Papa

The Earth Mother

Papatuanuku is the primordial earth goddess of Maori tradition, one half of the original divine couple whose embrace held the universe in darkness. She is the land itself, the soil from which all life grows, the mother of gods and ancestor of humanity.

The Eternal Embrace

In the beginning, Rangi (Sky) and Papa (Earth) lay locked together in a tight embrace. Between them, in complete darkness, their children were born and grew: Tane, Tangaroa, Tu, Rongo, and the others. For ages uncounted, the children lived in cramped darkness until they decided to separate their parents.

The Separation

When Tane forced Rangi and Papa apart, the world was transformed. Light flooded in for the first time. Papa was laid bare, covered with her children's tears (rivers and lakes) and adorned by Tane with forests and plants. The mists that rise from the earth each morning are Papa's sighs, longing for her husband above.

Mother of All

Papa is the mother not only of the gods but ultimately of all living things. Plants grow from her body, drawing nourishment from her soil. Animals walk upon her surface. Humans are called 'tangata whenua' (people of the land) because they belong to Papa. The first woman was shaped from the red earth at Kurawaka, taken from Papa's body.

Living Earth

In Maori thought, Papa is not an abstract concept but a living ancestor. The land is literally the body of the Earth Mother, and this shapes the relationship between people and environment. Caring for the land is caring for one's ancestor; damaging it is an act of violence against kin.