Written & translated in te reo Māori & English by Hēmi Kelly. Te reo Māori narration by Hēmi Kelly. Illustrations by Munro Te Whata. English narration by Lizzie Dunn.
This story was brought to you by our amazing partners at Latin America CAPE. Find the full 'Legendary Links' project and other language combos for this story here.
Māori | English |
Tīmata ai ngā kōrero a te Māori mō te orokohanganga o te ao i Te Kore. | The Māori creation story begins in the great expanse known as Te Kore (The Nothingness). |
Nā Te Kore, ko Te Pō, ka noho i konei ko Ranginui rāua ko Papatūānuku. | Te Kore was the unlimited potential that led to the various phases of Te Pō (The Darkness), where Ranginui (Sky Father) and Papatūānuku (Earth Mother) came to exist. |
E awhiawhi ana rāua i a rāua i Te Pō, ā, ka puta mai ko ā rāua tamariki tokomaha. | They held each other in a tight embrace in Te Pō and bore many sons. |
E noho apiapi ana ngā tamariki i te pōuri, e kōpiripiri ana hoki i waenganui i ō rātou mātua, kāore nei he wāhi hei nekeneke mō rātou. | The sons lived cramped in the darkness, squashed between their parents with little room to move. |
Nāwai rā, nāwai rā, ka pākiki haere ngā tamariki nei ki te ao kei waho atu i awhiawhi a ō rātou mātua. | Time passed and as the sons grew so did their curiosity about the world that existed beyond their parents’ embrace. |
Ka tīmata ngā kōrero a tamariki me pēwhea rātou e wātea ai i te awhiawhi a ō rātou mātua kia kite ai rātou i te ao kei waho.
The brothers started to discuss how they might break free from their parents’ embrace in order to explore the outside world.
Ka takoto i a Tūmatauenga, i te mea whakamataku katoa o rātou te whakaaro kia patua ngā mātua, mā reira anahe e puta ai rātou. | Tūmatauenga, the most fearsome of all the brothers, suggested the only way to escape was to kill their parents. |
Ka tere whakahē a Tāwhirimātea i tēnei whakaaro me tana tohe me waiho rāua kia piri tonu ana, ā, ka noho pēnei tonu rātou. | Tāwhirimātea quickly objected to this idea, insisting they leave them be and continue living the only way they knew how. |
Ka tautohetohe tonu rātou e whakatakoto ana tēnā i tōna whakaaro me tēnā i tōna kia takoto rā anō i a Tānemahuta tōna whakaaro kia whakawehea e rātou ngā mātua. | The great debate continued as each brother put forth his own idea until Tānemahuta proposed they separate their parents by force. |
Whakaaetia ana tēnei e te katoa, atu i a Tāwhirimātea. | This was agreed to by everyone except Tāwhirimātea. |
I tahuri a Tānemahuta, te mea kaha katoa o rātou ki te whakawehe i ōna mātua. | Tānemahuta, the strongest of all the brothers, set about separating his parents. |
I takoto ia, ko ōna pokohiwi ki runga i a Papatūānuku, ā, ko ōna waewae ka pā ki a Ranginui. | He lay on his back with his shoulders pressed firmly against Papatūānuku and his feet against Ranginui. |
Ka whakatīeke ia, e pana ana i tōna matua ki runga ake ki ōna waewae, me te aha, wetekina ana te awhiawhi a ōna mātua. | Using all his strength he pushed his father upwards with his feet, severing his parent’s tight embrace. |
I a ia e pēnei ana, ka whiti mai ngā hihi o te rā ki roto i Te Pō, ka puta mai ko Te Ao Mārama e noho nei tātou i tēnei rā. | As he did this rays of light flooded Te Pō forming the world of light we inhabit today, Te Ao Mārama. |
I tautoro tonu a Tānemahuta i ōna waewae me tōna tinana kia torotika rā anō, ka wehe i konei a Ranginui rāua ko Papatūānuku e tangi nei, e auē nei i te mamae me te pōuri nui. | Tānemahuta continued to extend his legs and body until they were at full length completely separating Ranginui and Papatūānuku who cried and wailed in agony and sorrow. |
Ka heke iho ngā roimata o Ranginui, ka puta mai hei ua, nō te hekenga ki runga i te papa ka puta mai ngā awa me ngā manga e awhiawhi nei i a Papatūānuku. | The tears of Ranginui gushed forth forming the rain and as it fell upon the earth it created the freshwater rivers and streams that caress Papatūānuku. |
Ka tangi te mapu o Papatūānuku, kātahi ka puta mai ko te kohu i te whenua, e māngi whakarunga ana ki a Ranginui. | The mournful sighs of Papatūānuku began to form the mist that rose from the land drifting heavenward towards Ranginui. |
Ka noho mai ngā tamariki hei kaitiaki mō te taiao, i noho ētahi i te whenua i te taha o tō rātou whaea, ā, ko ētahi atu i rere ki te rangi kia tata ake ai ki tō rātou matua. | The brothers became the guardians of the natural environment, some remained on land with their mother while others took to the sky to be nearer their father. |
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Ka heke mai tātou i a Tūmatauenga, i te atua o te pakanga me te ira tangata. | We descend from Tūmatauenga who became the god of mankind and warfare. |
Ka noho a Tāwhirimātea hei atua mō te huarere, ā, e kaha tonu ana tana whakatīwheta i ōna tuākana, i ōna tēina me ō rātou uri ki ngā hau pūkeri me te āwhā mō rātou i whakawehe i ōna mātua.
Tāwhirimātea became the god of the weather and continues to harass his brothers and their offspring for separating his parents, lashing them with violent winds and storms.
Ka noho a Tānemahuta hei atua mō te ngahere me te tini kei roto e noho ana, tae atu hoki ki ngā rākau nunui e whakawehe tonu ana i te rangi me te papa. | Tānemahuta became the god of the forest and all life that exists within, including the giant trees that continue to separate sky and earth. |
Tae noa mai ki tēnei rā, ka mahara tātou ki te aroha me te kōingo o Ranginui rāua ko Papatūānuku ki a rāua anō, ka heke mai ana te ua i te rangi, ka māngi ake ana te kohu i te papa. | Up until this day, we are reminded of the love and yearning Ranginui and Papatūānuku still have for each every time the rain falls from the sky and the mist rises from the earth. |
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