Kupurā
Te Kāhui (the assembly) Atua (gods / spiritual beings)

Tīpuna (ancestors) · Te wahine tuatahi, te one i Kurawaka

Hine-ahu-one

Say it: HEE-neh-AH-hoo-OH-neh

The first human being, formed from the red soil of Kurawaka. Through her the ira tangata — the human element — enters a world until then made only of Atua.

Te Kāwai (Line of descent)

Te Kore → Te Pō → Papatūānuku → Tāne Mahuta → Hine-ahu-one

Te Kōrero (the story)

Tāne searched for a partner among the trees, the waters and the insects, and every union produced something other than a person. Guided at last to Kurawaka, the sacred red earth between his mother's thighs, he shaped a woman from the soil with the help of his sisters, and breathed into her nostrils — hā ki roto, the first breath. She sneezed, and lived: tihei mauri ora. Their daughter was Hine-tītama, the dawn maid.

Te Whakapapa (the genealogy)

Formed by Tāne from the earth of Papatūānuku; partner of Tāne; mother of Hine-tītama, who becomes Hine-nui-te-pō; ancestress of every human being.

Ngā Mana (domains and influence)

Te ira tangata — the human elementThe red earth of KurawakaBirth, breath and the first sneeze of lifeThe bond between people and soil

Kei Kōnei Rātou (they are present here)

  • The smell of damp earth after rain.
  • A newborn's first cry, and the greeting tihei mauri ora.
  • Clay or soil drying on your hands.
  • Any moment you remember your body is borrowed land.

Ngā Huarahi Hono (ways to connect)

Working with soil

Take a handful and hold it before you begin. You are handling the material you are made of.

Meeting a newborn

Say 'tihei mauri ora' quietly — the sneeze of life that began with her.

A Common Misunderstanding

This profile holds one telling of Hine-ahu-one. Pūrākau and whakapapa can differ between iwi and whānau, so it should not be read as the only account.

Ngā Uara (values)

Grounded

A quality carried in the kōrero of Hine-ahu-one.

Newly awake

A quality carried in the kōrero of Hine-ahu-one.

Warm

A quality carried in the kōrero of Hine-ahu-one.

Unhurried

A quality carried in the kōrero of Hine-ahu-one.

Ngā Pūrākau (the traditional stories)

Told in full, the way they would be shared out loud. Versions differ between iwi (tribe), hapū (sub-tribe) and whānau (family).

Te rapunga — the long search for a partner

Why Tāne went looking through the whole living world before he found what he needed at Kurawaka.

About 5 min read

Te hā — the first breath at Kurawaka

How the first human was shaped from red earth, and what tihei mauri ora still means when we hongi.

About 5 min read