Tākitimu Waka

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In the tradition of several Iwi (tribe) of the New Zealand Māori, Tākitimu Waka isone of the great canoes ( waka ) that Polynesian immigrants brought from their mythical homeland Hawaiki to New Zealand . It was one of the seven canoes in the " Great Fleet Hypothesis " by the historian Stephenson Percy Smith (1840-1922).

Māori traditions

The Tākitimu Waka appears in many traditions across New Zealand. Most agree that Tākitimu Waka was a sacred canoe. Many give the name of his captain with " Tamatea " and various linguistic variations of it.

East coast

Tales from Te Māhia in the north of the east coast region of the North Island tell that Tākitimu Waka left Hawaiki after two brothers, Ruawharo and Tūpai , captured the canoe from their enemies and escaped to New Zealand. The boat landed on the Māhia Peninsula and the crew separated. Ruawharo stayed in Māhia , Puhiariki went to Muriwhenua in what is now Northland , others moved to Tauranga .

According to the legends of the Ngāti Kahungunu , the Tākitimu Waka was led by Tamatea Arikinui , who landed and settled in the region around Tauranga . Some of his descendants were the ancestors of the Ngāti Kahungunu . Others moved along the east coast, including the Tohunga s Ruawharo , who settled in Te Māhia and Tūpai , who settled in the Wairarapa . Command of the boat was handed over to Tahu Pōtiki , who went up the Wairoa River and later traveled to the South Island, where he became the ancestor of the Ngāi Tahu .

Bay of Plenty

The tribes in the Tauranga region state in their traditions Tamatea , father of Ranginui and ancestor of the Ngāti Ranginui as captain of the Tākitimu Waka . The Ngāti Kahungunu see in this Tamatea the grandson of Tamatea Arikinui and call him " Tamatea-pokaiwhenua-pokaimoana ". The lore in Northland, Northland and Tauranga , however, does not suggest the existence of more than one leader named Tamatea .

South island

According to South Island traditions, the canoe explored the west and south coast of the South Island. It is said to have turned to stone at Murihiku . Here Tamatea is said to have built another canoe, Karaerae Waka , to return to the North Island.

Iwi who refer to this canoe as their origin are the Ngāti Ruapani , Rongowhakaata , Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti , Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki and Ngāti Ranginui .

See also

literature

  • Robert D. Craig: Dictionary of Polynesian Mythology. Greenwood Press, New York NY et al. 1989, ISBN 0-313-25890-2 , p. 255.

Web links