TANE

[Polynesian] The Polynesian god of light, and of the forests and trees. He is the first son of Papa and Rangi. After his birth he settled in the sky. At dawn he 'splits open the world' by lifting up the seam of the sky off the earth, so that a part of the outside world becomes visible. Tane also created the Tui, a bird that is used as food by the Polynesians, as one of the aspects of the Goddess, the female essence. (See also: Rehua.)