Papatūānuku, The Earth Mother Māori gods Social Studies

For the start of our Treaty of Waitangi unit, we have started to learn about the Māori Gods and had to create a poster about one of the gods, I chose Papatūānuku, the Earth Mother. There is a Māori legend about how the world of light was created. 

In the beginning, Papatūānuku, the Earth Mother and Ranginui, the Sky Father, were in a strong embrace. The sky and the earth were joined together, and their children were born between them. Their 7 children conspired to separate their parents, allowing light and life to thrive in the world. Their child Tāne Mahuta formed into a handstand and then separated his parents. The children became the main deities of the earth. This is how the Māori people explain the creation of the world. 

Papatūānuku is the Earth Mother, also known as Mother Earth. There are many other gods from other places in the world that are similar to Papatūānuku. Gaia was the Greek god, Tellus the Roman, Prithvi the Hindu and Houtou for the Chinese. These gods are quite similar in the fact that they are god or goddess of the Earth.