Te Reo Māori - The Māori Language

Te Reo Māori: The Māori Language

The object of this blog is to educate those people who maybe interested to learn about one of New Zealand's official and treasured languages, Te Reo Māori: The Māori Language. Te Reo has been an important language in our history because it was once the main language spoken here in New Zealand.Te reo Māori, also commonly shortened to te reo which translates into English as the language, has a large history in New Zealand. The origins of the Māori people are said have come from Eastern Polynesia, so therefore the language obviously derives from the same place. Te Reo closely relates to the Cook Islands Māori and also the Tahitians.

To obtain more information regarding the origins and the history of Te Reo Māori, read Dr. Ranginui Walkers book; Ka whawhai tonu matou:

Walker, R., Ka Whawhai Tonu Matou: Struggle Without End (Auckland, Penguin Books, 2004)

Kupu hou: New word: māori

māori

1. (stative) be native, indigenous, normal, usual, natural, common, fresh (of water), belonging to Aotearoa/New Zealand, freely, without restraint, without ceremony, clear, intelligible.
2. (noun) aboriginal inhabitant.

According to my knowledge and expertise in Te Reo Māori, the word "māori" was a word used to describe the indigenous group of New Zealand or Aotearoa, however the original and correct use or definition of the word is natural, normal or usual. Thus, the word was used to describe the indigenous people or tangata whenua/people of the land because when the European or the White man arrived, it was a way to distinguish the "normal" people or those who looked the same and those who didn't. Hei tauira/Example: He waimāori = Fresh water/ pure water/ normal water.

Kupu hou: New word: Raumati

Kupu hou: Raumati

Raumati

1. (stative) be summer.
2. (noun) summer.

Hei tauira: Example -Te ataahua hoki o tēnei ao raumati = The most beautiful summers day

To find a definition of a word such as this; Look up Te Aka Māori - English, English - Māori Dictionary At the web site: http://www.maoridictionary.co.nz/

This picture can be found at the web link:

http://myweb.whitman.syr.edu/cchung/dipa_sha/NancyLogo.gif

Kupu hou: New word- Manaakitanga

MANAAKITANGA:

Definitions of manakitanga in the context of displaying humility and people who live by certain codes that reflects the qualities of a person who holds a lot of mana or who are those rangatahi, like myself, who are pursuing these codes of discipline.

Quote: Manakitanga explained by Rangatira, Professor Whatarangi Winiata, who is also President of the Maori Party.

"behavior that acknowledges the mana of others as having equal or greater importance than ones own, through the expression of aroha, hospitality, generosity and mutual respect. Displaying manaakitanga elevated the status of all, building unity through the humility and the act of giving"

Manaakitanga

"Manaakitanga is the principle of elevation of the personal qualities of others with whom we have a relationship. The words mana and aki become immediately obvious. Mana can be described as the personal power and prestige that individuals have. The word aki means to uplift or encourage. Manaakitanga therefore can be seen as a desirable principle of pedagogy where by the positive actions of the tutor the mana or personal qualities of the student are elevated and by the achievement of academic outcomes the mana of the tutor is likewise elevated. This state of mutual mana enhancement is an expression of the tikanga of ‘utu’ or reciprocal action. This definition can be found on the web link: http://geoteachers.blogspot.com/2006/10/manaakitanga-two-further-explanations.html

My own personal definition of Manaakitanga

The behaviour that acknowledges the mana of others as having equal or greater importance than your own. It is the division of three syllables, that is; Mana – ki - tanga which can be broken up into the division of three words ‘mana’ ‘ki’ te ‘tangata’ which translates into the English equivalent, the act of giving ultimate respect to another. Manakitanga is the act giving mutual respect to another through the expression of hospitality and generosity to humble yourself in the presence of another. It is a code of conduct, a code that a warrior or a person with a particular character either learns to live by or lives and displays. That is a man of mana, a person of good character and humility.

My definition of manakitanga: A servant of his tupuna (Te Rarawa, Ngati Mutunga, Te Arawa

Ehara au i te rangatira, i te tohunga ranei, engari penei oku wakaaro o te kupu ‘manakitanga’ i tenei wa.

Te Reo Māori: Kei te aha te wā? or He aha te wā? Whats the time?

Telling the time in Te Reo Māori is quite different to English.
For example; Kei te aha te wā? The literal translation into the English Language would be: What is the time doing? the correct English equivalent of course, would be: What is the time?

Another more commonly used way of asking the time would be: He aha te wā? Which translates into the direct English equivalent as What is the time?

It can be argued that the correct way of asking the time would be the first example Kei te aha te wā? however, many people use the second example He aha te wā? But many would argue that, that is a transliterated version to make it sound more correct in Te Reo Pākehā or the English Language.

In order to reply, one would say: Kei te ono karaka te wā or the time is six o'clock. Another response maybe; ono karaka te wā or it is six o'clock.

A quick answer test can be found on the link:

http://www.maori.org.nz/KoTeReo/tuatoru/wac.htm

Te Reo Māori: Whakapapa: Family tree/ Genealogy

Huri noa i te motu, e ngā mana, e ngā iwi, e ngā tauira o te motu, tēnā tātou katoa

Anei ngā tauira o tētahi whakapapa kia kauwhata mai rā

Whakapapa: Family tree/ Genealogy

This part of blog is based on whakapapa or genealogy. Whakapapa links us to the land, people, and entities both intrinsically and spiritually. One of the deepest convictions within the Maori world is the importance of Whakapapa. It is the genesis - the core, the nature, the history and the origins of a people. There is a notion within Māori World View that the Past, Present and future, land and people all interlink and one who can recite their whakapapa recognize who they are and where the come from, thus giving them the ability to move forward.

I believe and many other Māori believe that the seed has been planted many generation prior to our own existence and so therefore must be recognised because it brings us to the next ideology that Māori hold where 'we' our current generation must preserve and sustain a safe and prosperous environment and life for our future generations. So therefore, it is only morally correct that we acknowledge those from our past.

You can find more information on whakapapa via the web link:

http://www.nzmaori.co.nz/related_topics/whakapapa.html

An example of whakapapa can be found in the creation story about Ranginui and Papatūānuku (Sky Father and Earth Mother). This is our link to the world, life and our very existence on this earth. This can be found in The story of the Creation on the web link: http://www.history-nz.org/maori9.html

The picture above depicts Papatūānuku and Ranginui

Picture above: Can be found at the web link:
http://urbanscrawl.net/images/blogpics/papatuanuku.jpg

This video was retrieved on the You Tube web link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHLNQuTruhc

Te Reo Māori: Asking what the day is today? Proverb and games

He Aha Te Ra?

Ko te Raapa,
30 o Whiringa a Nuku
i te tau 2008

Te Ra! Asking what the day is today?

It is Wednesday, the 30th of October 2008

In Order to find this resource, go to: http://www.maori.org.nz/wa.htm

Māori Proverbs

He Whakatauki!

He iti, he iti kahikatoa

Though little, it is still a Manuka tree

In order to find this link, go to http://www.maori.org.nz/quote.htm

Colours Crossword in te reo

Clues Across 1. Brown 3. Green 6. Purple 7. Yellow Clues Down 1. Brown 2. Blue 4. Red 5. Grey 6. White

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

To find this resource go to: http://www.maori.org.nz/kura/xword/tae1.htm

Tatai - Numbers Crossword

Clues Across 1. One Hundred 5. Six 6. Ten 8. Zero 9. Nine 10. Four Clues Down 2. Fourteen 3. Twentyfour 4. Twenty 7. Three

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

To find this link go to: http://www.maori.org.nz/kura/xword/tatai.htm