Turi (Māori ancestor)

Turi, according to Māori tradition, was the captain of the Aotea canoe and an important ancestor for many Māori iwi, particularly in the Taranaki region.

Arrival in New Zealand

After a conflict in which he killed the son of the chief Uenuku, Turi departed for New Zealand with many others in the Aotea Canoe. This canoe had been given to Turi by Toto, father of Turi’s wife Rongorongo. In some traditions, Turi and his party stopped at Rangitāhua, believed by some to be Raoul of the Kermadec Islands, where they encountered some of the crew from the Kurahaupō canoe. Continuing on, Turi and his followers eventually arrived and settled at Aotea Harbour on the west coast of the North Island.

After some time at Aotea Harbour, Turi settled the Pātea region where he lived with his people along Pātea river. His daughter Tāneroroa married Ruanui, the eponymous ancestor of Ngāti Ruanui.

References

• Sole, Tony (2006-12-21). "Ngāti Ruanui". Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 2007-04-10.
• "Deed of Settlement between the Crown and Ngati Ruanui". Retrieved 2007-04-10.
• "Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Ruanui website". Retrieved 2007-04-10.
• R.D. Craig, Dictionary of Polynesian Mythology (Greenwood Press: New York, 1989).