4 Transactions. 



supernatural beings. They numbered seventy, and each had his own pro- 

 vince and functions. 



The most important of these children of Kangi and Papa, though not 

 the eldest, was Tane, and he was the personified form of the sun, as will 

 be shown in another paper. But Tane was also the Fertilizer — he 

 who fertilized the Earth Mother, and so produced man and vegetation ; 

 hence he also personifies the male element, as well as forests, trees, &c. 

 His daughter was Hine-titama, the Dawn Maid, who, on being pursued 

 by Tane (the sun), fled from him, and so passed into Night, the under- 

 world and spirit world. She became ruler of that realm of Night. And 

 ever Tane is begetting offspring (Dawn Maids), who pass through their brief 

 life in the upper world and then retire to the realm of Night. For Hine- 

 titama had said to Tane, " Return, Tane, to bring forth cur children 

 to the world of Light, while I remain here to receive them, for their welfare 

 shall be my care." And ever does the Queen of Night battle with dread 

 Whiro of the world of Darkness in order to protect her charges. 



Another daughter of Tane was Hine-rau-wharangi, she who personifies 

 growth in the vegetable world. 



Whilst Tane is the personified form of the sun, the common vernacular 

 term for the sun is ra, Ra Kura and Tama-nui-te-ra being honorific 

 names for the sun. Tane-te-waiora personifies sunlight. In our crude 

 translations of native myths we render " Waiora a Tane " as " life-giving 

 waters of Tane." This is quite wrong ; in this connection waiora means 

 sunlight, and it is so called because the Maori taught that the sun is the 

 origin of life. This waiora is a concrete expression, not two distinct words, 

 and is clcsely allied to the words vaiora of eastern Polynesia, meaning 

 " to be, to exist." The waning moon does not bathe in life-giving waters 

 of Tane to regain her youth ; she bathes in the sunlight of Tane, and so 

 returns to us again young and fair— which may be termed a scientific fact. 



The moon is personified in Hina-keha, or Pale Hina, and Hina is a far- 

 spread name for that orb, as also is that of ra for the sun, a name that in 

 ancient times was known in Babylonia and Egypt. Hina, being a female, 

 is not included among the children of Rangi and Papa. Rona is the maid 

 in the moon, her full name being Rona-whakamau-tai, or Rona the Tide- 

 controller. Rono, according to Fenton, was a name of the moon god in 

 Assyrian myth. Here we find a parallel in Polynesia, where Rongo ; Longo, 

 Lono, is evidently a personification of the moon. This is made clear in 

 Hawaiian mythology, wherein Sina, personified form of the moon (c/. Sin of 

 Babylonia), the Hina of New Zealand, on being translated to the heavens 

 took the name of Lono. 



Another of the primal offspring was Tu, he who personifies war and 

 its attendant evils ; he was an important departmental god. In Assyrian 

 myth Tu represented the setting sun and death, while Ra-tum (the setting 

 sun) was god of death in Egypt, and ra tumu denotes the setting sun in 

 eastern Polynesia (Churchill's Easter Island, p. 126). 



In opposition to Tu of evil fame we have Rongo, another of the 

 seventy brothers, who personifies peace and the arts of peace, such as 

 agriculture, and all fruits of the earth. Hence Rongo is appealed to in 

 peace-making functions, and by cultivators of food products. 



Another member of the family was Tawhirimatea, in whom are personi- 

 fied the winds of space. The personifications of wind number about thirty, 

 each representing a different form. These are known as the Whanau Puhi 

 (the Wind family). 



