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

Tīpuna (ancestors) · Ngā ngārara (reptiles / creeping things), te tohu (sign), te wāhi tapu (sacred / restricted)

Tū-te-wanawana

Say it: TOO-teh-WAH-nah-WAH-nah

Lizards, tuatara and everything that moves low to the ground are his. He is met with care rather than affection — a moko crossing your path is a message, not a nuisance.

Te Kāwai (Line of descent)

Te Kore → Te Pō → Papatūānuku → Tāne Mahuta → Tū-te-wanawana

Te Kōrero (the story)

Among Tāne's many children given portions of the forest, Tū-te-wanawana was set over the ngārara — the reptiles, the ones that move close to the earth and are seen far less often than the birds above them. Tuatara, the oldest of his creatures, are said to carry something of the first ages of the world in their slow, watching stillness, which is why places where they are found are so often treated as tapu. A moko appearing suddenly — on a path, inside a house, underfoot when it has no reason to be there — has long been read as a tohu, a warning worth pausing for rather than a pest to be flicked away. He does not ask to be liked. He asks to be taken seriously, because the things he holds move quietly and are easy to miss until the moment they matter.

Te Whakapapa (the genealogy)

Of the descent of Tāne Mahuta, holding the reptiles of the forest floor as his portion of his father's domain.

Ngā Mana (domains and influence)

Ngārara — reptilesWarning signs and omensTapu places and things left undisturbedTuatara, the oldest of his creatures

Kei Kōnei Rātou (they are present here)

A skink sunning itself, perfectly still, on a warm stone.
A gecko found somewhere it startles you.
A moko that stops you mid-step for no reason you can name.
A place that feels quietly off-limits before anyone tells you why.

Ngā Huarahi Hono (ways to connect)

A moko crosses your path

Stop, let it pass fully, and take a moment before you carry on. Treat the pause as the point.

You come across a tuatara or its habitat

Leave it undisturbed and keep others from crowding or handling it.

You feel a place is tapu without knowing why

Trust the feeling. Leave, and don't take anything from there.

A Common Misunderstanding

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

Ngā Uara (values)

Watchful

A quality carried in the kōrero of Tū-te-wanawana.

Unbothered by being unloved

A quality carried in the kōrero of Tū-te-wanawana.

Exact

A quality carried in the kōrero of Tū-te-wanawana.

Carries old knowledge

A quality carried in the kōrero of Tū-te-wanawana.

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).

Ngā ngārara — the reptiles

A short telling of the one who holds the creatures close to the ground, and why they are taken seriously.

About 2 min read