On maps in te reo māori, New Zealand’s North Island is called Te Ika-a-Māui, “Māui’s fish.” The name sums up an idea that the Te Ara encyclopedia states right away: in Māori culture, the islands are fish pulled from the sea, and the sea is the source of all life.
In this water, there is Tangaroa. His name circulates from New Zealand to Hawaii in related forms, and the old version of this article presented a picture that was far too clear-cut. Here we take what New Zealand sources allow us to affirm and note the rest as variable.
If monsters are more your thing, our selection of the most impressive mythological creatures covers other traditions.
Who is Tangaroa in Māori tradition?
In the Māori tradition of New Zealand, Tangaroa is the atua associated with the sea and the ancestor of fish. The most widespread story makes him one of the seventy children of Ranginui, the sky, and Papatūānuku, the earth, according to the Te Ara encyclopedia. He occupies the world opened by the separation of his parents.
The term fits poorly. Te Ara specifies that the common translation, “god of the sea,” remains insufficient. For the Māori, water was an energy with multiple characters, sometimes calm, sometimes dangerous, and it is precisely this force, with all its faces, that the name Tangaroa designates. So we speak of a presence that crosses the swell and tides, much more than a character with a human face. The genealogies even have humans passing through a stage as fish, then amphibian, before their current form.
Another, rarer version makes Tangaroa the husband of Papatūānuku and the rival of Ranginui, and Te Ara cites a story recorded in 1856 by Hūkiki Te Ahukaramū where the sky seduces the earth.
But the two versions coexist without difficulty. Each tribe transmits its own lineages of stories, and none serves as an official version.
Why are Tangaroa and Tāne in conflict?
In the version published by George Grey in 1855, the quarrel breaks out after the separation of the sky and the earth. Tāwhirimātea, the god of winds, attacks his brothers. Tangaroa’s descendants then split: some go to the sea, others take refuge in Tāne’s forest. Tangaroa does not forgive.
Te Ara, in its article on fishing, gives the genealogy that goes with it, starting from Punga, a son of Tangaroa.
Punga has two children. Ikatere heads to the sea, where he and his descendants become fish. Tūtewehiwehi goes inland, and his lineage becomes that of reptiles. Thus the sea and the forest form two rival camps, and every time one takes something from the other, the story sees it as the continuation of this old family quarrel. In Grey’s account, Tāne’s children carve canoes and weave nets to catch Tangaroa’s children. In return, the sea swallows the canoes and gnaws at the shores.
To explain the erosion of a coast, few images have been found more telling (and more accurate, when looking at a retreating cliff).
Tangaroa, Tagaloa, Ta’aroa, Kanaloa: is it the same god?
Yes and no. The name is found throughout much of Polynesia, with variations following the languages: Tagaloa in Samoa and Tonga, Ta’aroa in Tahiti, Kanaloa in Hawaii, Tangaroa in the Cook Islands and among the Māori. The role changes.
| Archipelago | Name | Most often cited role |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand (Māori) | Tangaroa | Sea, waters and fish, son of Ranginui and Papatūānuku |
| Cook Islands | Tangaroa | Major figure linked to the sea, stories specific to each island |
| Samoa, Tonga | Tagaloa | Creator, often associated with the sky |
| Tahiti | Ta’aroa | Creator in traditions collected in the 19th century |
| Hawaii | Kanaloa | Ocean, often mentioned as a pair with Kāne |
| Marquesas | Tana’oa | Variable role depending on the stories |
In Samoa, Tagaloa is often presented as the creator of the universe, and in Tahiti the traditions collected in the 19th century also make Ta’aroa a creator, the origin of all that exists. Among the Māori, he shares the stage with his brothers. Each of his brothers rules over his own domain, the forest for Tāne and the winds for Tāwhirimātea. And in Hawaii, Kanaloa most often appears alongside Kāne. In short, it is impossible to fit everything into a single identity sheet, and that is just fine.
The old table in this article mixed these traditions, for example giving Rangi and Papa as parents of Tagaloa when this couple belongs to the Māori story, and we corrected it by keeping only what overlaps.
The comparison with the Mediterranean remains tempting. Our overview of the sea gods across civilizations offers it, and the top 10 Greek sea deities shows how differently Poseidon functions, with a role fixed by writing rather than by oral genealogies that vary from island to island.
What do the stories of Tinirau and Ruatepupuke tell?
These are two stories from the world of Tangaroa reported by Te Ara. That of Tinirau, ancestor of the fish, tells the death of the whale Tutunui and the revenge that follows. That of Ruatepupuke explains the origin of wood carving, discovered in Tangaroa’s house.
Tinirau asks the tohunga (priest) Kae to baptize his son Tūhuruhuru. To return home, Kae obtains permission to ride on Tutunui, Tinirau’s favorite whale, on condition that he dismount when the animal shakes itself. However, he strands the whale on the shore. His people cut it up. Hineteiwaiwa, Tinirau’s wife, then leaves with a group of women, including Raukatauri, and recognizes Kae by his tooth overlapping another. Asleep, he is brought back to Tinirau, who kills him.
The second story directly concerns art.
Tangaroa kidnaps Te Manuhauturuki, the son of Ruatepupuke, and fixes him on the gable of his house. The father eventually finds Tangaroa’s dwelling, hears the carved posts talking to each other, then immediately blocks all the openings of the house and sets it on fire. The inhabitants flee, the mule leading, then the flying fish and the triggerfish, and most of Tangaroa’s children perish in the fire. According to the story, the outer posts lost their speech. That is why today’s sculptures remain silent.
How does Tangaroa feature in Māori fishing?
Through very concrete gestures. According to Te Ara, it was common to return the first fish caught to the sea, as an offering to Tangaroa. Many tribes also had places on the shore where fishermen deposited fish and recited karakia (prayers) of thanks.
Tapu surrounded almost all aspects of fishing because fisheries were closely linked to the gods, as Te Ara recalls in its chapter dedicated to fishing.
Yet, there was nothing decorative about it. Te Ara cites a stone near Mōkau, long considered the mauri of the region’s fisheries, that is, their life force, and offerings were made there to Tangaroa. The link between the sacred and the resource is direct. One can read a form of management of the available fish, even if the framework remains religious and no one kept catch records. This is a modern interpretation, to be taken as such.
In short, one did not fish without giving something back.
What to remember about Tangaroa before a diving trip in the Pacific?
That these stories belong to living peoples. They still pass them on. If you dive in Rarotonga or New Zealand, you enter waters that have a genealogy for those who live there. Inquire about local rules at the club and respect the tapu places.
For Rarotonga, our guide to diving in the Cook Islands around Rarotonga reviews the sites. On the New Zealand side, the article on the seabed of the Bay of Islands details the destination. On site, temporary fishing restrictions called rāhui may target a reef or a bay. The local club will know which ones apply on the day of your outing. However, mythology says nothing about the current or visibility, and for the dive itself, the daily briefing remains the only information that really matters when gearing up.
Asking about the rāhui only takes a minute at the briefing.
FAQ
Is Tangaroa the god of the sea?
That is the most common translation, but Te Ara considers it insufficient. In Māori thought, Tangaroa also refers to the energy of water in all its forms, calm or dangerous. He is especially presented as the ancestor of fish.
Who are Tangaroa’s parents?
In the most widespread version in New Zealand, Tangaroa is one of the seventy children of Ranginui, the sky, and Papatūānuku, the earth. A minority version makes him the husband of Papatūānuku and the rival of Ranginui.
Why was the first fish returned to the sea?
According to Te Ara, returning the first fish caught was a common offering to Tangaroa. The gesture was part of a set of tapu rules and prayers surrounding fishing.
Are Tangaroa and Kanaloa the same god?
The two names have a common origin and are found, along with Tagaloa and Ta’aroa, throughout much of Polynesia. The role changes depending on the archipelago. It is better to speak of a family of related figures than a single god.
Sources
- Tangaroa – the sea (Te Ahukaramū Charles Royal, Te Ara, Encyclopedia of New Zealand, 2006)
- Te hī ika – Māori fishing: Tangaroa, god of the sea (Paul Meredith, Te Ara, Encyclopedia of New Zealand, 2006)
