16 
MYTHOLOGY. 
chief was Hine-nui-te-po, great mother night, the grand 
parent of the rest. Of the latter, Rangi and Papa, or Heaven 
and Earth, were the parents. The general idea of Heaven was 
that it was a solid and opaque body, spread out upon the earth, 
which was flat as a board. Papa (the earth) bears this signi¬ 
fication. 
Oti atu koutou ki te Po—e. 
[During this period all was dark—no eyes.] 
Na te kore i ai, 
Te kore te wiwia 
Te kore te rawea, 
Ko liotupu, ko hauora, 
Ka noho i te atea, 
Ka puta ki waho, te rangi e tu nei, 
Ka noho i Hawaiki, 
Ka puta ki waho ko tapora pora, 
Ko tauware nikau, ko kukuparu 
Ko wawauatea, ko wiwhi te rangiora, 
Ko Ru, no Ru, ko ou hoko 
Na ouhoko, ko ruatupu, 
Ko rua tawito, na rua tawito 
Rua kaipo, na rua kaipo 
Ko ngae, ngae nui, ngae roa, 
Ngae pea, ngae tuturi, ngae 
Pepeke, ko Tatiti, ko Rua 
Tapu, ko toe, ko rauru 
Ko tama rake i’ora ko &c. 
[The natives are very proud of their genealogies, and generally those of 
great men are traced up to the gods, and even before them; this may be the 
case here; if so, the latter part will be some great Chief’s genealogy attached 
to this Song of the Creation.] 
Ko te rangi e tere tere ana 
I runga o te whenua 
Ka noho te rangi nui e tu nei 
Ka noho i a ata tuhi, ka puta 
Ki waho te marama, ka noho. 
Te rangi i tu nei, ka noho i a 
Te werowero, ka puta ki waho 
Ko te ra, kokiritia ana 
Kirunga, hei pukanohi 
Mo te rangi, ka tau te 
Rangi, Te ata tuhi, te 
Ata rapa, te ata ka 
Mahina, ka mahina 
Te ata i hikurangi. 
