Special Sub-Topic: Maori Words in Everyday Use Click Here To Play: Maori Words in Everyday Use

Louise is going to Paihia in the beautiful Bay of Islands for the weekend to visit her “whanau”. Who or what is she going to see?

Family. Maori people are very family-oriented and have a strong tradition of knowing their genealogy back for generations. Whanau describes a person’s close family, hapu is the word for extended family and iwi is the word for a person’s tribe. In Maori, the letters “wh” are pronounced like a soft “f”.

Kiri comes into the house to tell her mother that she has a sore “puku”. Which part of her body is hurting?

Stomach. My parents used to tell me not to unscrew my belly button or my puku would fall off. I tried really hard to do this but strangely never succeeded!

Marama is helping her friend Tamati hold a party. Tamati has asked Marama to organise the “kai”. What is Marama going to prepare?

Food. New Zealanders are very sociable and love a good party. The kai is bound to be fantastic!

Marama has decided that she will organise a “hangi” for the party. How will she do this?

Dig a hole in the ground and cook the food using hot stones.. Hangi food is the most delicious food on the planet! All the meat and vegetables are prepared and wrapped in tinfoil and cloths, then placed on the hot stones and covered with earth for several hours. Once uncovered the most amazing smell wafts around. The meat is falling apart tender and everything is guaranteed to be devoured in a trice!

Rangi has asked his boss for some time off so that he can go to a “tangi”. What event will he be attending?

Funeral. Tangi are very important occasions for Maori. They often take around three days for all the ceremonies to be completed. It is expected that as many of the deceased person’s extended family as possible will be present.

David and Peter have been kicking a ball on some empty ground close to a beach. An old Maori woman comes over and asks them to move to a different area as the ground they are on is “tapu”. What does this mean?

Sacred. You might have guessed this as the word is very close to “taboo” in English. The ground could be sacred for a number of reasons but often it is because it is an old burial ground. Maori did not use headstones or other markers so the graves are not obvious but they are always known to local Maori and are respected by everyone.

Mana and Mere have spent many months helping to build a “waka”. At last it is ready to be used. Where will they use it?

On the ocean. A waka is a canoe. They can be any size from little one-person canoes to large, ocean-going craft. They are often highly-decorated with carvings and are real works of art in their own right. Maori legend says that the first Maori crossed the ocean to Aotearoa/New Zealand from the mythical land of Hawaiiki many hundreds of years ago. When you see the distances in the Pacific Ocean you can’t help but be impressed!

Hinerangi has followed her family tradition and has gotten herself a “moko”. What does she now proudly have?

A tattoo around her mouth and on her chin. Maori have a highly-developed tattoo tradition (known as “Ta Moko”). Traditionally, men received tattoos on any part of the body (faces, buttocks, arms and legs were most common) while women only had them around the mouth and on the chin. Tattoos all have stories or symbolism associated with them. Often they record someone’s genealogy. Maori tattoo designs have become very popular internationally with Robbie Williams, David Beckham, Rihanna and Chris Brown being some well-known people who have had them done.

An old man (with a smile on his face!) tells the children that they should beware of the “taniwha” in the local river. What should they look out for?

Monster. There are many legends about taniwha in the Maori culture. The taniwha can take many forms and live anywhere. They're a good way of scaring children away from places they shouldn’t go!

New Zealand is the English name of the country but it is often referred to by its Maori name which translates as “Land of the Long White Cloud”. What is this name?

Aotearoa. To my mind it’s ridiculous that our country is named after a small province of the Netherlands! It’s a historical accident thanks to Abel Tasman being the first European to discover the country. There is a movement for the name of the country to be officially changed to Aotearoa but it hasn’t gathered enough momentum yet. The other names given above are all place names of different parts of New Zealand – Tamaki (Auckland), Te Wai Pounamu (“Land of Greenstone”, one of the names for the South Island), Te Ika a Maui (“The Fish of Maui”, one of the names for the North Island).