Tāne-Māhuta
/ˈtaːnɛ maːˈhʉta/noun
A major Māori atua (deity) associated with forests, birds, and the creation of humans, and the name of a famous kauri tree in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Did you know?In the Māori creation tradition, Tāne forced apart the Earth mother Ranginui and Sky father Papatūānuku, allowing light to enter the world and living things to flourish.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Polynesian
Proto-Polynesian
*tane
“Man or male; the reconstructed ancestral form behind Māori tāne and related Polynesian words.”
Early Polynesian
Polynesian
Tāne
“A male deity or ancestral being, developing into the name of a major god in several Polynesian traditions.”
Pre-European Māori
Māori
Tāne
“An atua associated with forests, birds, light, and the creation of human beings.”
Traditional Māori
Māori
Tāne-māhuta
“A compound name traditionally understood as Tāne connected with the forest or standing trees; māhuta is associated with standing or upright growth.”
19th Century
English
Tane Mahuta
“An English rendering of the Māori deity’s name, increasingly used in written descriptions of Māori cosmology.”
Modern English
English
Tāne-Māhuta
“The Māori forest deity and, by extension, the name of the celebrated giant kauri tree in Waipoua Forest.”