Page "Milky Way (mythology)" Paragraph 18

To the Māori the Milky Way is the waka ( canoe ) of Tama-rereti.

The front and back of the canoe are Orion and Scorpius, while the Southern Cross and the Pointers are the anchor and rope.

According to legend, when Tama-rereti took his canoe out onto a lake, he found himself far from home as night was falling.

There were no stars at this time and in the darkness the Taniwha would attack and eat people.

So Tama-rereti sailed his canoe along the river that emptied into the heavens ( to cause rain ) and scattered shiny pebbles from the lakeshore into the sky.

The sky god, Ranginui, was pleased by this action and placed the canoe into the sky as well as a reminder of how the stars were made.