Tinirau

Say it: TEE-nee-row

Keeper of the fish and the whales, and the ancestor whose pet whale was killed — the first story about what happens when you take a kaitiaki's care for granted.

Te Kāwai (Line of descent)

Te Kore → Te Pō → Papatūānuku → Tangaroa → Tinirau

Te Kōrero (the story)

Tinirau kept the sea creatures at Motutapu. He lent his pet whale Tutunui to the tohunga Kae to carry him home; Kae killed and ate it. Tinirau sent women to find him, and they made him laugh so his broken tooth gave him away. The story is remembered as much for the haka and the justice as for the loss.

Te Whakapapa (the genealogy)

Son of Tangaroa in many accounts; husband of Hinauri, sister of Māui; guardian of the fish and whales of the moana.

Ngā Mana (domains and influence)

Fish, tohorā and their keepingKaitiakitanga — care that is owed, not offeredUtu — the balancing of a wrong

Kei Kōnei Rātou (they are present here)

A good catch — and the question of whether you took more than you needed.
Fishing rules, rāhui notices, closed seasons.
Anyone caring for animals that can't speak for themselves.

Ngā Huarahi Hono (ways to connect)

Before fishing or gathering kaimoana

Say what you're taking and how much, and then hold yourself to it.

Returning your first catch

Put the first fish back, or give the first share away. It was never all yours.

A Common Misunderstanding

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

Ngā Uara (values)

Protective

A quality carried in the kōrero of Tinirau.

Fair

A quality carried in the kōrero of Tinirau.

Slow to anger, exact in response

A quality carried in the kōrero of Tinirau.

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).

A Tūtūnui — the whale who was lent, not given

Tinirau's pet whale carries the tohunga Kae home as a kindness — and Kae repays it with betrayal.

About 4 min read

Ngā wāhine a Tinirau — found out by his own teeth

The women of Tinirau track Kae across the sea and make him laugh, and his crooked teeth give him away.

About 5 min read