Tū-te-wehiwehi

Say it: TOO-teh-WEH-hee-WEH-hee

The brother who ran for the land. His descendants — tuatara, ngārara, geckos — still live under Tāne's cover, out of the weather.

Te Kāwai (Line of descent)

Te Kore → Te Pō → Papatūānuku → Tangaroa → Punga → Tū-te-wehiwehi

Te Kōrero (the story)

In the same storm that sent Ikatere into the ocean, Tū-te-wehiwehi refused the water and took his people inland to shelter among the trees and stones. Tangaroa has never forgiven the desertion, and it is said this is why the sea keeps taking the land back, wave by wave. His descendants carry a heavy tapu: tuatara and ngārara are watched carefully, treated as omens and guardians, and never handled lightly.

Te Whakapapa (the genealogy)

Son of Punga, grandson of Tangaroa; brother of Ikatere; ancestor of tuatara, lizards and geckos.

Ngā Mana (domains and influence)

Tuatara — the living old oneNgārara — lizards and geckosGuardianship of tapu placesWarnings and omens

Kei Kōnei Rātou (they are present here)

A gecko still on a warm rock or fence.
The prickle of feeling watched in a quiet place.
Waves cutting at a bank — Tangaroa still collecting the debt.

Ngā Huarahi Hono (ways to connect)

You see a lizard at a wāhi tapu

Leave it be and leave the place. It is on duty, not on display.

Sheltering from a storm

Say his name when you get inside. He is the ancestor of taking cover in time.

A Common Misunderstanding

This profile holds one telling of Tū-te-wehiwehi. 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-wehiwehi.

Still

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

Ancient

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

Uneasy near water

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

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 hokinga ki uta — fleeing inland

Why Tū-te-wehiwehi chose the land when the storm came, and what his descendants still carry because of it.

About 4 min read

Te utu a Tūmatauenga — the reckoning with those who hid

Why the ngārara are treated with such wariness, and what Tūmatauenga's later dealings with the forest still say about hiding versus standing.

About 5 min read