Kaitangata
deity earth Māori mythology single tradition · 3
Kaitangata is a mortal man who Whaitiri believes will make a fine husband for her because his name means "man-eater". He is a hard worker, spending a lot of time fishing to feed his family. He eventually marries Whaitiri.
↻ synthesized from 3 sources
When
- First attested
- 1891 CE
- Attested period
- 1891 – 1993
- Historical notes
- Documented in 19th-century folklore collections.
Relationships
- co occurs with
- Anonokia, Tupeke-ti, Tupeke-ta, Tama-i-waho, Tāwhaki, Karihi, Rawhita-i-te-rangi, Hine-te-kawa, Maikuku, hākuai, Wahiroa, Papa, Tāne, Rangi, Māui
- consort of
- Whaitiri
- child of
- Rehua
Mentioned by
Sources
Source passages
“When she hears of a mortal named Kaitangata (man-eater), she is certain he will make a fine husband for her. She comes down to earth and marries him, but is disappointed to learn that he is a gentle person, nothing like his name suggests.”
#31401 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001
“He is a son of Rangi and Papa, and the father of Kaitangata, as well as the ancestor of Māui (Tregear 1891:381).”
#31641 · extracted by google/gemini-2.0-flash-001
“Whaitiri, a granddaughter of Māui, marries Kaitangata and has Hemā.”
#31888 · extracted by anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5