The Lady of the Dawn who became the Great Woman of the Light

Hine-titama
by Robyn Kahukiwa

As the Wheel of the Year turns once more, the gateway to the dark months, that of Samhain, opens before us.  As the veil between the realm of the living and that of the dead thins, we are reminded of our own mortality.

 

According to Maori, the Goddess of night and of death was Hine-nui-te-po (meaning "Great Woman of the Night"), who was also the ruler of the Underworld.  Also known by her earlier name, that of Hine-titama ("Lady of the Dawn"), she was said to be the daughter of  Tāne-matua (the God of the forests and birds), and Hine-ahu-one (“woman created of earth”), who was the first woman.

Hine-titama, not realising who her father was, went on to marry Tāne-matua, and the couple had serveral children together.  One day Hine-titama asked her husband if he knew who her father was.  The response she received was to ask the "pillars of the house".  Knowing that Tāne-matua had built the house, Hine-titama realised that her husband was actually her father.

Hine-nui-te-po
by Danny Ngene Ngene

Feeling ashamed, she ran off to the Underworld, where she was stopped by Te Ku-watawata, the guardian of the gate.  The guardian advised her to go back, to remain in the world of light and life, but she insisted on going forward.

 

Just as she was about to descend into the darkness, Tāne-matua caught up with her.  As Hine-titama turned her back on her father/husband, telling him that he was to look after their children in the world of light as she would look after them in the world of darkness. 

 

It was at that point onwards Hine-titama became Hine-nui-te-po, which symbolised her descent into the Underworld.