Io Matua Kore

Io Matua Kore is the supreme god in Polynesian narrative.

History

Io was first known generally with the publication in 1913 of Percy Smith's two-volume work, The Lore of the Whāre-wananga.

The Io tradition was initially rejected by scholars including prominent Māori scholar Te Rangi Hīroa (Peter Buck), who wrote, "The discovery of a supreme God named Io in New Zealand was a surprise to Māori and Pākehā alike." Buck believed that the Io tradition was restricted to the Ngāti Kahungunu as a response to Christianity.

See also

• Kiho-tumu

References

External links

• The Nga Puhi oral tradition of Io
• The Lore of the Whāre-wananga