Like many countries around the world, New Zealand has an indigenous people that called this country home far before European settlers arrived here. M膩ori are a proud and spiritual people, whose culture holds many great myths, legends and beliefs. Of those beliefs is a strong bond to the land and a community spirit that lives on today. Te Reo M膩ori (the M膩ori language) is rich and almost musical, especially during passionate speeches of welcome or thanks.
In this blog, we鈥檒l share a brief history plus some tips on pronunciation and simple words to get you started.
The land of the long white cloud
The very first arrivals to this country, it is currently understood, came from East Polynesia in the 13th century. As more and more East Polynesians, who had set off on their voyages of exploration (navigating solely by ocean currents and the wind and stars), arrived at their new home, a unique and rich culture was formed, complete with its own language. They called their new home Aotearoa, which is translated to 鈥渓and of the long white cloud鈥�.
M膩ori people lived in communities or tribes called iwi, and in these, family groups called whanau. Having no written language, they relied on stories, myths and legends that were passed down from generation to generation by way of spoken word.
Ka pai! M膩ori pronunciation
There are fewer letters in the M膩ori alphabet than there are in the English alphabet (only 5 vowels and 10 consonants), but there are many ways to say things, and certain accents above letters can make one word have multiple different meanings. It鈥檚 all in the pronunciation. For example, the noun keke means 鈥榗ake鈥�, but the long vowels of k膿k膿 give the meaning 鈥榓rmpit鈥�!
M膩ori vowels are pronounced:
a: aah
e: eh
i: eee
o: or
u: ew
A great song for learning these is 鈥� an easy and catchy way to learn how the M膩ori vowels are pronounced.
W鈥檚 can be tricky 鈥� when used in a word like waka (which is a M膩ori canoe), the w is pronounced quite strongly. However, when used in a word like wharenui (meeting house), the h softens the w to be pronounced as a fa sound.
Here are some great common words to try:
Kia ora 鈥� Used as an informal 鈥渉i鈥� or 鈥渉ello鈥�
Haere mai 鈥� Welcome, come here
T膿n膩 koe 鈥� hello (to one person), thank you
T膿n膩 k艒rua 鈥� hello (to two people), thank you
T膿n膩 koutou 鈥� hello (to more than two people), thank you
Haka 鈥� M膩ori dance or war dance
Hongi 鈥� The M膩ori greeting where noses are pressed together
Ka pai 鈥� Well done, or good
Karakia 鈥� Prayer
Rangatira 鈥� Chiefly, Esteemed
罢腻苍别 鈥� Husband, male, man
Wahine 鈥� Woman, female, lady, wife
Waiata 鈥� Song
We also recommend you take a look at 鈥� a comprehensive Online M膩ori dictionary.聽 For quick translations, when you can鈥檛 be online, download their App which is particularly useful if you visit a Marae or Pa on a field trip or holiday. It鈥檚 exciting to learn about M膩ori culture and to try the language 鈥� 鈥済ive it go!鈥�
Have you been learning or trying the M膩ori language? We鈥檇 love to hear about your experiences in a comment below.
Source: Te Aka 鈥�
Photo Credit: 鈥�