Henry Lawson Among Maoris
Glossary of Maori Words
page 188
Glossary of Maori Words
hapū | sub-tribe |
iwi | tribe |
kāinga | village |
kākā | a New Zealand parrot |
karaka | a tree whose berries, when cooked and rinsed to remove their poison, are edible |
kūmara | sweet potato |
mānuka | a tree or shrub often collectively forming a scrub, like and related to the Australian tea-tree |
pā | originally a fortified village; in Pakeha use, any Maori settlement; often mis-spelt pah in the nineteenth century |
Pākehā | a person of European ancestry |
pāua | an edible shell-fish |
rangatira | originally a chief; as used by Lawson, a person of good breeding, a 'gentleman' |
rimu | an indigenous timber |
runanga | assembly or council with judicial powers |
tangi | mourning; as used by Lawson, a funeral gathering |
tapu | under superstitious or religious restriction, unapproachable |
whare | Maori dwelling |