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

Tīpuna (ancestors) · Te tinihanga, te māia, te whakawhiti tikanga (custom / protocol)

Māui-tikitiki-a-Taranga

Say it: MAH-oo-ee TEE-kee-tee-kee ah tah-RAH-nga

The youngest, the smallest, the one nobody expected. Māui is cheek with a purpose — he changes the rules of the world because he cannot accept that they must stay as they are.

Te Kāwai (Line of descent)

Te Kore → Te Pō → Papatūānuku → Tama-nui-te-rā → Māui-tikitiki-a-Taranga

Te Kōrero (the story)

Born premature and wrapped in his mother's topknot, he was cast into the sea and raised by Tangaroa's people before returning to claim his place at Taranga's fire. He snared Tama-nui-te-rā to slow the day, stole fire from Māhuika's fingernails, fished up Te Ika-a-Māui with his grandmother's jawbone, and finally died trying to win immortality by entering Hine-nui-te-pō — laughed awake by a pīwakawaka.

Te Whakapapa (the genealogy)

Son of Taranga and descendant of Tangaroa's line through his fostering in the sea; grandson of Murirangawhenua, whose jawbone became his hook; brother to four older Māui; kin by defeat to Māhuika, Tama-nui-te-rā and Hine-nui-te-pō.

Ngā Mana (domains and influence)

Fire in the everyday world — because he took it from MāhuikaThe length of the day — because he slowed the sunTe Ika-a-Māui, the North Island, fished from the seaMortality — because he failed the last trick

Kei Kōnei Rātou (they are present here)

  • The moment you think 'actually, why does it have to be like this?'
  • A pīwakawaka flitting around you and refusing to leave — the bird that laughed and ended him.
  • Striking a match, lighting a gas ring, any small fire you make on purpose.
  • The youngest in the room proving everyone wrong.

Ngā Huarahi Hono (ways to connect)

Lighting a fire, a burner or a barbecue

Pause with the flame in front of you and say 'nā Māui tēnei ahi' — this fire came from Māui. Then use it well.

A pīwakawaka comes close

Stop and greet it out loud. Don't shoo it inside — kōrero to it from the doorway.

Starting something you've been told can't be done

Say his full name once before you begin. It is a claim on his stubbornness, not a prayer.

A Common Misunderstanding

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

Ngā Uara (values)

Cheeky

A quality carried in the kōrero of Māui-tikitiki-a-Taranga.

Quick

A quality carried in the kōrero of Māui-tikitiki-a-Taranga.

Restless

A quality carried in the kōrero of Māui-tikitiki-a-Taranga.

Loyal to whānau

A quality carried in the kōrero of Māui-tikitiki-a-Taranga.

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 Ika-a-Māui — fishing up the land

How the North Island came up out of the sea on the end of a jawbone hook.

About 4 min read

Ngā mahi tinihanga — the trickster's small victories

Before the great deeds, the ordinary cheek that made Māui who he was.

About 4 min read