Kahukura in Polynesian tradition
Kahukura is a mortal man in a George Grey-collected account who learns net-making by joining a night fishing party of Patupaiarehe near Rangiaowhia. He delays the work until daylight reveals him, and the spirits abandon their net, fish and canoes. Kahukura takes the netting pattern home and teaches it to his children.
SourcePolynesian Mythology and Ancient Traditional History of the New Zealand Race (George Grey): The Art of Netting Learned by Kahukura from the Fairies. — (Ko Te Korero Mo Nga Patupaiarehe.) (EPUB text block 1)· Polynesian Mythology and Ancient Traditional History of the New Zealand Race (George Grey): The Art of Netting Learned by Kahukura from the Fairies. — (Ko Te Korero Mo Nga Patupaiarehe.) (EPUB text block 3)· Polynesian Mythology and Ancient Traditional History of the New Zealand Race (George Grey): The Art of Netting Learned by Kahukura from the Fairies. — (Ko Te Korero Mo Nga Patupaiarehe.) (EPUB text block 5)
The quick answers
Who is Kahukura?
Kahukura is a Polynesian hero.
The myths of Kahukura
1 myth, with sources recorded for each.
Kahukura and the Patupaiarehe Net
Kahukura is travelling when he finds traces of a night fishing party: mackerel remains on the shore and marks that convince him the fishers were not ordinary people. He returns after dark and finds the Patupaiarehe hauling a net. Kahukura slips into the work and pulls with them. The account describes his complexion as pale; in the darkness, the fishers do not immediately recognize that a man has joined them.
When the fish are brought ashore, each fisher strings a share. Kahukura's short line keeps slipping under the weight. The others kindly retie it for him, but he repeatedly loosens the knot and starts again, delaying their work. At last daylight grows strong enough for the fishers to see his face. They recognize him as a man and flee, abandoning their fish, canoes and rush net.
Kahukura learns to make nets from the pattern left behind and teaches the method to his children.
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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.