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In Māori tradition, Tokomaru was one of the great ocean-going canoes that were used in the migrations that settled New Zealand. It was commanded by Manaia. His brother-in-law had originally owned the canoe. When Manaia's wife was raped by a group of men, he slew them, including the chief Tupenu. Killing his brother-in-law, he took the Tokomaru and set sail with his family for New Zealand. Landing at Whangaparaoa, they finally settled at Taranaki. Te Āti Awa iwi trace their ancestory back to Tokomaru.
[edit] References
- R.D. Craig, Dictionary of Polynesian Mythology (Greenwood Press: New York, 1989), 25.
[edit] See also