Tūmatauenga
Tēnā koutou,
Ko Tūmatauenga ahau. Ko au te atua o te riri me te tangata. I am Tūmatauenga, Atua of War and Humanity. I am also known as Tū.
As the atua of war, I am a strategist. I make sure I plan my next steps before taking them. When my brother Tāwhirimātea was angry because we separated our parents, he decided to fight. It was only me that he could not defeat. I could have completely destroyed him and my other brothers but instead I used just enough of my strength to stop him.
I am also the atua of humans. As we know, the children of Tangaroa are not able to go into the forest and trap animals and the children of Rongomātāne can not go into the moana and catch creatures of the sea. However, because I defeated my brothers, my children - humans - are able to have access to the domains of my brothers. They can make nets to catch fish from the seas, traps to capture animals from the land and use hoes to dig up plants from the ground.
When I get angry, I need to remember to stop, to breathe and to think, especially when I get past the point of not okay. Breathing gets oxygen into our bodies so that the blood is flowing, helping us to think more clearly and not to just react to what someone may say or do that upsets us. Finding strategies that work best for each of us is important. It may be stopping, finding a quiet space, breathing, or going for a run. It is important to think about what it is we need right now to help us to succeed.
Ko Tūmatauenga, I need to STOP!
I need to what? I need to STOP.