According to Maori tradition, Rangi (Heaven) and Papa (Earth) were the original ancestors of all humans. They clung closely together in the beginning, leaving everything in darkness. Rangi and Papa had six sons: Tane-mahuta who was the father of the forest; Tawhiri-ma-tea who was the father of winds and storms; Tangaroa who was the father of fish and reptiles; Tu-matauenga who was the father of fierce human beings; Haumia-tikitiki who was the father of uncultivated food; and Rongo-ma-tane who was the father of cultivated food. In the beginning, these six sons

1. Contemporary Traditional Maori Culture, part 2 "The Maori Creation Story: The Separation of Heaven and Earth" By: Alyssa Garcia, January 18 2012 Period 1 Culture and Geography George Grey, 1956, Polynesian Mythology (ed. by William W. Bird):Chrischurch, Whitecombe and Tombs Ltd.250 p.(BL2615.G843p 1956)

2. (According to Maori tradition) "All Humans are descended from one pair of ancestors, Rangi and Papa, who are also called Heaven and Earth."

3. "In those days, Heaven and Earth clung closely together, and all was darkness."

4. "Rangi and Papa had six sons: (1) Tane-mahuta, the father of the forest and inhabitants."

5. "(2) Tawhiri-ma-tea,the father of winds and storms."

6. "(3) Tangaroa, the father of fish and reptiles."

7. (4) " Tu-matauenga, the father of fierce human beings."

8. (5) " Haumia-tikitiki, the father of food that grows without civilization."

9. (8)" and Rongo-ma-tane, the father of cultivated food."

10. " In the beginning these six sons and all other beings lived in darkness for an extremely long time only able to wonder what light and vision might be like."