Article by Rebecca
Image by Will Hobbs (www.sirwilliamwesley.com)
Some may recall a past article I wrote about the Maori duo of Rangi and Papa. When this loving couple was separated by Tane, Maori god of forests, the human race was discovered. Little known fact, but all of Rangi and Papa’s children were men, and soon Tane longed for female companionship. This brings us to Hine-nui-te-po, the goddess of the night and underworld for the Maori and Polynesians.
Tane created Hine from sand and clay, and then took her for his wife. One day Hine had the revelation that her husband, whom she had relations with (if you catch my drift), was also her father. Not cool. This realization drove her into the darkness of the Underworld, where she became Hine-nui-te-po. Now she is the goddess of the night and ruler of all ten levels of the afterworld, although some say she only has claim on four.
Hine-nui-te-po probably began her existence as a beautiful woman. I mean would a god create some average looking female to take as his wife? Of course, now Hine-nui-te-po has a frightening visage. She is generally described as having seaweed for hair, red eyes, the body of a man, and sharp teeth in a mouth like a barracuda. Maybe that’s the way Tane liked his women, but somehow I doubt it.
Perhaps with her current job title as ruler of the afterworld it should not surprise you to learn that it was she who helped play a part in giving mortality to the Polynesians. Due to an omitted portion in Maui’s baptism prayer, Maui began to fear that one day Hine-nui-te-po would claim him. His father told him where he could find Hine-nui-te-po, and with that knowledge, Maui and his companions set out to conquer death.
In order to gain immortality for himself, and mankind, he had to crawl through Hine-nui-te-po’s sleeping body. During his crawl, a songbird laughed and woke the goddess, who promptly crushed Maui. This introduced death by having Maui be the first man to die, and thus humans remained mortal.
In Maori myths there are always many meanings hidden within the story. They may not be apparent at first, but look deeper to find them.
Hine Nui te Po, started as Hine te titama, the dawn Maiden. Her Mother Hine Ahu-One was created from the earth. Tane take Hine Ahu One to wife, to create mankind. Thus Hine te Titama was the first person made from the union of Tane- “the divine spirit” and Hine Ahu One of the earth.
Fittingly Their child was the first light- dawn. Hine titama descends to the underworld every day, as she is the dawn. The description of her teeth as barracudas is I beleive an incorrect translation. It originally said that her teeth were as white as a sharks. Sharks were very important symbolically, and many beleived that ancestors were often reincarnated as sharks.
The chasing of Tane after hine titama can also be seen as the daily travel of light across the sky and into the underworld.
She did not give mortality to the Polynesians. They were already mortal. Maui hoped to overturn this by gaining her manawa- by entering her. She went to the Underworld to look after the children and protect from Whiro, He who brings disease to the world. She acts as a guardian to protect the dead, to look after the children, saving them from the evil one.
Death is just another cycle, it has always existed, some see it as a bad thing, others see it as a process of transformation.
Whiro kills mankind. Hine nui Te Po, opens the world of spirit to the children, so they can still find the light within her.
Myth says that she killed Maui, because he slew her sister Mahu Ikas children of fire. As the protector of the children, their spirits would have gone to her at their death.
Regards
Adrienne Giacon NZ