Hemā is a figure in both Hawaiian and Maori mythology.

Māori

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

mythology Myth is a folklore genre consisting of Narrative, narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or Origin myth, origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not Objectivity (philosophy), ...

, Hema is a son of

Whaitiri Whaitiri is a female atua and personification of thunder in Māori mythology. She is the grandmother of Tāwhaki and Karihi. Whaitiri is the granddaughter of Te Kanapu, son of Te Uira, both of whom are personified forms of lightning (Reed 1 ...

and Kaitangata and the father of

Tāwhaki In Māori mythology Māori mythology and Māori traditions are two major categories into which the remote oral history of New Zealand's Māori may be divided. Māori myths concern fantastic tales relating to the origins of what was the obser ...

and

Karihi Karihi is a brother or cousin of Tāwhaki in Māori mythology. His father Hemā was killed by the , so Karihi, with his mother and his brother Tāwhaki, killed all but two in revenge. They tricked the into entering a house, and then locked th ...

. In

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-larges ...

stories, he was killed by the Ponaturi, evil creatures who live by day in the water. Tāwhaki, Karihi and their mother trick the Ponaturi into entering a house, and then locked them in, claiming there was still time before the dawn. They then opened the door after sunrise, and the Ponaturi were killed by the exposure to sunlight (Tregear 1891:61, 496). The only survivor (in one account) was Tonga-Hiti and in another account

kanae Kanae (written: , , , or ) is a Japanese given name generally given to girls. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese ice hockey player *, Japanese tennis player * Kanae Ikehata (born 1982), Japanese fencer *, Japanese voice actress an ...

, the grey mullet.

Hawaii

Hawaiian mythology Hawaiian religion refers to the indigenous religious beliefs and practices of native Hawaiians, also known as the kapu system. Hawaiian religion is based largely on the tapu religion common in Polynesia and likely originated among the Tahiti ...

, Hemā and his brother Puna are sons of the man named Aikanaka by his consort, Hinahanaiakamalama — often simply called Hina. His son was

Kaha'i Kaha'i (specifically: Hawaii; elsewhere Tafaki, Tafa'i, Tahaki, Tava'i, Tāwhaki) is a handsome Polynesians, Polynesian demigod whose exploits were popular in many Polynesian narrative, Polynesian mythologies. Hawaii In Hawaiian religion, Hawaiia ...

. Hina is disgusted by her children's dirtiness, and she goes to the

moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width ...

. In some accounts, Hemā sails to a far-off

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, whil ...

, where he is killed by the people which habitually kill all strangers. Kaha'i goes on a journey to find him.Tregear 1891:61 Other accounts have Hemā as a son of Mahina.

Notes

References

* A. Reedy, ''Ngā Kōrero a Mohi Ruatapu, tohunga rongonui o Ngāti Porou: The Writings of Mohi Ruatapu'' ( Canterbury University Press: Christchurch), 1993. *

E. R. Tregear Edward Robert Tregear , Ordre des Palmes académiques (1846–1931) was a New Zealand public servant and scholar. He was an architect of New Zealand's advanced social reforms and progressive labour legislation during the 1890s. Biography He was ...

, ''Maori-Polynesian Comparative Dictionary'' (

Lyon and Blair John Rutherfurd Blair (8 February 1843 – 25 November 1914) was the Mayor of Wellington, New Zealand from 1898 to 1899. Biography Blair was born in Airdrie, Lanarkshire, Scotland, and was a paper merchant. His career started with a large Glasgo ...

: Lambton Quay), 1891. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hema (mythology) Polynesian mythology