Paoro

{{short description|Maōri mythical entity}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}

Paoro is a mythical entity that appears in early Māori creation myths.

The name Paoro (meaning echo){{citation|title=The Maori-Polynesian Comparative Dictionary|language=en|first=Edward|last=Tregear|date=1891|access-date=2024-02-04|url=https://archive.org/details/maoripolynesian01treggoog/page/812/mode/2up}} appears in John White's English translation of a Māori story attributed by him to the Ngāti Hau tribe, as a personal name meaning 'Echo'.{{citation|title=The Ancient History of the Maori; His Mythology and Traditions|first=John|last=White|date=1887|pages=151–152|language=en|access-date=2024-02-04|url=https://archive.org/details/ancienthistoryof01whit/page/n177/mode/2up}} However, in the Māori language original which White also supplies, the name Paoro does not appear – instead the word used is 'pari-kārangaranga', "echoing cliff".

In the Māori story, Mārikoriko (Twilight) is the first woman, created by Ārohirohi (Shimmering heat) from the heat of the sun (Kau-ata-ata) and the echoing cliff (Paoro). She married Tiki, the first man, and gave birth to Hine-kau-ataata (Woman floating in shadows).