Rangi (also known as Te Rangi) is a Māori given name meaning "sky." In Māori and other Polynesian mythologies, Rangi (or Ranginui) is the sky father, a primordial god who, together with the earth mother Papa (Papatūānuku), gave birth to all living things. According to the creation myth, Rangi and Papa were locked in a tight embrace, leaving their children trapped in the darkness between them. The god, often identified as Tāne (god of forests and birds), managed to separate his parents by pushing his father upward, thus creating the sky and allowing light to enter the world. This act of separation established the order of the cosmos. While Rangi itself is a unisexual name in modern usage, it traditionally appears as a component in longer names, such as Te Rangi. The etymology traces to the Proto-Polynesian *langi, meaning "sky." Cognates include Hawaiian Lani, Samoan Lagi, and Tahitian Rai, all denoting heavenly realms. The name embodies themes of vastness and paternal protection, reflecting the centrality of Rangi in Polynesian cosmology. Notably, celestial terminology like this appears throughout Oceanic onomastic tribes, reinforcing cultural priorities such as genealogy (whakapapa) honoring primordial forces. Consequently, naming a child Rangi establishes links not only to dominion but eternal intercessions via light divide narratives. Concluding with contemporary import, the figure remains poetic modern identifiers. Cultural Significance The myth of Rangi and Papa is foundational in Māori theology and has been passed down through oral traditions and carvings in meeting houses (wharenui), where carved images of the two figures often appear. The story explains the natural world: rain from Rangi’s tears, mist from his sighs, and the separation of earth and sky for life to flourish significance included. Rangi also appears across Eastern Polynesian canons analogous Rangemaonie. In Ngai Tahu variant it is considered Rāninui further entailing star clusters. Thus naming perpetuates oral performances—protecting relational maps throughout dissident narratives. Desiring continuity, recitations m̄ te po end further incised deity. Also connected titles Associated pre-handmaiden prominence Stars concerning rongomātāne: Tonga similarly links matiri sky creating branch Rngimalangi