We know the God of Kumara, but who is the Mother of Kumara?

Kia ora ra e te iwi! I have a Patreon where I hope to add some additional value. If you'd like the kaupapa, and you appreciate this mahi, you can give a koha here: A Maori Podcast

I am planning to start a regularly online space to korero. Details are here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/korero-space-for-153338068

Kia ora! I really enjoyed learning about this weeks atua wahine. I'd love to find more stories of her down the line. Anyways as always, I've provided my source, and made a quick maori translation. Ko wai a Pani? Nana ko Kumara. E ai ki nga korero a Hamiora Pio, tetahi tohunga korero no Ngati Awa i puritia ai enei korero. Ka eke ki runga, ki runga rawa, a Rongo-maui. Ka eke ki nga rangi tuhaha ki te whai kumara mai i tona tuakana, mai i a Whanui. Heoi ano, kihai i hoatu ra e Whanui. Ahakoa ra, ka tangohia, ka kuhua i tona ure, huna ai. Heke ana a ia, noho ai ki tana makau, ki a Pani-tinaku. Ka hapu, ka karangahia tana ipo, "Ki Mona-ariki ahau." Ka tae atu ki reira, ka rere ki te wai, ka takina te karakia, ka whanau mai nga tamariki kumara.

"...According to a Ngati Awa authority, Hamiora Pio, a man named Rongo-maui clibed to the sky to acquire the kumara from his elder brother Whanui (The star Vega). Whanui would not part with the kumara, but Rongo-maui stole it anyway and placed it in his penis. He then went back down to his wife, Pani-tinaku (Seed-kumara Pani). When Pani became pregnant, she told her husband to take her to the waters of Mona-ariki. Then she recited a ritual chant and gave birth to her kumara children (tamariki kumara)." [A concise Encyclopedia of Maori Myth and Legend, Margaret Orbell. pg 96]

Shopping at the supermarket: Vegetables. [Scotty and Stacey Morrison, Maori at Home, pg. 90] Whakatauki - Kia whakaoho koe i tahaku moe, ko te whatuturei a Rua. [Kohikohinga Whakatauki a Raupo, pg. 62]