Rangi and Papatuanuku

Te Ao Hou, December 1966, Page 11

Rangi and Papatuanuku Rangi means Heaven in the common language, and is here used as a proper name, but Papatuanuku is the personal name for the Earth (te whenua). These two were not worshipped as gods, but were regarded as the parents of all visible nature. I noho a Rangi i tona wahine, i a Papatuanuku. I te takoto mate a Rangi; kua tu i a Tangaroa. Ka puta ki waho nga tamariki a Rangi raua ka Papatuanuku: Ko Tanekupapaeo, ko Tane-mimiwhare, ko Tane-nakatou, ko Tane-waroro, ko Tane-hupeke, ko Tane-tuturi, ko Tane-tewaiora, ko Tane-tematatu, ko Tane-tutaka; takoto tou tenei tutanga. Ka puta ki waho: Ko Tane-nuiarangi, ko Paiao, ko Tawhirimatea; ko te tatanga tenei i whakatika ki runga. I roto i te pouritanga e noho ana aua tamariki. Kahore he wahi ma te maramatanga e whiti mai ai, kahore he wahi ma te hau e tangi ai. Takoto tou a Rangi, piri tonu ki te whenua. Ka korero nga tamariki, kia patua a ratou hakoro, kia whai wahi ai ma ratou. Kiia e Paiao, kia wahatia ki runga, tu ai. Kiia mai e Tane, ‘E kore e taea: kahore he tangata.’ Kiia mai e Tawhirimatea: ‘Me waiho marie.’ Tare tonu a Paiao, kia wahatia a Rangi ki runga. Ka ki atu a Tane: ‘Wahatia.’ Kahore hoki kia taea. Ka whakamatau a Tane; kahore hoki kia taea, takoto tou. Ka kiia atu e Tane, ma ratou katoa e hapai. Ka karangatia e Tane: ‘Ko wai ki runga nei?’ Ka kiia iho e tera hanga: ‘E tu pa whaia!’ Ka karangatia e Tane: ‘Ko wai ki raro nei?’ Ka kiia mai e tera hanga: ‘E tu pa whaia!’ Ka karangatia e Tane: ‘E tu ma totoro! Whakaekea te maunga! E tu ma totoro, whakaekea te maunga kia iheuheu e Tane.’ Ka tukua e Tane ko tona upoko ki raro, ko ona waewae ki runga; na, ka ekea a Rangi ki runga, e aue ana. Ka tokoa ki runga e Tane, mau ai. Na, ka hoki iho nga kai waha. Ka titiro ake a Tane ki tona matua ki runga: Pouri kerekere haua. Ka haere ia ki Okehu, ko te Kura tu ki a Warue. Na, i reira nga kura. Ka mauria mai e Tane, ka tataitia. Ka hoki iho a Tane, ka titiro ake; kahore ano kia pai. Ka haere tera whakahoki ki a Okehu, ka tikina nga whetu, ka tataitia. Ka whakamarokia te ika o te rangi, ka pakaina Panakoteao, ko nga Patari; ka pakaina ko Autahi, ko te whetu o te tau. Ka haere a Tane, ka tae ki te kainga o Tukainanapia, ka tangohia ki a ia Rangi, having been lamed in the duel with his uncle, could no longer stand upright, and had, therefore, to lie always flat on the earth. The consequence was a still darkness; no wind could blow, no light could shine. Notwithstanding, they had many children. Most of them were cripples; some had crooked, drawn-up legs, some had stiff stretched out legs, and other deformities; however, a few had sound limbs. The most conspicuous among the latter was Tane; also Paiao (Cloud), Tawhirimatea (personal name of the Wind), deserve to be mentioned. The children felt very inconvenient in that close darkness, and the more able ones among them held a consultation of what to do, in order to gain light and liberty. Some were for killing their father; others proposed to lift him up, and there let him live as a stranger to them. The counsel of the latter prevailed. After this they set to work. First Paiao (Cloud) tried, but could not lift him. Then Tane tried, with no better result. Then they tried all together; but Heaven was too heavy for them. At last Tane put his head on the ground and stretched his legs upward. That succeeded. Rangi cried and lamented that he was illtreated by his children; but they carried him up, and then Tane fixed him. It seems that Tawhirimatea (the Wind) took no part in this movement, but rather that he had opposed it from the beginning, counselling to let things remain as they were. This seems rather strange of such a restless fellow as the Wind; but the northern natives, according to Sir George Grey's collection, account for this by saying that Tawhirimatea was a quiet, loving boy before, but that, when he was outvoted by his brothers, and Heaven and Earth were separated against his will, he became dissatisfied and restless. He followed his father heavenward, and talked to him about the injuries he had received from his children, and then came down again, fighting with his brothers from all quarters of the heavens. When Heaven had been carried up, and Tane had fastened him, and then come down again to the earth, he (Tane) looked up to his father; but the old man looked dark and sad. Then he went to Okehu, to fetch ornaments for his

nga tupuni o Wehinuwaiamomoa. Tangohia ana mai ko Hirautu, ko Porerinuku, ko Kahuwiwhetu, ko Poaka (Orion) ko Takurua, ko Whakarepukarehu, ko Kuakimotumotu, ko Tahuweruweru, ko Whero, ko Whero-iteninihi, ko Whero-tekokoto, ko Whero-iteao-maori,—ka tae ki te raumati. Na, ha hoki iho a Tane ki raro. Ka titiro ake ki tona matua: Katahi ano kua tau. Na ka mahara tera, a Tane, kahore ano te whakatau mo tenei matua, mo Papatuanuku. Ka whakaarahia e Tane ana hua hei whakatau i tenei matua, ko nga rakau. Ka parea, ko nga upoko ki runga, ko nga waewae ki raro. Ka peke mai tera, ka titiro;—titiro atu: kahore hoki kia tau. Ka tikina, turakina ki raro. Ka parea, ko te upoko ki raro, ko nga waewae parea ki runga. Ka poke mai tera ki tahaki, ka titiro atu: Katahi ano ka tau. Ka tonoa e Rangi a te Aki, a Watui ki waho, ki te whakarongo. Rokohina atu nga hua o te papa, o te inaho, o te maru: whakawarea tonu, kai ai. Ka tonoa a Uru raua ko Kakana ki runga; rokohina atu nga hua o te puarakau: kai tonu, kahore hoki kia hoki mai. Tamo tonu atu. He Tangi Na Rangi ‘Ko Rangi ko Papa, e takoto nei; Tamairetoro, tamairetoro, taua ka wehea. Ko Ari ko Hua, e takoto nei; Tamairetoro, tamairetoro, tau ka wehea. Ko Tamaku ko Tamaiwaho, e takoto nei; Tamairetoro, tamairetoro, taua ka wehea. Ko Rehua ko Tamarautu, e takoto nei; Tamairetoro, tamairetoro, taua ka wehea.’ Ahakoa, kei te noho ke atu a Rangi i taua wahine, i a Papatuanuku, kei te mohi tonu te aroha o te wahine ki tana tane: koia te kohu o nga maunga e rere ana ki runga. Ka ringitia hoki nga roimata a Rangi ki runga ki a Papatuanuku, koia te hauku. father. With this he put on him a bright polish. When he came down again and looked up, he thought his father did not yet look so good as he ought to; so he fetched more ornaments, and with these he drew the Milky Way, painted the Magellan Clouds, and set the constellations. This done, he came down again to see how that did suit his father. Now he looked handsome. Now Tane looked at his mother, who was still void of ornaments. So he raised some of her crippled children, and put them upright, as trees. First he put their legs downward and their heads upward, and then went aside to look at them. But the trees did not look well in that position, standing on their branches, with their stumps and roots as heads and hair, up. Then he took them up again, and put their heads down and their legs, the branches up; and went again aside to look. Now they looked good; now both parents were adorned with beauty. Though Rangi and Papatuanuku have now been long separated, yet their love toward each other continues. Her sighs out of her bosom may be seen ascending up to Heaven in the vapoury mist that rises from the wooded mountains; and Heaven weeps his tears of love down upon her in dew-drops.