Taniwha is a spirit of Māori tradition.
Protective spirit of one’s own tribe, terror of the foreign one.
The Taniwha is a powerful Māori water being, dwelling in river pools, caves and dangerous stretches of sea; its form shifts between reptile, eel and whale.
Central is the kaitiaki concept: it protects its tribe or is regarded as a predator.
Type: water being, protective spirit or monster
Origin: oral Māori tradition
Texts: written down from the 19th century
Period: pre-colonial to present
Appearance: reptile- or eel-like, sometimes shape-shifting
Carried orally, committed to writing from the 19th century.
New Zealand: deep river pools, caves and dangerous stretches of sea.
Good: the Te Ara Encyclopedia and specialist literature.
Māori: Taniwha means powerful water being. The saying Waikato taniwha rau points to their density along the river.
Appearance
No fixed form: reptile, giant eel or whale.
Effect
Protectively, it warns and rescues; predatorily, it threatens people. One’s own Taniwha is an ally, a foreign one a danger.
The most important aspects of the Taniwha at a glance.
A central figure in oral Māori tradition.
Its own tribe as protector, strangers as possible prey.
A reptile- or lizard-like being, giant eel or whale-like form.
The Taniwha belongs to oral Māori tradition, first written down from the 19th century onwards. Central to it is the kaitiaki concept: Taniwha protect their iwi and punish breaches of tapu, as with Ureia, the protective Taniwha of the Hauraki Māori. The saying Waikato taniwha rau alludes to their density along the river.
The Taniwha is visible in New Zealand law: in 2002 a motorway near Meremere was rerouted to avoid its dwelling place, and the Whanganui River was recognised as a legal person. From a religious-studies perspective: an ambivalent guardian and boundary spirit.
Protection lies in upholding tapu and behaving respectfully at the water: one’s own Taniwha is considered an ally. Common: amulet, protective circle, salt.
Are Taniwha good or evil?
Both: some protect their tribe, others are predators.
Did a Taniwha reroute a motorway?
Yes, in 2002 near Meremere, to protect its dwelling place.
Links:
Further standard works in the bibliography.
Those searching for Taniwha Maori legends or the water being of New Zealand will find the same ambivalent figure: protector of its own tribe, danger to strangers.
Against its influence, cross-cultural tradition names these protective means:
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