In Māori mythology, as in other Polynesian traditions, Māui is a cultural hero.
This is a story of Māui mistreating his wife Rohe in a cruel and unusual way, (1000 years ago). Māoris lived differently then. In the rivers there were only big eels and very few other fish.. Night time was pitch black with no light from the stars or the moon. It is not now acceptable to treat your wife in the way things were done in those ancient times nor mistreat Tuna. The old story goes like this…
Maui heard a rumour from a warrior friend that his wife, Rohe leaves the pa sometimes and goes into the dark of the night when he is asleep. His warrior friend tells him he has seen her. He says every night she goes. The warrior is suspicious and suspects she has fallen in love with someone else!
Māui immediately feels betrayed and is so mad that his wife has been unfaithful to him. He can’t believe it and he wants to find out for himself. He decides to spy on her.
It is always very dark when Rohe leaves. One day he pretends to be sleep and then follows her. He follows her to the river’s edge. He can’t believe what he sees. He laughs out loud. She has befriended a female Kūwharuwharu. He watches her talking to her. Her name is Tuna. She is stroking her, laughing with her, calling her name and lifting her out of the water. Rohe is obviously soothed by this Tuna and Tuna loves Rohe too.
Maui becomes very angry and jealous and starts to rage. He knows it is just an eel yet he knows eels are taonga with his people. He feels Rohe loves Tuna more than she loves him!
He is jealous and furious. Maui laughs and is angry all at the same time. He feels his wife has cheated on him. In his anger he goes back to the Pa and fetches his axe. He slowly creeps towards Rohe and Tuna. He brandishes his axe in front of them. Rohe freezes and then leaves to run to a nearby kowhai tree.
From there she screams at Māui, "Leave Tuna alone. She screams at Tuna, Swim away Tuna." These words fuel Māui’s anger more. She watches him from behind her tree. Tuna tries to swim away. Māui catches up with her. They have a struggle. Rohe watches him wrestling with Tuna and then take charge.
“I give you Tuna’s tail, Papatūānuku (god of mother earth), I give you Tuna’s middle, Tangaroa (god of the sea), I give you Tuna’s blood and guts, Punga “(god of ugly things) To each of you this is all taongo – all use your new treasure wisely.”
She runs further into the bush, and she can’t stop sobbing. She hears Māui’s voice, “I give you Tuna’s head, Ranginui “(god of the sky) he cries,” Then there is a pause.
Rohe looks away. She cannot visit Tuna or forgive Māui. For two years she is very sad. One day she wakes up and she cannot believe what she sees. There are stars, lots of plants, lots of eels and breeds of fish and a taniwha. Ranginui, the sky god had passed the head of tuna onto Rehua, (god of the stars). She had transformed the head into stars and the moon. Stars and the moon could now be used for guidance by Māori at night and Rohe could see more Tuna.
She had transformed the head into stars and the moon. Stars and the moon could now be used for guidance by Māori at night and Rohe could see more Tuna.
Papatūānuku, god of the earth, had transformed the tail into flora
(harakeke, manuka, kanuka and much more) along the riverbanks, making banks stable and giving places for fish to hide. Tangaroa, the god of the sea had transformed tuna’s middle tuna’s into other breeds of eels and fish. A short fin eel, the lamprey eel, more longfin, giant kokupu and much more. Punga, the god of lizards, sharks and ugly things had transformed into taniwha- This was the best gift of all.
A spirited tuna, called taniwha was now kaitiaki (the guardian) of all living things in the river. Rohe’s crying stopped altogether. She was joyous and happy. The awa was so diverse with many different living things. She could talk to taniwha like she talked to Tuna. The land was rich and healthy. She forgave Maui and thanked him. All was well.
