'Nga Tai' - the meaning of Tāngaroa
I found the following fragment in the papers of John White in the Alexander Turnbull Library. It presents a very interesting perspective on the meaning of 'Tāngaroa' (note macron) who is popularly described as 'the god of the sea'. Unfortunately, I did not record the actual location of this item within the John White collection, but it is there. It is written below just as the text appears in the original. I have not marked vowel length. The text explains that the tides ebb and flow because of the actions of an atua called 'Te Parata'. S/he sucks the water of the ocean and hence causes the tides to ebb. S/he opens his/her throat and forces the water to flow, hence, the flowing tides. The name of Tangaroa, or more properly 'Tāngaroa' concerns the length of the breath (te tānga roa o te manawa). Nga tai (Nga Puhi) Te take o nga tai, he mea na Kawiti?, ana na Te-parata, e momi ana i te wai o te moana, Koia te taitimu, a ka puhania? mai ano eia Koia te tai p