Hine-tītama

Say it: HEE-neh-TEE-tah-mah

First light of morning, and the daughter who chose to become the one who receives the dead. Her story is the seam between te ao mārama and Rarohenga.

Te Kāwai (Line of descent)

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

Te Kōrero (the story)

Hine-tītama was born of Tāne and Hine-ahu-one, and grew in a world of light. She became Tāne's wife, not knowing he was also her father. When she asked who her father was and was told to ask the posts of the house, she understood — and rather than stay in shame she went down into Rarohenga. Tāne followed, and she told him to return and raise their children in the world of light while she waited below to receive them at the end. From that moment she was Hine-nui-te-pō.

Te Whakapapa (the genealogy)

Daughter of Tāne and Hine-ahu-one; wife of Tāne; the same being who becomes Hine-nui-te-pō in Rarohenga.

Ngā Mana (domains and influence)

Te ata — the dawnThe passage between light and nightChoosing your own name and placeThe care of descendants at the end of life

Kei Kōnei Rātou (they are present here)

The first colour in the sky before the sun clears the horizon.
Waking early and seeing the day turn over.
A decision made out of dignity rather than blame.

Ngā Huarahi Hono (ways to connect)

You are awake before sunrise

Face east and stay quiet until the first colour arrives. Don't photograph it.

Someone in the whānau has died

Greet the dawn on their behalf the next morning, and say their name into it.

A Common Misunderstanding

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

Ngā Uara (values)

Luminous

A quality carried in the kōrero of Hine-tītama.

Dignified

A quality carried in the kōrero of Hine-tītama.

Decisive

A quality carried in the kōrero of Hine-tītama.

Tender toward her descendants

A quality carried in the kōrero of Hine-tītama.

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 ata hāpara — growing up in the light

The daughter of Tāne and Hine-ahu-one, and the marriage that was built on a truth she was not told.

About 4 min read

Whāngaia ā tāua tamariki — raise our children in the light

Hine-tītama's descent into Rarohenga, and the words she left for Tāne as she became Hine-nui-te-pō.

About 5 min read