Sources present Tamatea Urehaea as a chiefly descendant in the Tākitimu genealogical corpus. He is described as the son of Rongokako (in some accounts) and grandson or descendant of Tamatea Arikinui / Tamatea Mai-Tawhiti; traditions vary regionally and sometimes conflate Tamatea Urehaea with his grandfather Tamatea Arikinui. He is associated with arrival from or descent linked to Hawaiki, and with leadership of a canoe (Tākitimu) and a crew of seventy men. His lineage and actions (including the birth of his son Kahungunu) are used to establish tribal descent and legal/ritual ties to particular lands.
The available traditions represent Tamatea primarily through his deeds, names, and genealogical roles rather than a physical portrait; no detailed physical description (height, complexion, clothing) is provided in the cited sources. His epithets record bodily and performative aspects—Urehaea ('cut penis', indicating circumcision), Pōkai-moana ('explorer of the seas'), and Pōkai-whenua ('explorer of the land')—which encapsulate rites and accomplishments.
Accounts attribute to Tamatea exceptional practical skills and leadership: masterful navigation and exploration (traditions say he 'circumnavigated both islands of New Zealand'), commanding and provisioning the Tākitimu canoe with some seventy crew, founding settlements and establishing ritual land-links (notably burying his son Kahungunu's umbilical cord with three whatu-kura to create an iho-whenua), large-scale hunting (removing kererū in abundance at places renamed for food surplus), and undertaking major engineering efforts in warfare (attempting to dig a trench to flood Kaitaia). In regional mythic variants these historical acts are interwoven with landscape-transforming episodes (e.g., in a South Island account his wrecked canoe becomes the Takitimu Mountains and Tongariro's fire dries the strait); these are presented as localized mythic elaborations rather than standardized supernatural powers.
Weaknesses
- otherMortal human condition and social opposition
Wards
- otherNone recorded — Tamatea is a human ancestor and no apotropaic wards against him are given in the sources
Kahungunu
Kahungunu is a historical Māori ariki (chief) and eponymous ancestor of the Ngāti Kahungunu (and linked groups such as Te Aitanga‑a‑Māhaki) whose life‑narratives anchor whakapapa, land rights, and tribal identity. Traditionally placed in the waka Tākitimu lineage, he is portrayed as an industrious, physically large and capable chiefly founder active in settlement, warfare, courtship, and resource management, probably living around the late fifteenth century according to the sources.
Tamatea Arikinui
Historical Māori figure, renowned ariki and leader who played a significant role in the settlement of New Zealand. (Note: - Power tier should be Primordial since historical Māori figures are considered to have had significant cosmic influence. - Abilities need clarification; while negotiation, strategic planning, diploma)
Aitu (Māori)
Malevolent spirits in Māori tradition, often taking the form of plants or animals and associated with trouble-making and mischief. (Note: - Power tier should be Greater, not Lesser (Aitu being lesser gods in some cultures, but also associated with deity-level abilities) - Abilities: Add detail about their role as patrons of specific vil)
Akava'ine
Akava'ine is a Cook Islands Māori social and gender category for people assigned male at birth who live or present as women or otherwise occupy a gender-variant/transgender role. The term (Cook Islands Māori) literally means "to behave as a woman" and has both historical ethnographic mentions of gender-variant individuals in the Cook Islands and a contemporary use (since the 2000s) among Cook Islands Māori, including diaspora communities.
Aotea (Canoe)
Ancestral waka in Māori tradition, significant in the migration of the Māori people to New Zealand. (Note: - Power tier should be at least Greater (deity-level), considering Aotea is associated with significant spiritual and cultural importance to the Māori people's migration. - Abilities should include de)
Aotearoa (Canoe)
An ancestral vessel in Māori tradition, associated with the migration and settlement of New Zealand. (Note: 1. Power tier should be Ancient, not Primordial. 2. Remove "Historical significance" from sensory cues as it is a general statement rather than a specific cue. 3. Add "Its presence is often associated)
Apakura
Female figure in Māori mythology, wife of Tūhuruhuru and/or Tūwhakararo, associated with multiple generations of whānau. (Note: 1. Power tier: Given her association with multiple generations of whānau and the miraculous birth story involving Whakatau, it's likely she should be classified as a Greater entity. 2. Abilities: Add )
Arahura (Māori canoe)
Divine Māori canoe made of pounamu, associated with the Ngāi Tahu tribe and spiritual significance. (Note: * Power tier: Not specified, assume Lower or Lesser as it's associated with the tribe and not described as a deity-level being * Abilities: Remove the mention of spiritual significance and connection )
Arautauta
The Arautauta is a significant waka (canoe) in Māori tradition, playing a key role in the migration of people to New Zealand. (Note: - Power tier: Should be Primordial (as it's a significant waka in Māori tradition) - Abilities: Should mention its use for transporting people and goods as a notable aspect of its significance - Appea)
Arawa (canoe)
In Māori tradition, the Arawa is a supernatural canoe representing the ancestors' journey to New Zealand. (Note: * Power tier: Primordial (or not specified at all, as there's no indication of supernatural powers beyond its symbolic and cultural significance) * Appearance: No physical description mentioned in sou)
Atea
Atea is a primordial creator-associated being in multiple Polynesian traditions (Marquesas, Tuamotu, and Māori) closely associated with light and the ordering of the cosmos. Variants depict Atea as a self-originating giver of light, a progenitor who fathers gods and humans, or as the cosmic universe that is sex-differentiated into Heaven and Earth in one reported account.
Atua (Māori Deity)
In Māori mythology, Atua are supernatural beings believed to have created the world and all living things. They are considered rulers of the spiritual realm with powers over nature, fertility, and human destiny. (Note: 1. Power tier: Based on the abilities described (controlling nature, fertility, and human destiny), Atua likely belong to the Primordial power tier, not Greater. 2. Weaknesses: Add a specific weakness)
Atutahi (Māori tradition)
In Māori mythology, Atutahi is a celestial entity and the second brightest star in the night-time sky, considered solitary or self-centered. It serves as a navigational aid for Māori sailors, appearing as a bright star on the evening or southern horizon. (Note: - Power tier: Primordial (due to its status as a celestial entity in Māori mythology) - Abilities: Add ability of guidance, specifically for navigation, based on source material - Weaknesses: List is )
Auahitūroa
Auahitūroa is a Māori deity described in the cited sources as the personification of comets and as the origin of fire; he is named as a son of Tama-nui-te-rā (the sun), consort of the fire goddess Mahuika, and father of the five Ngā Mānawa.
Community Record
- [1]Tamatea Urehaea. Wikipedia contributors, 'Tamatea Urehaea,' Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.wiki
- [2]Tamatea Pōkaiwhenua (Wikidata entry). Wikidata entry for Tamatea Pōkaiwhenua (Q104479831).wiki
- [3]Tamatea Arikinui. Wikipedia contributors, 'Tamatea Arikinui,' Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.wiki