Turi in Polynesian tradition
George Grey's chapter presents Turi's departure and settlement as a particular account of migration to Aotearoa. In this witness, a killing and the threat of retaliation lead Turi and his household to leave by canoe. The narrative follows their voyage, arrival, journey to the Patea River, and establishment of a settlement there. It is an attributed account, not a universal or independently verified history of Māori migration or present-day community practice.
SourcePolynesian Mythology and Ancient Traditional History of the New Zealand Race (George Grey): Legend of the Emigration of Turi — (The Progenitor of the Whanganui Tribes) (EPUB text block 1)· Polynesian Mythology and Ancient Traditional History of the New Zealand Race (George Grey): Legend of the Emigration of Turi — (The Progenitor of the Whanganui Tribes) (EPUB text block 2)· Polynesian Mythology and Ancient Traditional History of the New Zealand Race (George Grey): Legend of the Emigration of Turi — (The Progenitor of the Whanganui Tribes) (EPUB text block 3)· Polynesian Mythology and Ancient Traditional History of the New Zealand Race (George Grey): Legend of the Emigration of Turi — (The Progenitor of the Whanganui Tribes) (EPUB text block 8)· Polynesian Mythology and Ancient Traditional History of the New Zealand Race (George Grey): Legend of the Emigration of Turi — (The Progenitor of the Whanganui Tribes) (EPUB text block 11)· Polynesian Mythology and Ancient Traditional History of the New Zealand Race (George Grey): Legend of the Emigration of Turi — (The Progenitor of the Whanganui Tribes) (EPUB text block 12)· Polynesian Mythology and Ancient Traditional History of the New Zealand Race (George Grey): Legend of the Emigration of Turi — (The Progenitor of the Whanganui Tribes) (EPUB text block 19)· Polynesian Mythology and Ancient Traditional History of the New Zealand Race (George Grey): Legend of the Emigration of Turi — (The Progenitor of the Whanganui Tribes) (EPUB text block 25)· Polynesian Mythology and Ancient Traditional History of the New Zealand Race (George Grey): Legend of the Emigration of Turi — (The Progenitor of the Whanganui Tribes) (EPUB text block 33)· Polynesian Mythology and Ancient Traditional History of the New Zealand Race (George Grey): Legend of the Emigration of Turi — (The Progenitor of the Whanganui Tribes) (EPUB text block 35)· Polynesian Mythology and Ancient Traditional History of the New Zealand Race (George Grey): Legend of the Emigration of Turi — (The Progenitor of the Whanganui Tribes) (EPUB text block 37)
The quick answers
Who is Turi?
Turi is a Polynesian hero.What family links are recorded for Turi?
Spouse: Rongo-rongo, 3 children.
Turi’s family, at a glance
with Rongo-rongo
The myths of Turi
1 myth, with sources recorded for each.
Turi's Flight and Voyage to Patea
In George Grey's account, a child related to Turi is killed by Uenuku. Turi retaliates by killing Uenuku's son Hawepotiki, and Uenuku responds with a threat of revenge. Turi's wife, Rongo-rongo, hears a poem from Uenuku's house and reports it to him. Turi recognizes the poem as a threat, obtains the Aotea canoe from his father-in-law, and prepares to leave with his household and companions.
They set out at night with provisions, seed, and other supplies. Turi's brother-in-law Tuau goes with them, though he had expected to return ashore. Early in the voyage, the seams of the canoe begin to leak. The travellers bail out the water and reach the island the account calls Rangitahua, where they refit the vessel. After a disagreement about which way to sail, the party continues its passage. The narrative reports a child born at sea and a companion thrown overboard by Turi; when the travellers later reach land, they see footprints they identify as that man's.
The Aotea reaches shore, and Turi sets out along the coast to find the Patea River described to him by Kupe. He sends one group ahead with seeds and follows with another, naming places as they travel. At Patea, Turi builds a fortified settlement, a house, and places for storing food. The party plants the small supply of seed potatoes they brought; when harvest comes, the account says it yields many baskets. Grey closes by naming Rongo-rongo as Turi's principal wife and connecting their children to later tribal ancestry. This retelling keeps those claims within Grey's witness rather than presenting them as current community history.
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MythSource. (n.d.). Turi. https://www.mythsource.com/figures/turi
"Turi." MythSource, n.d., www.mythsource.com/figures/turi.
"Turi." MythSource. n.d. https://www.mythsource.com/figures/turi.
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.