Te reo Māori: the Māori language
Te reo Māori is one of the official languages of Aotearoa (New Zealand) and is widely spoken among Māori communities. Since the end of the 19th century, Clandon Park has been home to a Māori wharenui (meeting house) called Hinemihi, which for many years has been a place of whanaungatanga (connection) for Māori in the UK. Read on to learn more about the Māori words you may encounter on our pages.
The importance of te reo Māori
For Māori, speaking or hearing their language can strengthen whanaungatanga, whakapapa (genealogy) and a sense of belonging.
Te reo Māori is a taonga (treasure) and a core part of Māori identity. The language carries cultural knowledge – stories, values, worldviews and ways of thinking. When the Māori language is used, Māori culture stays alive.
To learn to more about te reo Māori, visit Te Taura Whiri I Te Reo Māori (the Māori Language Commission).
Ngā whakamarama (the explanations)
Below is a list of te reo Māori words you may come across on our web pages, along with their meanings and a guide to pronunciation.
- Aotearoa (ow-teh-ah-ROH-ah) – North Island, now used as the Māori name for New Zealand
- hāngī (HAHN-gee) – traditional feast
- hapū (hah-POO) – Māori sub tribe
- Hinemihi o te Ao Tawhito (hen-neh-MEE-hee oh teh OW tah-FEE-toh) – Hinemihi of the Old World
- hongi (HONG-ee) – Māori greeting where two people press their noses together, symbolising the sharing of breath
- hui (HOO-ee) – gathering of people
- iwi (EE-wee) – Māori tribe
- kōwhaiwhai (KOH-fye-fye) – traditional scroll patterns painted on the rafters and supporting posts inside a wharenui
- mana (MAH-nah) – prestige
- marae (MAH-rye) – sacred communal space containing a wharenui, marae ātea and other buildings
- marae ātea (MAH-rye AH-teh-ah) – courtyard in front of the wharenui in a marae
- mauri (MOW-ree) – essence
- Ngāti Hinemihi (NGAH-tee hen-neh-MEE-hee) – People of Hinemihi, Hinemihi's tribe
- poroporoaki (poh-roh-poh-roh-AH-kee) – farewell ceremony
- pōwhiri (POH-fee-ree) – welcome ceremony
- Rongomātāne / Rongo (roh-ngoh-MAH-tah-neh / ROH-ngoh) – god of agriculture, peace and prosperity
- tangihanga / tangi (tah-ngih-HAH-ngah / TAH-ngih) – mourning and funeral ceremony
- taonga (TOW-ngah) – Māori treasure and gifts
- Te Hono (teh HOH-noh) – The Connection
- tikanga (tee-kah-ngah) – values, practices and protocols: the 'right way'
- tīpuna (TEE-poo-nah) - ancestress / ancestor
- tukutuku (too-koo-TOO-koo) – a traditional Māori art form, these latticework panels are often attached to the walls inside a wharenui
- Tūmatauenga / Tū (too-mah-tow-ENG-ah / TOO) – god of war and hunting
- tūpuna (TOO-poo-nah) – ancestors
- wairua (WYE-roo-ah) – spirit
- wānanga (WAH-nah-ngah) – learning / education through discussion, sharing and reflection
- whakairo (fah-KYE-roh) – wood carvings, a sacred Māori art form
- whakapapa (fah-kah-PAH-pah) – genealogy
- whānau (FAH-now) – family
- whanaungatanga (fah-now-ngah-tah-ngah) – a sense of connection and kinship based on collective participation
- wharenui (FAH-reh-noo-ee) – house / meeting house
- wharepuni (FAH-reh-poo-nee) – sleeping house
- whenua (FEN-oo-ah) – land
The Hinemihi Project partners
Ngā Kohinga Whakairo o Hinemihi (Hinemihi of the Old World) is a charitable trust based in Aotearoa (New Zealand) working on behalf of Ngāti Hinemihi for the return of Hinemihi in exchange for new whakairo (carvings).
Te Maru o Hinemihi (In the Embrace of Hinemihi) is a UK-based community interest company with multinational members who are united in representing the interests of Hinemihi and the wharenui (Māori meeting house) at Clandon.
Europe’s largest conservation charity. As Hinemihi’s legal custodian, the National Trust shares the care and love of Hinemihi with its partners and wants an ongoing life for the wharenui (Māori meeting house) at Clandon.
You might also be interested in
The Hinemihi Project: Celebrating and building on shared histories
Learn about the Hinemihi Project, which proposes an exchange of traditional carvings and a new life for the Māori meeting house at Clandon Park.
Māori wharenui: a cultural and spiritual hub
Learn about traditional Māori meeting houses, from their practical uses to their deep spiritual and historical significance, as well as the meaning behind the different structural elements that make them up.
Meet Hinemihi
Discover the history of Hinemihi. Follow her journey from construction in New Zealand to the grounds of a stately home in Surrey.
Creating the new whakairo
Meet the Māori master carvers creating the new whakairo (carvings) for the wharenui (meeting house) at Clandon, and learn about the meaning behind the designs, which connect the many communities involved.
