Hine-Moa in Polynesian tradition
Hine-Moa is a woman in a Rotorua account collected by George Grey. After her companions haul the canoes ashore, she swims across the lake at night with six gourds to support her, pauses at Waikimihia, and follows the sound of Tutanekai's music. Their union is publicly acknowledged the following morning.
SourcePolynesian Mythology and Ancient Traditional History of the New Zealand Race (George Grey): The Story of Hine-Moa, (The Maiden of Rotorua) (EPUB text block 4)· Polynesian Mythology and Ancient Traditional History of the New Zealand Race (George Grey): The Story of Hine-Moa, (The Maiden of Rotorua) (EPUB text block 5)· Polynesian Mythology and Ancient Traditional History of the New Zealand Race (George Grey): The Story of Hine-Moa, (The Maiden of Rotorua) (EPUB text block 7)· Polynesian Mythology and Ancient Traditional History of the New Zealand Race (George Grey): The Story of Hine-Moa, (The Maiden of Rotorua) (EPUB text block 18)
The quick answers
Who is Hine-Moa?
Hine-Moa is a Polynesian hero.
The myths of Hine-Moa
1 myth, with sources recorded for each.
Hine-Moa Swims to Tutanekai
In Grey's account, Hine-Moa and Tutanekai have become attached to one another, but communication between them depends on a messenger and a signal. When her companions haul the canoes ashore, Hine-Moa must make the crossing herself. She gathers six gourds, three on each side, to support her in the water and sets out at night. The journey is not effortless: she rests and floats when tired, then continues toward the sound of Tutanekai's music.
At Waikimihia she comes ashore to warm herself. When the music stops, she breaks the water vessels so that Tutanekai will come out to find her. He approaches, and the two are united. The account names the instruments used in the signal: Tutanekai plays a horn or trumpet, while Tiki plays a pipe or flute.
Hine-Moa and Tutanekai marry, and their union is acknowledged publicly the following morning.
What this page is built from
About this page
Written and maintained by MythSource. How a page gets built.
1 source is cited on this page and listed below.
Cite this page
MythSource. (n.d.). Hine-Moa. https://www.mythsource.com/figures/hine-moa
"Hine-Moa." MythSource, n.d., www.mythsource.com/figures/hine-moa.
"Hine-Moa." MythSource. n.d. https://www.mythsource.com/figures/hine-moa.
Source details
- Polynesian Mythology and Ancient Traditional History of the New Zealand Race. Sir George Grey, author. New Zealand Electronic Text Collection, 2005. Originally published in 1885; National Library of New Zealand NZETC edition. Source edition · Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0 New Zealand. MythSource retellings use original wording; no source quotations, scans, songs or incantations are reproduced.
The mythology summaries and identity fields on this page are grounded in the sources listed above. The appearance table records candidates separately; only confirmed connections are presented as modern retellings in Overview.