Luca Viscapi -
Meet: the TANIWHA.
The taniwha (pronounced TAH-nee-fah) is a highly respected and feared creature from Māori mythology, frequently compared to dragons. The taniwha, despite being frequently depicted in traditional Māori art, has a very vague appearance due to Māori art’s traditional abstract style. Moreover, taniwha are described in most legends as having a shifting appearance, resembling a whale or large shark whilst out at sea and then a large lizard when on land. Taniwha are known as guardians of particular places, and take their jobs very seriously, devouring anyone not customarily associated with the area in Māori culture. This behaviour has earned them a dual reputation as both benevolent protectors and vicious monsters, thus making them the middle ground between the Asian dragon with its grace and the Western dragon with its ferocity. However, unlike dragons, taniwha are, in a sense, quite real. Māori oral tradition ascribes the origin of certain geographic formations to taniwha, such as the harbour of Wellington, New Zealand’s capital, Hokianga harbour, a sacred site for Māori, and Lake Waikaremoana, a popular hiking destination. In addition, the great white shark is known in Māori as mangō taniwha, the “taniwha shark”.
FUN FACT: New Zealand Ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs Nanaia Mahuta described the China-New Zealand relationship as the relationship between a dragon and a taniwha.
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