Science Learning Hub logo
TopicsConceptsCitizen scienceTeacher PLDGlossary
Sign in
Image

Ngārara – te aitanga a Punga

Profile of a tuatara showing white spines from head to tail

Ngārara is a term commonly used as a translation for reptiles. However, its traditional meaning also includes insects. Ngārara as an animal grouping is an example of how Māori categories for animals diverge from those of science. 

In whakapapa terms, ngārara are the progeny of Punga, son of Tangaroa, whose descendants were said to be ugly and repulsive, hence the name te aitanga a Punga.

Learn more about ngārara – te aitanga a Punga in this article.

Image: Tuatara spines.

Glossary

Rights: Public domain
Published: 10 September 2024Updated: 8 March 2024Size: 3.25 MB
Referencing Hub media

Explore related content

Appears inRelated resources

Interactive

Māori knowledge of animals

Māori knowledge of animals is underpinned by whakapapa, which in some ways works as an alternative to evolutionary theory in ...

Read more
Takarangi/interlocking spiral Maori traditional carving pattern

Article

Māori knowledge of animals

Māori knowledge of animals is vast. This article is an introduction to Māori knowledge of a selected sample of animal ...

Read more
Tupuārangi – land-based ecosystems

Article

Tupuārangi – land-based ecosystems

Tupuārangi is a whetū in the Matariki cluster. It is connected to food and growth above the ground and has ...

Read more
Otago skink sitting on a rock

Article

Ngārara – te aitanga a Punga

Ngārara is a term commonly used as a translation for reptiles. However, its traditional meaning also includes insects. Ngārara as ...

Read more

See our newsletters here.

NewsEventsAboutContact usPrivacyCopyrightHelp

The Science Learning Hub Pokapū Akoranga Pūtaiao is funded through the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment's Science in Society Initiative.

Science Learning Hub Pokapū Akoranga Pūtaiao © 2007-2025 The University of Waikato Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato