Punga

Say it: POO-nga

Ancestor of the creatures people call ugly — sharks, rays, lizards and insects. His line is a reminder that the world was not made only from the handsome things.

Te Kāwai (Line of descent)

Te Kore → Te Pō → Papatūānuku → Tangaroa → Punga

Te Kōrero (the story)

Punga is a son of Tangaroa, and his own sons were Ikatere and Tū-te-wehiwehi. When Tāwhirimātea's storm fell on the sea, the family scattered: Ikatere took his descendants into the water and became the ancestor of fish, while Tū-te-wehiwehi fled inland with the reptiles to shelter under Tāne's trees. That parting is why Tangaroa still eats away at the shoreline and Tāne still gives people the timber and flax to fish with. 'Te aitanga a Punga' remains a phrase for anything odd to look at, said with more humour than insult.

Te Whakapapa (the genealogy)

Son of Tangaroa; father of Ikatere and Tū-te-wehiwehi; grandfather of fish, sharks, lizards and insects.

Ngā Mana (domains and influence)

Sharks, rays and the strange fishNgārara — lizards and geckosInsects and crawling thingsThe dignity of the unlovely

Kei Kōnei Rātou (they are present here)

A wētā or a gecko in the corner of a room.
A shark or ray shape moving under the surface.
The instinct to recoil from something before you have looked at it properly.

Ngā Huarahi Hono (ways to connect)

You find an insect or gecko indoors

Carry it outside rather than killing it, and name it as one of Punga's family as you let it go.

You catch something you did not want

Return it to the water carefully. It is a relative, not a mistake.

A Common Misunderstanding

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

Ngā Uara (values)

Unbothered

A quality carried in the kōrero of Punga.

Dry-humoured

A quality carried in the kōrero of Punga.

Protective of the overlooked

A quality carried in the kōrero of Punga.

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 aitanga a Punga — the family of the strange and the overlooked

Who Punga was, and why the phrase for anything odd-looking still carries his name.

About 5 min read

Te āwhā a Tāwhirimātea — the storm that scattered his sons

How Tāwhirimātea's fury at the separation reached Punga's family and split them for good.

About 5 min read