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The Southern Districts of New Zealand

Vocabulary Of The ‘Kaitahu’ Dialect. *

page 305

Vocabulary Of The ‘Kaitahu’ Dialect. *

Aitanga, progeny, or descendants of, used in the same sense as ‘ngati’ is in the North Island; thus, ‘Te aitanga-Kuri,’ or the descendants of Kuri, has the same meaning as ‘Ngati-Kuri’ would. ‘Ai,’ the root of the word, signifies the act of begetting: ‘nana i ai,’ he begot. It has also a secondary sense, just as the English word conceive has; ‘ai ou hapaigna ki tou ringa, whati tou tuara; puta tahanga mai koe; ana tou kore na,’ I thought or conceived that the quantity [of food] you would bring in your hands would be enough to break your back: you return empty-handed; so, I suppose, you got nothing there. Here ‘ai’ has the same sense as the more common expression ‘hua noa.’ The tribe Ngapuhi have, in familiar use, the expression ‘e ai ta Mea,’ meaning, as Mr. So-and-so says, or, according to Mr. So-and-so's opinion, or version of the story; ‘e ai tana,’ as he says, literally, as he conceives it to be.

In the ‘Maori’ version of the Testament, thus page 306 saith the Lord, has been rendered ‘e ai ta te Atua.’ As the words in ‘Maori,’ however, do not convey the sense or force of a command, which the words of the Bible do, we should prefer as a translation, some such expression as ‘Ka penei ta Te Atua kupu,’ or ‘ Ka penei ta Te Atua ki iho.’

‘Ai’ is sometimes used as a noun, having the same sense as ‘aitanga’ as appears from the word ‘Kaitahu’ (q. vide).

Aoaka, two handsful at once. Syn. Aohanga. ‘Aohia mai he riwai ma tatou ki te ahi.’ Throw handsful of potatos on the fire for all of us to eat. ‘Opehia mai,’ has the same sense as ‘aohia mai.’

Au, tide or current. Syn. eia.

Aua atu, I dont care. Syn. Kia ahatia atu.

Aua noa, I dont know. Syn. aua hoki.

Awha, rain, mist. ‘Tawhakiteraki,’ a man's name, means ‘Te awha ki te raki,’ or the mist in the sky.

E ta, Terms of address applied to males or females indifferently.

E hika, Terms of address applied to males or females indifferently.

E tae, Terms of address applied to males or females indifferently.

Hakaroa, the name of the principal harbour in Banks's Peninsula. The first syllable is generally aspirated by the natives of the district. Syn. ‘whangaroa,’ long waiting place, or long port. The sound ‘wha’ of the northern tribes, is replaced by ‘ha,’ and sometimes by ‘a’ among the southern tribe; and ‘k’ is almost always substituted by them for ‘ng.’ Similarly the river Hakatere would, in the North Island, be called ‘whangatere.’

Hakoro, a father.

Hakui, a mother.

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Hapua, a shallow lake, the termination of a river, separated from the sea by a bank of sand or shingles. Syn. hopua.

Hoanga, the stone on which the ‘pounamu’ or other hard stone is ground.

‘He wai-para-hoanga,’ water discoloured by portions of the stone reduced to mud during the grinding.

Hoi, deafness. ‘He hoi no te ngakau,’ deafness of the heart, obstinacy.

Hoihoi, to deny what a person says. ‘E hoihoi ana koe ki ahau,’ you are denying what I say. The common sense of this word in the North Island is ‘noisy.’ ‘Hoihoi tahi koutou,’ what a noisy set you are.

Ikoa, a name. Syn. ingoa.

Ka, the (plur.). Syn. nga.

Kaeaea, a simpleton. In North Island, ‘a hawk.’

Kahika, Syn. kahikatea (dacrydium excelsum vel taxi-folium), a lofty tree of the order Taxaciæ, acquiring sometimes a height of 200 feet. Its fruit, unlike that of conifers, forms separate berries, which, when ripe, are eaten by the natives. From its branches, as well as from others of the same genus, a beverage may be brewed resembling, in antiscorbutic qualities, the spruce beer (vide Appendix, p. 298-9).

Kaika, a place of eating; hence ‘a place of residence.’ Syn. kaigna.

Kaitahu or Ngaitahu, contracted from Ka-ai-Tahu or Nga-ai-Tahu, Tahu's descendants. ‘Kai’ and ‘Ngai,’ in the Southern districts, have the same signification, as ‘Ngati’ has in the North. As page 308 ‘Ngati’ is a contraction for ‘Nga ati,’ I imagine that ‘ati’ is merely another form of the word ‘ai’ or ‘aitanga,’ for sake of euphony. From other words it may be seen that ‘ati’ and ‘ai’ replace each other in different parts of New Zealand; thus,—‘watitiri’ or thunder in the North Island, becomes ‘waitiri’ in the South. That such is the origin of the word ‘Ngati’ further appears from the fact that there is in ‘Te-ati-awa’ an instance of the word ‘ati’ being used in the singular number. Hence it may be concluded that ‘Ngati’ or ‘Nga-ati,’ ‘Te Ati,’ ‘Ngai’ or ‘Ngaai,’ ‘Kai’ or ‘Ka-ai,’ and ‘Te Aitanga,’ are convertible terms, having a meaning similar to that of the familiar prefixes, O, Mac, and Fitz.

Kakari, to fight. ‘Koutou ko ka takata ke atu e noho nei ki Hakaroa mauria atu koutou e Te Rauparaha ki Kapiti na Tuhawaiki i kakari ki a Te Rauparaha, nana hoki i wakahokimai i a koutou ki Hakaroa.’ As for the rest of you (whom I have not named) now dwelling at Hakaroa, you were carried away by Te Rauparaha to Kapiti. Tuhawaiki fought against Te Rauparaha, and restored you to Hakaroa.

Kapuka, a handful, as of potatos, &c.

Karearea, a hawk, believed by the natives to be ‘tuakana’ to the mole.

Katahi ra ia! oh, what a fellow! an expression of real or pretended disapprobation, depending on the tone of voice of the speaker.

Kauhou, a lesson or address. Syn. kauwhau.

Kauru, the root of the Ti or Whanake after it has been baked in the native oven.

page 309

Kauraka, not, don't. Syn. kauaka.

Kohimu, slander or abuse. ‘He Waikakino i tetehi,’ ‘he korero puku,’ the speaking evil of one, slander. ‘Kauraka e kohimu,’ don't slander.

Kotore, Syn. teina, the relationship of a younger brother or sister to an elder brother or sister respectively; also of the younger male branches of a family to the elder male branches— or of the younger female branches to the elder female branches. Hence a brother or a cousin is equally denoted by the word ‘teina,’ only in the latter case the word ‘ke’ is frequently added to ‘teina’ to avoid ambiguity. Ob.— A brother speaking of or to his sisters calls them ‘tuahine;’ and a sister speaking of or to her brothers calls them ‘tungane.’

Kouraraki (vide p. 185), a small crustaceous animal.

Kumutia, brought, carried. ‘Kumutia mai ououtahi ki roto i te ringaringa,’ bring me a few in the hollow of the hand.

Mahetau, a potato. Syn. riwai; besides which a variety of other words are used to denote their different kinds.

Mahiti, consumed. Syn. pau.

Mania, thin lamina of sandstone used for cutting the ‘pounamu.’ The natives fasten them in frames after the manner of a stonecutter's saw. The word ‘papa’ has a similar signification.

Maniore, noisy. Syn. maniania, hoihoitahi, turi-turi-tahi, all common expressions in North Island to signify, What a noise you make!

Mauiui weary. Syn. iwikore.

page 310

Mohoku, for me. Syn. moku.

Mohou, for you. Syn. mou.

Murihiku, the district lying between Hakaroa and Rakiura is so called. The word signifies the extreme tail of New Zealand. ‘He tira-haere he taua ra nei. Ka patae te tangata o mua ki to muri mai i tona tuara. Keiwhea a Mea? ka ki atu. Kei te hiku, kei muri rawa.’ Suppose, among a party of travellers, or a war troop, one of those in front inquires of the person immediately behind him,—Where is So-and-so? he replies, ‘at the tail end, quite behind.’ Such was a native's explanation of the word.

Mutu is used in a manner peculiar to this tribe in the sentence ‘te kau mutu,’ which signifies ‘from one to ten inclusive. In the North Island the same would be thus expressed, ‘he tingahuru (contracted from ‘tino-ngahuru,’ a perfect ten) kahore he hara,’ a perfect ten and no overplus.

Naumai, come here, used in the common sense of ‘haeremai.’ ‘Naumai ki a Timoko Kurukuru—e.’ ‘Hallo Kurukuru, come and take care of Timoko.’ In the North this word is only used like ‘tautimai,’ as a form of welcome.

Nawai ki, who said so? A term of contradiction.

Nohoku, belonging to me. Syn. noku.

Nohou, belonging to you. Syn. nou.

Noti or Nonoti, the hollow between the summits of two mountain peaks, a mountain pass.

Nuipuku, a great quantity. Th. ‘nui,’ and ‘puku’ a swelling.

page 311

Orooro, to rub one stone on another for the purpose of grinding it.

Pa, to push or shove. ‘Paia atu te papa o te kuwaha.’ Shut the door, or the plank of the doorway.

Pae, worn out. ‘Kua pae oku, Syn. kua pakaru oku,’ My clothes are worn out.

Paketetia, shoved out, done up, &c. ‘Paketetia atu te takata, kia hoki ki tona kaika.’ Drive the man out, let him return to his own place. Syn. peia atu, pana atu.

Pakihi, open country, bare of trees, covered with coarse wiry grass, stunted fern, and low shrubs. It does not necessarily signify ‘a plain.’ The ‘a’ is sounded long and broad in this word, by which it is distinguished from ‘pakihi,’ to be low water, or to drain off as a river after a flood, in which the ‘a’ has a sound both short and soft. ‘Kua pakihi te wai o Waitaki,’ the water of Waitaki has become low.

Papa, a hard sandstone found in this slabs, used as a saw to cut the ‘pounamu.’ Vide ‘mania.’

Para, refuse, rubbish.

Paraerae, a sandal formed from the plaited leaves of the phormium tenax, or the ‘ti’ (Cordyline Australis). Three different descriptions of sandal are made by the natives. That called ‘paraerae hou’ or ‘kuara’ is made of a single layer of plaited leaves of flax; that called ‘takitahi’ is similarly made from the leaves of the ‘ti;’ the third, called ‘torua’ is made of the leaves of the ‘ti,’ but plaited in a double layer, so as to be very durable.

page 312

Paraki, a small fish like white bait, caught at the mouth of Waitaki.

Patiti, a coarse grass growing in tufts (triticum scabrum, Raoul).

Piringa, from ‘piri,’ sticking. ‘Nga Piringa’ ‘persons who have claims to land from their family connexions, but of secondary importance to the claims of those who reside on and cultivate them.

Poha, a sort of cask shaped like a sugar loaf, constructed from the air bladder of a species of sea-weed, strengthened outside by layers of the bark of the ‘totara,’ and kept firmly together by means of stakes tied with flax. ‘He poha titi,’ a cask of preserved birds called ‘titi.’ Syn. ‘koaka huahua,’ a calabash of preserved pigeons, or other birds, ate in the North Island.

Pohi, a song. Vide ‘Roroko.’

Pora, a ship. ‘Takata pora,’ a man of a ship, or whiteman, equivalent to the term ‘pakeha,’ used commonly in the North Island.

Pori, posterity. Syn. uri.

Poua, an old man.

Puke, to be flooded. ‘Kua puke te wai o Waitaki.’ The waters of Waitaki are flooded.

Puna, an oven. Syn. umu, hangi. Puna is used to signify ‘a well’ or ‘spring of water’ in the North Island.

Putakitaki(carsarca variegata), a duck with beautiful plumage, rather larger than the common grey variety. It is very common in the south of New Zealand, and is generally known as the paradise duck.

page 313

Rakau, a weapon. ‘Taku rakau-pounamu,’ my green stone weapon. The primitive meaning of the word is ‘a tree,’ or ‘piece of wood.’

Raro. A person at Otakou would use this word to signify any part of New Zealand situate to the southward; whereas, at Auckland, the same word would denote those parts of New Zealand to the northward. The common sense of the word is ‘below.’

Ra-whiti, the north in reference to parts of New Zealand lying south of Cook's Straits. ‘No te Ra-whiti,’ from or belonging to the north, as from Kapiti. ‘Te ra-whiti’ means ‘the sun's crossing over.’

Rourou, a small basket for cooked food. Syn. kono.

Runga, upon, above. This word, like ‘raro,’ is used by the Kaitahu tribe in exactly an opposite sense from that in which it is used in the North Island. At Otakou it is used to signify the north; whereas at Auckland it signifies the south.

Taranui, a sandstone used for rubbing down and polishing the ‘pounamu.’

Taramea, a small stemless plant, having fleshy triangular leaves, terminating in a sharp point, all growing in a tuft from the level of the ground. From them the natives procure a scent (vide p. 217).

Tautahi, one over. ‘Ruapu-tautahi,’ two doubled and one over, or five. ‘Whapu tautahi,’ four doubled and one over, or nine.

Tautimai, come hither. Used by this tribe in the usual sense of ‘haeremai.’ In the north it is used as an expression of welcome.

page 314

Tawhha, the spot where the water flows from a lake into a river.

Teina. Vide ‘Kotore.’

Ti, in North Island commonly called Whanake (cordy-line ti), a liliaceous plant, resembling in appearance the Xanthorrhæa, or grass-tree of Australia. Its leaves furnish a fibre tougher than that of the phormium tenax, but shorter, and not easily separated from the fleshy part of the leaf. Its woody root, when baked, affords an important article of food. (Vide p. 234.)

Titi, a sort of puffin, called by the whalers mutton-bird. (Vide p. 225.)

To, for ‘tonu,’ entirely. ‘Ka poro to atu ki akoe, e Hika,’ it ends entirely with you, Sir. Syn. ka mutu tonu atu.

Tuiau, a flea. Syn. puruhi.

Tukeke, lazy. Syn. mangare.

Tumatakuru(discaria toumatou, Raoul), a dwarf thorn, common in the plains of the Middle Island.

Turuturu. Used by this tribe in the sense that ‘taki’ or root is in the North Island, to express a title to land by descent from ancestors whose rights were undisputed. ‘Ka takata i a ratou te turuturu o te kaika,’ the men who have the right to the land.

Tutu(coriaria sarmentosa), a shrub with long feeble branches, its fruit growing in racemes or clusters. The fruit, especially if not ripe, contains a poisonous principle, more or less volatile, for it may be expelled by boiling, as do also the succulent branches; but the small ‘kakau’ or stalk on which the fruit is page 315 seated, is said by the natives to contain the poison in the most concentrated form. (Vide p. 191-2.) Its wood and bark furnish a good black dye.

Plants of the genus Coriarieæ are met with in the south of Europe; and it is said that some soldiers of the French army died from eating their fruit in Catalonia. (Lind. Veget. King. p. 475.)

Tuwhana, a pole used in fording rivers. (Vide p. 241.)

Upoko-ariki, an elder brother. ‘Naumai korua ko tou upoko-ariki,’ welcome hither, both you and your elder brother. Syn. tuakana.

Waitiri, thunder. Syn. Watitiri.

Wakahua, to declare, to tell. “Wakahuatia mai tou ikoa,” tell me your name.

Wakamoi, genealogical history. He wakamoi mo ka pori, he kauhou korero mo ka tipuna o…… Syn. Wakapapa.

PLYMOUTH: Printed by Lidstone & Brendon, George Lane.

* The words inserted in this vocabulary are either unknown or have different significations in other parts of New Zealand, except perhaps in that inhabited by the tribe Ngatikahununu, which has common ancestors with Kaitahu. Synonymous words and sentences, to be met with in the North Island, are denoted by the prefix Syn.