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Idioms

Phrases

Proverbs

Loan words

Historical loan words

māia

1. (adjective) be brave, bold, capable, confident.

He māia taua tangata ki te eke hōiho, he tohunga hoki ki te whiu i te reti (MM 25/8/1853:4). / That man was a brave horseman and an expert at throwing a lasso.

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2. (noun) bravery, courage, brave warrior, confidence, endurance, fellow.

Nā Māhutonga i tohutohu mai ō koutou tūpuna, me te nui hoki o tō rātou māia, kia whakawhiti ora mai rātou i Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa, ki tēnei whenua (TP 7/1911:10). / It was the Southern Cross that guided our ancestors and with their bravery they were able to cross the Pacific Ocean safely to this country.

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Waitī

1. (personal noun) Maia - one of the stars in Te Kāhui o Matariki, the Pleiades star cluster. A star connected to fresh water and the creatures that live in rivers, streams and lakes.

E hono ana a Waitī ki te wai māori me ngā koiora katoa o ngā awa, o ngā manga, o ngā roto anō hoki (Matariki 2017:29-30). / Waitī (Maia) is connected to fresh water and all life of the rivers, streams and lakes.

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Matariki

1. (personal noun) Pleiades, Messier 45 - an open cluster of many stars in Te Kāhui o Matariki, with at least nine stars visible to the naked eye. The brightest star in the centre of the cluster, also known as Matariki (Alcyone), married Rehua (Antares) and is the mother of the other eight stars of the Pleiades known to Māori. The other eight stars are: Tupuārangi (Atlas), Waipunarangi (Electra), Waitī (Maia), Ururangi (Merope), Tupuānuku (Pleione), Waitā (Taygeta), Pōhutukawa (Sterope) and Hiwa-i-te-rangi (Calaeno). The first appearance before sunrise of Matariki in the north-eastern sky, in the Tangaroa phase of the lunar month, indicates the beginning of the Māori year - about mid-June - and is the cause for celebrations. Matariki disappears at the end of the Māori year and traditionally this was also a reason for celebration with some iwi. During this time when Matariki was absent from the sky, she was said to visit four places, each for seven nights, Maukahau, Tārarau-ātea, Papa-whakatangitangi and Tītore-māhu-tū. Matariki is a truncated version of the name Ngā Mata o te Ariki Tāwhirimātea (the eyes of the atua Tāwhirimātea). Matariki is associated with good health and wellbeing.

Ko te putanga mai o Matariki te tohu mō te marama tuatahi, ko ngā ingoa hoki ēnei o ngā marama katoa: Te Tahi o Pipiri, Te Rua o Takurua,Te Toru Here o Pipiri, Te Whā o Mahuru, Te Rima o Kōpū, Te Ono o Whitiānaunau, Te Whitu o Hakihea, Te Waru o Rehua, Te Iwa o Rūhi-te-rangi, Te Ngahuru o Poutū-te-rangi, Te Ngahuru mā tahi, Te Ngahuru ma rua (TP 1/3/1901:6). / The appearance of Pleiades is the sign for the first month and these are the names of all the months: The first is Pipiri, the second is Takurua, the third is Here o Pipiri, the fourth is Mahuru, the fifth is Kōpū, the sixth is Whiti-ānaunau, the seventh is Hakihea, the eighth is Rehua, the ninth is Rūhi-te-rangi, the tenth is Poutūterangi, the eleventh and twelth months.
Mō te marama o Mei, arā o Te Hakiharatua ki tā te Māori, o te tau 1922: Ko Matariki te whetū kei te ārahi i tēnei marama, he wehenga tau ki tā te Māori whakahaere (TTT 1/5/1922:13). / For the month of May, that is Te Hakiharatua according to the Māori, of the year 1922: The Pleiades is the star that heralds this month and divides the year according to the Māori system.

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See also Huihui-o-Matariki, Te, Tupuārangi, Waipunarangi, Waitī, Ururangi, Tupuānuku, Waitā, Tātai-o-Matariki

Synonyms: Huihui-o-Matariki, Te, Tātai-o-Matariki

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