Rongorongo is an ancestress from Ra'iātea Island (Hawaiki) in Māori tradition, particularly of the Ngā Rauru, Ngāti Ruanui, Ngāruahine, Taranaki, and Whanganui iwi.[1] She was the wife of Turi, the chief of the Aotea canoe which was given to Rongorongo as a present by her father Toto.[2] After Rongorongo overheard Uenuku chanting incantations of Turi's murder,[3] Turi and his people fled to New Zealand in the Aotea and arrived at the mouth of the Patea River.[1]
In te reo, rongorongo holds meaning to the concepts of news, fame, and report; or it can be a verb (-hia, -na) to describe experiences such as hearing, smelling, and feeling.[4]