Ikatere

Template:Infobox deity In Māori and Polynesian mythology, Ikatere, also spelled Ika-tere,<ref name="MiDictionary">Template:Cite book</ref> ('fast fish')<ref name="TeAra">Template:Cite web</ref> is a fish god, the father of all sea creatures, including mermaids.

He is a son of Punga, and a grandson of Tangaroa, and his brother is Tū-te-wehiwehi<ref name="MiDictionary"/><ref name="TeAra"/> (Grey 1971:1–5).

Disagreements between brothers

When Tāwhirimātea (god of storms) made war against his brothers for the separation of Rangi and Papa (sky and earth), Ikatere and Tū-te-wehiwehi were among those who had to flee from his wrath for their survival.<ref name="MiDictionary"/><ref name="TeAra"/> The two argued over whether they should stay in the sea or go to the land.<ref name="TeAra"/> Ikatere chose to keep his children, the fish, to the sea,<ref name="MiDictionary"/> while Tū-te-wehiwehi chose to take his children, reptiles, to the land.<ref name="TeAra"/> A saying that refers to the choices they made for their descendants goes as such:

Māori	Translation
Tāua ki uta, tāua ki te wai.	We of the land, we of the sea.<ref name="TeAra"/>

Bibliography

Grey 1971:1–5

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