Whitiānaunau
1. (location) a place mentioned in the creation narratives where Hine-tītama fled to after learning that her husband, Tāne-nui-a-rangi, was also her father. There Aituā lived in his house, Whiti-nuku. Aituā then took Hine-tītama to the entrance to Te Reinga and to Whiti-reinga where Ioio-whenua, the eldest child of Rangi-nui and Papa-tū-ā-nuku, lived. There Hine-tītama became Hine-nui-te-pō and she remains in te pō to receive the spirits of the dead.
2. (personal noun) sixth lunar month of the Māori lunar calendar - approximately equivalent to November and traditionally usd by Ngāti Awa.
Ko te putanga mai o Matariki te tohu mō te marama tuatahi, ko ngā ingoa hoki ēnei o ngā marama katoa: Te Tahi o Pipiri, Te Rua o Takurua,Te Toru Here o Pipiri, Te Whā o Mahuru, Te Rima o Kōpū, Te Ono o Whitiānaunau, Te Whitu o Hakihea, Te Waru o Rehua, Te Iwa o Rūhi-te-rangi, Te Ngahuru o Poutū-te-rangi, Te Ngahuru mā tahi, Te Ngahuru mā rua (TP 1/3/1901:6). / The appearance of Pleiades is the sign for the first month and these are the names of all the months: The first is Pipiri, the second is Takurua, the third is Here o Pipiri, the fourth is Mahuru, the fifth is Kōpū, the sixth is Whiti-ānaunau, the seventh is Hakihea, the eighth is Rehua, the ninth is Rūhi-te-rangi, the tenth is Poutūterangi, the eleventh and twelth months.
Synonyms: Maramamātahi, Noema, Whiringa-ā-rangi
