ORIGIN: Polynesian (including Maori)
TYPE: God of Agriculture
INFORMATION: He is the father of cultivated food and the special gardener of the kumara or sweet potato, which is a vital crop in Polynesia. In New Zealand the first sweet potatoes are offered to Rongomatane. In the traditions of the Hervey Islands, Rongo is one of the five sons of the moon god, Vatea, and the mother goddess, Papa.