Ikatere

Say it: EE-kah-TEH-reh

The one who chose the sea. When the storm broke, he took his descendants into deep water and they became the fish.

Te Kāwai (Line of descent)

Te Kore → Te Pō → Papatūānuku → Tangaroa → Punga → Ikatere

Te Kōrero (the story)

Ikatere and his brother Tū-te-wehiwehi were sons of Punga. When Tāwhirimātea turned on his brothers and lashed the ocean, the two argued over where safety lay. Ikatere called his people into the water; Tū-te-wehiwehi took his to the land. Neither could persuade the other, and the families have lived apart ever since — which is why fishing takes nets and hooks made from Tāne's forest, and why the sea and the trees remain in a long argument along every shoreline.

Te Whakapapa (the genealogy)

Son of Punga, grandson of Tangaroa; brother of Tū-te-wehiwehi; ancestor of all sea fish.

Ngā Mana (domains and influence)

Ika — every fish of the seaShoals, migration and the movement of fishThe choice to go deeper rather than run inland

Kei Kōnei Rātou (they are present here)

A shoal turning together under the surface.
The first fish of the day on the line.
Choosing depth over escape when things get rough.

Ngā Huarahi Hono (ways to connect)

Landing your first fish

Acknowledge it out loud before you kill it, and take only what your household will eat.

Swimming out past the break

Say his name once as you go under. You are entering his people's house.

A Common Misunderstanding

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

Ngā Uara (values)

Decisive

A quality carried in the kōrero of Ikatere.

Deep

A quality carried in the kōrero of Ikatere.

Unsentimental

A quality carried in the kōrero of Ikatere.

Loyal to those who followed him

A quality carried in the kōrero of Ikatere.

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 rerenga ki te moana — fleeing to the sea

Why Ikatere chose deep water when the storm came, and what he became because of it.

About 5 min read

Te tautohetohe a ngā tuākana teina — the argument between brothers

The parting words between Ikatere and Tū-te-wehiwehi, and why sea and land people are still working things out.

About 5 min read