 The tribes of the "Kurahaupō" canoe in Marlborough also regard him as an ancestor.Uenuku is also particularly special to the Tainui Māori, who are said to have brought his spirit over from Hawaiki inside of a stone, and then transferred it into the carving of "Te Uenuku".The Waikato Tainui used to invoke his spirit to temporarily inhabit smaller idols during times of war, which they would carry into battle to represent their guardian.