Nov 24, 2004, 12.00am IST
Narayani Ganesh.
Rotorua, NZ: The Maoris, the original inhabitants of Aotearoa, "the land of the long white cloud" (today's New Zealand) live close to Nature and revere the Earth and the Sky as their ancestors. According to Maori mythology, we are descendants of Rangi, Heaven, and Papa, Earth.
In the beginning, there was Nothing, Te Kore. From Nothing came Darkness, Te Poo. In that "impenetrable" darkness Rangi and Papa clung to each other and had six sons: gods of the forest, of winds and storms, of fish and reptiles, of "fierce" human beings, of uncultivated food, and of cultivated food. Overcome with the suffocating closeness of their parents, the sons of Rangi and Papa longed for light and space and dreamed of stretching their cramped limbs with abandon. As the primal pa-rents continued to hold each other tight, Taane-mahuta, the god of the forests and father of all things that love light and freedom, rose to his feet with great difficulty and summoned all his strength. Standing on his head on Papa, his mother, he pushed upwards with feet against Rangi, his father.
After what seemed like eternity, Taane's persistence paid off: the parents were forced apart; Earth and Sky became separated. Rangi was hurled far away while angry winds screamed through the space between earth and sky. Light was able to creep through this huge gap and the earth was illuminated. Taane and his brothers were able to see the beauty of their mother's body but were saddened by the silvery mist that hung over her shoulders — a sign that she was grieving the separation from her husband. Rangi, too, was desolate. He shed tears of rain that fell on Mother Earth to form beautiful waterfalls, streams, rivers, lakes and oceans.
True, Taane had forcibly separated his parents, but he did love them dearly. He set about atoning for his act by decking his mother with beautiful flora with plenty of trees. Covered in green, the blue ocean lapped her body and the air was rent with the songs of birds and insects. However, one brother, Taawhiri-maatea, the god of winds and storms was inconsolable — till today he blows between the earth and sky.
Distressed at his father's loneliness, Taawhiri adorned Rangi's back with the bright Sun with the silvery Moon on his front. He threw a glowing red garment around his father but later removed it. A few strands of the garment remained, still visible at the time of the setting sun. Taawhiri looked farther for suitable adornments so that he could brighten the darkness that surrounded the sky. He went to Uru, a brother whose children, the "Shining Ones", lived at the foothills of the Maunganui mountain. Taane, the other brother, persuaded Uru to give him some of the Shining Lights to fasten on the mantle of the sky. At Uru's call, the children came rolling up the slope of the mountain to their father. Uru let Taawhiri collect some Shining Lights into a basket.
The five glowing lights that Taane placed in the shape of the cross on the breast of Rangi is the Southern Cross. The Children of Light were sprinkled on the dark blue robe of the Sky and the basket that lay suspended in the sky came to be known as the Milky Way. Sometimes, some of Uru's children tumble and fall swiftly towards the earth. We call them shooting stars. But most of the time, the Shining Lights remain twinkling like fireflies in the night sky, giving us the opportunity to star-gaze.
Narayani Ganesh.
Rotorua, NZ: The Maoris, the original inhabitants of Aotearoa, "the land of the long white cloud" (today's New Zealand) live close to Nature and revere the Earth and the Sky as their ancestors. According to Maori mythology, we are descendants of Rangi, Heaven, and Papa, Earth.
In the beginning, there was Nothing, Te Kore. From Nothing came Darkness, Te Poo. In that "impenetrable" darkness Rangi and Papa clung to each other and had six sons: gods of the forest, of winds and storms, of fish and reptiles, of "fierce" human beings, of uncultivated food, and of cultivated food. Overcome with the suffocating closeness of their parents, the sons of Rangi and Papa longed for light and space and dreamed of stretching their cramped limbs with abandon. As the primal pa-rents continued to hold each other tight, Taane-mahuta, the god of the forests and father of all things that love light and freedom, rose to his feet with great difficulty and summoned all his strength. Standing on his head on Papa, his mother, he pushed upwards with feet against Rangi, his father.
After what seemed like eternity, Taane's persistence paid off: the parents were forced apart; Earth and Sky became separated. Rangi was hurled far away while angry winds screamed through the space between earth and sky. Light was able to creep through this huge gap and the earth was illuminated. Taane and his brothers were able to see the beauty of their mother's body but were saddened by the silvery mist that hung over her shoulders — a sign that she was grieving the separation from her husband. Rangi, too, was desolate. He shed tears of rain that fell on Mother Earth to form beautiful waterfalls, streams, rivers, lakes and oceans.
True, Taane had forcibly separated his parents, but he did love them dearly. He set about atoning for his act by decking his mother with beautiful flora with plenty of trees. Covered in green, the blue ocean lapped her body and the air was rent with the songs of birds and insects. However, one brother, Taawhiri-maatea, the god of winds and storms was inconsolable — till today he blows between the earth and sky.
Distressed at his father's loneliness, Taawhiri adorned Rangi's back with the bright Sun with the silvery Moon on his front. He threw a glowing red garment around his father but later removed it. A few strands of the garment remained, still visible at the time of the setting sun. Taawhiri looked farther for suitable adornments so that he could brighten the darkness that surrounded the sky. He went to Uru, a brother whose children, the "Shining Ones", lived at the foothills of the Maunganui mountain. Taane, the other brother, persuaded Uru to give him some of the Shining Lights to fasten on the mantle of the sky. At Uru's call, the children came rolling up the slope of the mountain to their father. Uru let Taawhiri collect some Shining Lights into a basket.
The five glowing lights that Taane placed in the shape of the cross on the breast of Rangi is the Southern Cross. The Children of Light were sprinkled on the dark blue robe of the Sky and the basket that lay suspended in the sky came to be known as the Milky Way. Sometimes, some of Uru's children tumble and fall swiftly towards the earth. We call them shooting stars. But most of the time, the Shining Lights remain twinkling like fireflies in the night sky, giving us the opportunity to star-gaze.