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Ruaumoko - God of Earthquakes

At the time that the sky father Ranginui was separated from the earth mother Papatuanuku, they had an unborn child, Ruaumoko. Ruaumoko stayed in his mother’s womb. Some say it was to keep Papa warm and to comfort her after her separation from Rangi. Today he remains there, sometimes moving and turning inside Papa. When he moves, the earth shakes. So he has become known as the god of earthquakes.

However making the earth shake is not Ruaumoko’s only work. He is also the god of the changing of seasons. He separates the warmth of summer, from the cold of winter.

Sometimes, he pulls on the ropes that control the land, and we see the shimmering heated air known as the haka of Tane-rore. Some say that he causes earthquakes when he pulls on those ropes.

Ruaumoko is also a god of volcanic fire, because Tama-kaka gave the infant volcanic fire to help him keep his mother warm.

Text courtesy of Te Papa

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