
Maui was also a god at this time. He was the last-born in a family of five sons and was an outcast and hated by his brothers. Despite this,he accomplished many things including taming the sun, capturing fire, fighting death, and fishing up New Zealand.
The story has it that Maui was not a good fisherman. He seldom went fishing with his brothers. One day, Maui decided to go fishing with them. The brothers told him that he was not allowed to come so Maui hid in the bottom of the boat Te waka-a-Maui (the canoe of Maui, which is the name of the South Island of New Zealand). Once they were out to sea, Maui jumped out and surprised them. They refused to give him bait with which to fish so Maui broke his nose and dripped blood onto his grandmother's magical jawbone. He then cast it out to sea and caught the biggest fish of all—Te Ika-a-Maui, or, the North Island of New Zealand. Legend maintains that Mount Hikurangi (Gisborne) was where the jawbone caught the fish. It was the first part of Te Ika-a-Maui to see the sun, and continues to be the first part of the world to see the sun each day.
Alternatively, another name for the North Island is Aotearoa
, although this is now more often used to mean the whole of New Zealand.
Maori language
Māori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...
name for the North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. It is translated to "the fish of Maui", from the story of when Māui
Maui
The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...
hauled up the North Island on his waka (canoe)
Waka (canoe)
Waka are Māori watercraft, usually canoes ranging in size from small, unornamented canoes used for fishing and river travel, to large decorated war canoes up to long...
.
Also a name known by the indigenous Polynesian population as te Ika nui a Maui "The great fish of Maui".
The story follows:
Ranginui
Rangi and Papa
In Māori mythology the primal couple Rangi and Papa appear in a creation myth explaining the origin of the world. In some South Island dialects, Rangi is called Raki or Rakinui.-Union and separation:...
(the Sky father) and Papatuuanuku
Rangi and Papa
In Māori mythology the primal couple Rangi and Papa appear in a creation myth explaining the origin of the world. In some South Island dialects, Rangi is called Raki or Rakinui.-Union and separation:...
(the Earth mother) were lovers and embraced each other. They had six sons who lived between them. These sons were the gods of the sea, winds, forest, wild foods, crops, and man. Because these sons were crushed between their parents, they lived in darkness. The sons conspired to separate them and allow light into their world. The god of the forests, Tane, pushed the heaven from the earth, separating his mother and father. To this day, Māori tradition states that trees are actually upside down, with the leaves as their feet and roots and their backs, pushing the sky away from the earth. Rain is the tears of the sky father greeting his wife, the earth. Mists are the greetings through which Papa returns the longing as they rise up into the sky. In the light, the gods ornamented their parents with trees and ferns for their mother and stars pinned to their father's cloak. Tane created a woman from the earth and mankind was their posterity.
Maui was also a god at this time. He was the last-born in a family of five sons and was an outcast and hated by his brothers. Despite this,he accomplished many things including taming the sun, capturing fire, fighting death, and fishing up New Zealand.
The story has it that Maui was not a good fisherman. He seldom went fishing with his brothers. One day, Maui decided to go fishing with them. The brothers told him that he was not allowed to come so Maui hid in the bottom of the boat Te waka-a-Maui (the canoe of Maui, which is the name of the South Island of New Zealand). Once they were out to sea, Maui jumped out and surprised them. They refused to give him bait with which to fish so Maui broke his nose and dripped blood onto his grandmother's magical jawbone. He then cast it out to sea and caught the biggest fish of all—Te Ika-a-Maui, or, the North Island of New Zealand. Legend maintains that Mount Hikurangi (Gisborne) was where the jawbone caught the fish. It was the first part of Te Ika-a-Maui to see the sun, and continues to be the first part of the world to see the sun each day.
Alternatively, another name for the North Island is Aotearoa
Aotearoa
Aotearoa is the most widely known and accepted Māori name for New Zealand. It is used by both Māori and non-Māori, and is becoming increasingly widespread in the bilingual names of national organisations, such as the National Library of New Zealand / Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa.-Translation:The...
, although this is now more often used to mean the whole of New Zealand.