Tawhito

Some supernatural creatures or deities alluded to vaguely in old chants: Po ki tipua, tetahi po; Po ki tawhito tetahi po. The god Tiki (the deified first man) is called Tiki-tawhito, and Whiro, the god of thieves, is also called Whiro-tawhito, in the same incantation. It is possibly a title, "the Ancient One."

❧

References

Sources

  • Tregear, Edward. (1891). Maori-Polynesian Comparative Dictionary. Wellington: Government Printer, p. 500.
  • White, John. (1887). Ancient History of the Maori. 6 vols. Wellington: G. Didsbury, Government Printer, p. 1:29.

This article incorporates text from Maori-Polynesian Comparative Dictionary (1891) by Edward Tregear, which is in the public domain.