Kiwa (mythology)
Encyclopedia
Kiwa is one of several male divine guardians of the ocean
in the traditions
of some Māori tribes of the East Coast of the North Island
of New Zealand
.
A poetic name for the Pacific Ocean
is Te moana nui a Kiwa (The great ocean of Kiwa). Kiwa's first wife, in some of these traditions, was Parawhenuamea, ancestor of stream
s that flow from the land to the sea and of fresh water generally. Kiwa's second wife was Hinemoana (Ocean woman), a personification of the sea. Kiwa and Hinemoana had a number of children (Orbell 1998:60).
Others say that Kiwa is the brother of Hinemoana, or her guardian (Orbell 1998:60). Some Māori tribes have stories in which Hinemoana is married to Rangi
, the god
of the sky
. This causes jealousy on the part of Papa, the earth mother, another of Rangi's wives. The enmity between Hinemoana and Papa is shown in the way the sea is constantly attacking and eroding the land. In other areas of New Zealand, traditions about the guardians of the sea and the origin of its creatures were very different. For instance in the Mataatua
canoe area, (the eastern Bay of Plenty
) it appears that Hinemoana was unknown; their traditions concern a female deity named Wainui (Great Water) instead (Best 1982:252-257, Reed 1963:397).
of shellfish
in Polynesia
n Mythology'. This description of Kiwa is inaccurate, given that Māori sources all agree that Kiwa is a male guardian of the sea. Unfortunately, the team that discovered the shellfish in question used an entry in the unreliable Encyclopedia Mythica
which assigns female gender to Kiwa as "mother of all shell-fish in Polynesian mythology".
Ocean
An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000...
in the traditions
Maori mythology
Māori mythology and Māori traditions are the two major categories into which the legends of the Māori of New Zealand may usefully be divided...
of some Māori tribes of the East Coast of the North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
is Te moana nui a Kiwa (The great ocean of Kiwa). Kiwa's first wife, in some of these traditions, was Parawhenuamea, ancestor of stream
Stream
A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
s that flow from the land to the sea and of fresh water generally. Kiwa's second wife was Hinemoana (Ocean woman), a personification of the sea. Kiwa and Hinemoana had a number of children (Orbell 1998:60).
Children
The names and numbers of their children vary in different accounts. One version (Best 1982:257) names ten children and for most of these, gives details about the creatures they gave rise to:- Pipihura, ancestor of the cockleCockle (bivalve)Cockle is the common name for a group of small, edible, saltwater clams, marine bivalve molluscs in the family Cardiidae.Various species of cockles live in sandy sheltered beaches throughout the world....
. - Te Uru-kahikahika, source of eels, lampreys and frostfish.
- Wharerimu, ancestor of seaweed.
- Hine-tapiritia, ancestor of certain molluscs and oysters.
- Te Raengawha, origin of sea urchins, as well as various fishes.
- Te Kiri-pakapaka, origin of the snapper and the gurnard.
- Whatu-maomao, whose offspring include the grouper, the kingfishKingfish-Fish:* King mackerel Scomberomorus cavalla* Kingcroaker Menticirrhus spp.* Narrow-barred Spanish mackerel Scomberomorus commerson * White croaker Genyonemus lineatus * Cobia Rachycentron canadum...
, and the kahawai. - Te Kohurangi.
- Kapuwai.
- Kaiwahawera, ancestor of the octopusOctopusThe octopus is a cephalopod mollusc of the order Octopoda. Octopuses have two eyes and four pairs of arms, and like other cephalopods they are bilaterally symmetric. An octopus has a hard beak, with its mouth at the center point of the arms...
.
Others say that Kiwa is the brother of Hinemoana, or her guardian (Orbell 1998:60). Some Māori tribes have stories in which Hinemoana is married to Rangi
Rangi and Papa
In Māori mythology the primal couple Rangi and Papa appear in a creation myth explaining the origin of the world. In some South Island dialects, Rangi is called Raki or Rakinui.-Union and separation:...
, the god
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
of the sky
Sky
The sky is the part of the atmosphere or outer space visible from the surface of any astronomical object. It is difficult to define precisely for several reasons. During daylight, the sky of Earth has the appearance of a pale blue surface because the air scatters the sunlight. The sky is sometimes...
. This causes jealousy on the part of Papa, the earth mother, another of Rangi's wives. The enmity between Hinemoana and Papa is shown in the way the sea is constantly attacking and eroding the land. In other areas of New Zealand, traditions about the guardians of the sea and the origin of its creatures were very different. For instance in the Mataatua
Mataatua
In Māori tradition, Mataatua was one of the great voyaging canoes by which Polynesians migrated to New Zealand. Māori traditions say that the Mataatua was initially sent from Hawaiki to bring supplies of kūmara to Māori settlements in New Zealand...
canoe area, (the eastern Bay of Plenty
Bay of Plenty
The Bay of Plenty , often abbreviated to BOP, is a region in the North Island of New Zealand situated around the body of water of the same name...
) it appears that Hinemoana was unknown; their traditions concern a female deity named Wainui (Great Water) instead (Best 1982:252-257, Reed 1963:397).
Kiwaidae family of shellfish
The Kiwaidae family of shellfish are named after 'Kiwa, the goddessGoddess
A goddess is a female deity. In some cultures goddesses are associated with Earth, motherhood, love, and the household. In other cultures, goddesses also rule over war, death, and destruction as well as healing....
of shellfish
Shellfish
Shellfish is a culinary and fisheries term for exoskeleton-bearing aquatic invertebrates used as food, including various species of molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms. Although most kinds of shellfish are harvested from saltwater environments, some kinds are found only in freshwater...
in Polynesia
Polynesia
Polynesia is a subregion of Oceania, made up of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are termed Polynesians and they share many similar traits including language, culture and beliefs...
n Mythology'. This description of Kiwa is inaccurate, given that Māori sources all agree that Kiwa is a male guardian of the sea. Unfortunately, the team that discovered the shellfish in question used an entry in the unreliable Encyclopedia Mythica
Encyclopedia Mythica
Encyclopedia Mythica is an internet encyclopedia of folklore, mythology, and religion. It covers the mythology of most of the world, with sections spanning Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, both North and South America, and Oceania. This encyclopedia was founded in June 1995 as a small site...
which assigns female gender to Kiwa as "mother of all shell-fish in Polynesian mythology".