Punga- Polynesian GodDeity"Father of Ugly Things"
Description
A Māori proverb calls an ugly person "he aitanga na Punga," a descendant of Punga, the ancestor of sharks, stingrays, and reptiles. Even the things that frighten and repulse have divine ancestry, their father a son of Tangaroa the sea god.
Mythology & Lore
Father of Ugly Things
Punga was a son of Tangaroa, god of the sea. George Grey recorded that Punga fathered two children: Ikatere, who became the ancestor of fish, and Tū-te-wehiwehi, ancestor of reptiles and every creature that makes humans flinch.
When Tāwhirimātea, the storm god, raged against his brothers after the separation of Rangi and Papa, Punga's children had to choose where to hide. Ikatere fled into the sea. Tū-te-wehiwehi fled into the forests and swamps. Neither returned. Fish have lived in the ocean since, and reptiles in the bush, each sheltering where they first ran.
Among Punga's descendants, sharks and lizards held particular weight in Māori life. Elsdon Best recorded that lizards were creatures of ill omen: to see one could mean death. Yet they carried spiritual power, and sorcerers used them as vehicles for atua.
He Aitanga na Punga
The traditional proverb persists: "he aitanga na Punga." A descendant of Punga. Said of an unattractive person, but the whakapapa does not lie. Punga's creatures are not outside the order. They are part of it.
Relationships
- Family