Rongorongo (mythology)

Rongorongo
Born14th century?
SpouseTuri
ChildrenTāneroroa
FatherToto

Rongorongo is an ancestress from Ra'iātea Island (Hawaiki) in Māori tradition, particularly of the Ngā Rauru, Ngāti Ruanui, Ngāruahine, Taranaki, and Whanganui iwi.[1] She was the wife of Turi, the chief of the Aotea canoe which was given to Rongorongo as a present by her father Toto.[2] After Rongorongo overheard Uenuku chanting incantations of Turi's murder,[3] Turi and his people fled to New Zealand in the Aotea and arrived at the mouth of the Patea River.[1]

In te reo, rongorongo holds meaning to the concepts of news, fame, and report; or it can be a verb (-hia, -na) to describe experiences such as hearing, smelling, and feeling.[4]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Turi – 1966 Encyclopedia of New Zealand". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  2. ^ Tregear, Edward (1891). The Maori-Polynesian comparative dictionary. Wellington, N.Z., Lyon and Blair. p. 426. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  3. ^ Grey, George (1854). Polynesian Mythology and Ancient Traditional History of the New Zealanders. pp. 151–152, 162. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  4. ^ "rongorongo – Māori Dictionary". John C Moorfield. Retrieved 21 May 2020.