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the revenge of tawhirimatea
Sunday 21 March, 2004 at 2:18PM (Nereus) :: permalink :: comments (0) :: trackbacks (7) This is the second part in the continued story of creation according to Maori legend.
Now rose up Tawhirimatea, the guardian of winds and storms, who all this time had held his breath. Great anger moved him now, and this was the wish of Ranginui, the Sky. Tawhirimatea, who feared that his kingdom would be overthrown, feared also that the Earth would become too fair and beautiful, and so Tawhirimatea followed Ranginui to the realm above, and consulted with him there.
When his fury had dealt with Tanemahuta, Tawhirimatea turned on Tangaroa the guardian of sea life and Kiwa guardian of the Sea. From the forests he swept on down to the sea and lashed at it in his rage. He heaved up waves as high as cliffs and whipped their crests away, he churned the sea to whirlpools, he battled with the tides, till Tangaroa took flight in terror from his usual home, the shores, and hid in the ocean depths, where Tawhirimatea could not reach him. As Tangaroa was about to leave the shores, his grandchildren consulted together as to how they might save themselves. For Tangaroa had begotten Punga, and Punga had begotten Ikatere, the father of fish, and Tutewanawana, the father of lizards and reptiles. These two could not agree where it was best to go to escape the storms. Tutewanawana and his party, shouting into the wind, cried "Let us all go inland," but Ikatere and his party cried "No, let us go to the sea." Some obeyed one and some obeyed the other, and so they escaped in two parties; those of Tutewanawana hid themselves on land, and those of Ikatere in the sea. This is what is called, in the ancient traditions of the Maori people, 'The Separation of Tawhirimatea', and it is put this korero: [direct translation of 'korero' means a talk or discussion, meeting] The Shark was for going to the sea, but the Lizard was for going inland. Shark warned Lizard, 'Go inland, and the fate of your race will be that when they catch you and before they cook you, they will singe your skins off over a lighted wisp of fern.' Lizard answered, 'Go to the sea, and the fate of your race will be that when they serve out baskets of food to each person, you will be lain on top to give a relish to it. So they fled their separate ways, the fishes in confusion to the sea, and the lizards and reptiles to the little hiding places in the forests and the rocks. It is for this reason that Tangaroa, enraged that some of his offspring deserted him and were sheltered by the forests, has ever since made war on Tanemahuta, guardian of the forest, who in return has helped those who are at war with Tangaroa. So the sea is forever eating at the edges of the land, hoping that the forest trees will fall and become his food, and he consumes the trees and houses that are carried down to him by floods. When Tawhirimatea had done with Tangaroa he returned to the land again and fell upon his two most peaceful brothers, on Rongomatane and Haumiatiketike, the guardians of cultivated and uncultivated food. But Papatuanuku, the Earth Mother, to save them for her other children, snatched them away and hid them in safe places. And so well did she protect these children, the sweet potato and the fern root, that Tawhirimatea pursued them in vain. Tawhirimatea, having attacked four of his brothers, determined next to try his strength with Tumatauenga, the war guardian, and rushed against him. Tawhirimatea stormed and howled, but Tumatauenga withstood him, for he placed his feet securely on the breast of the Earth his mother, and was safe. Thus Tumatauenga alone, the only one of the party who had been for murdering their parents, stood upright and unshaken, and so at last Tawhirimatea let his winds die down, and Ranginui ceased to urge him on. Their rage was spent, and peace was in the space between the Earth and Sky. The next installment will tell the story of the revenge of Tumatauenga, the guardian of war. trackbacks (7)
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Tawhirimatea begot his numerous turbulent offspring, the winds and storms. He sent them off between the Sky and the Earth, one to the south, another to the east, another to the north-east. Then, in his anger, and remembering the wish of Ranginui, he sent the freezing wind, the burning dusty wind, the rainy wind, the sleety wind, and with them all the different kinds of clouds. Most powerful of all, Tawhirimatea himself came down like a hurricane, and concentrated his efforts to that of Tanemahuta, and shook his branches and uprooted him. The giant trees of Tanemahuta in the forests groaned and fell, and lay on the earth to rot away, and became the food of grubs.