The Supreme God

The god Io, credited with supreme power over all other gods and with having created all things, was an academic creation known to a few. As Io-of-the-hidden-face (Io matangaro), his face was hidden behind a veil of secrecy. He existed in theory and was of no practical use to the mass of the people. The concept of a supreme god will be discussed later.

Io's staff of whatukura, mareikura, and apa formed part of the academic creation. They flitted to and fro through the pages of the Matorohanga manuscript, but they did not come down from their 12-story mansion to be of practical value to mankind.