WORD OR PHRASE | DESCRIPTION |
ahi k | Continued occupation; describes the home people of marae/hap/iwi |
awa | Ancestral river |
Bastion Point/Takaparawhau | A marae site in Tmaki Makaurau. It was marked for development, which led to a 506-day protest occupation that started in 1977 |
haka | Customary Mori recital, previously and commonly referred to as a war dance, which is a limited interpretation of this act |
He Whakaputanga | He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni The Declaration of Independence |
hei tiki | Customary pounamu (greenstone/jade) ornament, usually in the form of a necklace |
hkoi | To walk, but also adopted for the act of protest marches |
Hine-ahu-one | The original human ancestor, the original female ancestor |
Hine-nui-te-p | Female ancestor and guardian of the underworld |
hap | Consists of a number of whnau sharing descent from a common ancestor; the primary political unit in traditional Mori society |
hongi | Customary greeting enacted by two people pressing noses together and re-enacting the moment at which Hine-ahu-one drew her first breath a moment of sharing time and space with another person |
iwi | A large group of people sharing a common ancestry and associated with a distinct territory |
kaitiakitanga | Guardianship, environmental sustainable management |
kwanatanga | Governance |
Kngitanga | The movement formed to provide a united iwi/Mori approach to mass land loss and colonisation |
koru | Customary Mori art motif |
kura kaupapa Mori | Te reo Mori immersion primary schooling |
Mahuika | Female ancestor, deity and origin of fire |
mana | Authority, control, influence, prestige, power, spiritual gift, spiritual authority and power |
mana atua | Strength drawn from your ancestors and deities, and your responsibility to those connections |
mana tangata | Your personal pursuits and achievements, your responsibility to be of service |
mana whenua | Strength drawn from ancestral lands, your responsibility to protect those lands |
maunga | Ancestral mountain |
mihimihi | A speech of greeting, welcome or introduction at the beginning of a gathering, often following a more formal pwhiri |
moko | Mori designs tattooed on the face or body according to traditional protocols |
Moutoa Gardens/Pkaitore | A customary Mori site in Whanganui; site of protest occupation in 1995 |
Ng Kete o Te Wnanga | Three baskets of knowledge, obtained by Tne-mahuta (or Twhaki, depending on iwi narrative) for humankind to utilise |
ng matatini | Multidimensional (usually in reference to shapes), many faces |
ng matatini Mori | Mori diverse realities |
Ngpuhi | Iwi from Northland |
Papatnuku | Female origin, earth mother |
pepeha | A form of words linking a person ancestrally with the communities and physical features of a particular landscape (mountains, rivers and oceans) |
Raglan/Whingaroa | A significant site of protest for land stolen for a First World War military base. The protest occupation started in 1978 |
rangatira | Chief, leader |
rangatiratanga | Chieftainship, authority |
Ranginui | Original male ancestor, sky father |
rnanga | A high council or legislative assembly called to discuss matters of significant concern to an iwi or community |
Tne-mahuta | Child of Ranginui and Papatnuku, deity with authority over the forests and birds |
taonga | Treasure |
twhaki | Ancestor |
Twhiri-mtea | Child of Ranginui and Papatnuku, deity with authority over the winds, clouds, rain, snow and storms |
te ao Mori | The Mori world, including the Mori language, rituals, processes, practices, sites of importance, and ties to whnau, hap and iwi |
Te Ika a Mui | The fish of Mui, the North Island of Aotearoa New Zealand |
Te Kawariki | Northland-based activist group, responsible for developing the tino rangatiratanga flag |
Te Khanga Reo | Te reo Mori early childhood education centre, language nest |
Te Kore | The time of great potential, the nothing |
Te Kotahitanga | Unity movements for liberation and resistance |
Te P | The time of activation, the night |
Te Reinga | The northernmost tip of Te Ika a Mui |
te reo Mori | The Mori language |
Te Tiriti o Waitangi | The Mori-language version, and mostly signed version, of the Treaty of Waitangi |
tikanga Mori | Mori custom, protocol and practices |
tino rangatiratanga | Absolute authority and independence, the right to self-determination |
tipuna | Ancestor(s) |
tupu | Urge for growth and expansion |
trangawaewae | Place of belonging where you draw your strength from, your standing place |
whi tapu | Sacred site or place, often a place in which ritual restrictions on access or use apply |
waiata | Song, chant, melody |
wnanga | Place of higher learning |
whinga | Pursuit |
whakapapa | Genealogy |
whakatauk | A proverb or significant saying |
whnau | Extended family or family group, a familiar term of address for a group of people |
whenua | Land |
wiri | The shaking of hands during waiata to demonstrate an affinity with nature |