Hine-i-te-iwaiwa

A name of Hina, when, as one of Tinirau's wives, she helped to enchant and capture Kae for the murder of the whale Tu-tu-nui. She is the mother of Tū-huruhuru.

The famous karakia of Hine-i-te-iwaiwa, said to have been used at the birth of her son, is of great antiquity, dating from a time anterior to the migration of New Zealand. It is because of this incantation that she is regarded as a goddess of childbirth and parturition.

"Weave, weave the mat,

Couch for my unborn child,

Now I step upon (the mat),

My child now one with myself.

Stand firm, turuturu of Hine-rau-wharangi,

Stand firm, turuturu of Hine-te-iwaiwa.

Stand by your tia, Ihuwareware,

Stand by your kona, Ihuatamai,

Chide me not in my trouble,

Me Hine-te-iwaiwa, O Rupe.

Release from above your hair,

Your head, your shoulders,

Your breast, your liver,

Your knees, your feet,

Let them come forth.

The old lady with night-dark visage,

She will make you stretch,

She will make you rise up.

Let go ewe, let go take,

Let go parapara. Come forth."

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