A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

Overview

After Hatupatu’s brothers kill him and bury him beneath feathers from their bird-hunting, his parents reject their denial and send a spirit to search for him. Grey names it Tamumu-ki-te-rangi and translates the name as He-that-buzzes-in-the-skies. Its stated form is a flag, rather than a bird species inferred from the surrounding hunting story.

The spirit reaches the burial place, finds Hatupatu and performs enchantments that restore him to life. The revived child then departs and encounters Kurangaituku. The short notice identifies an active supernatural rescuer; it does not provide a second personal biography, a genealogy or any later role for the spirit.

Flag formNamed buzzing-in-the-skies epithetFinds buried HatupatuRevives murdered child
01

Origins & earliest records

George Grey, Polynesian Mythology (1855), The Legend of Hatupatu and His Brothers, opening murder-and-revival passage before the Kurangaituku encounter.

02

Records & interpretation

The selected passage expressly names the spirit, describes flag form and narrates Hatupatu’s revival. The English collected text mediates Māori contributions; no individual original manuscript attribution is supplied by this hosted passage.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

  1. 01

    Polynesian Mythology: The Legend of Hatupatu and His Brothers, opening revival episode

    George Grey, editor and translator; Māori narrative contributors · 1855

    Complete named-spirit notice within the independently read opening and Kurangaituku sequence; later chapter continuation not used for additional powers.

Family & connections

A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

  1. Primary collected textGrey1855: Hatupatu’s revival by Tamumu-ki-te-rangiResearch access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

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