“Mata-ariki” The story of Ngā Mata o te Ariki Tāwhirimātea, or the eyes of the god Tāwhirimātea, is associated with the origins of the star cluster Matariki.. Tāwhirimātea, atua (god) of weather, was angered by the , separation of his parents, Ranginui (Sky Father) and Papatūānuku (Earth Mother). In his rage, Tāwhirimātea gouged out his own eyes and threw them into the sky. These eyes transformed into the stars we now recognize as Matariki.