Kuputaka
Glossary
For each term, please be aware that the expression and understanding of these are specific to and require the input of your local mana whenua: iwi, hapū, marae.
ahi kā: tribal fires of occupation
aho: weft (cross-threads of weaving or woven garment)
au: I or me
harore: mushroom
Hina: Personification of the moon
Hinemoana: Female atua of the sea
hononga: connection; relationship; bond
hukahuka: adorning tassel
hūnuku whakaora: shifts of transformation
kahu: an adorned, woven muka garment or cloak
kaipupuri: holder (of something sacred or important)
kaitiaki: guardian
kaitiakitanga: guardianship
kapowai: dragonfly
karakia: invocation; affirmation
karanga: formal or ceremonial call of welcome
kararehe kīrea: pest species
kaupapa: purpose; issue; initiative; proposal
kawa: protocol
kekeno: New Zealand fur seal
korowai: finely-woven cloak
mai uta ki tai: from inland to sea
mana whenua: tribal authorities of the land: in the Wellington Region, these are Rangitāne o Wairarapa and Kahungunu ki Wairarapa in the Wairarapa; Ngāti Raukawa Te Au ki te Tonga, Te Ātiawa ki Whakarongotai and Ngāti Toa Rangatira in Kapiti; and Ngāti Toa Rangatira and Taranaki Whānui in Wellington
manawaroa: resilience; fortitude; stamina; endurance
māramatanga: understanding; insight; meaning; enlightenment
mātauranga: traditional knowledge, systems and practices
mātauranga ā-iwi: tribal knowledge, systems and practices
mātauranga Māori: traditional Māori knowledge, systems and practices
mauri: vital life-force energy; essential source of all vitality; quality of life
moemoeā: vision; dream; aspiration
moko kākāriki: Wellington green gecko
mokomoko: a general term for lizards, skinks and geckos
mokopuna: grandchild; descendants
mōrearea: danger or dangerous
ngā hau e whā: four winds
ngā kīrehe: fauna
ngā tupu: flora
pānui: read; announce; declare
Papatūānuku: earth; earth mother
pātaka: storehouse
pekapeka: bat
pou tarāwaho: framework
puāwaitanga: flourishing; blossoming
pūnaha hauropi: ecosystem
rangatahi: young people
rangatira: esteemed and revered tribal leader or authority
rangatiratanga: exercise tribal authority and autonomy
Ranginui: sky; sky father
rimurapa: bull kelp
rauora mai: energise
rongoā: traditional Māori healing knowledge, systems and practices
taiao: natural world, environment
takarangi: stagger; unstable
Tamanui te rā: sun
Tāne mahuta: atua of the Forest and everything within within
Tangaroa: atua of the sea
tāngata Tiriti: people of the Tiriti of non-Māori origin
taonga: treasure; valuable objects, phenomenon; resources, ideas or techniques
tātou: we, us (three or more people), inclusive of the speaker
taurapa: stern-post of a canoe
tautoko: support
Tāwhirimātea: atua of the winds
tāwhiwhi: entwine
te ao Māori: Māori world
tēina: younger siblings; junior relatives
te mana o te taiao: the authority of the natural world
Te Mātakitaki a Kupe: Cape Palliser
Te Tiriti: The Tiriti (referring to the Māori version of the Treaty of Waitangi)
Te Upoko o Te Ika a Māui: The Head of the Fish of Māui (Wellington Region)
tikanga: traditional practice; customary law
tīmatanga: beginning; opening; introduction
tuākana: elder siblings; senior branch of family
tūhono: connect; connection
tumu whenua: foundation soils
tūranga: foundation; standing; position; stance
urupare: to respond, reply or answer
whaitua: region
whakamata: the first line and foundation of a woven cloak
whakamutunga: ending; closing; conclusion
whakapuāwai: to make flourish; bloom; come to fruition
whakawhanaungatanga: establishing relationships
whakatuarā: backbone support
whāomoomo: conversation
whenu: strand; warp (length-wise threads of a woven garment)
whetū: stars
whītau: flax fibres