“Whānau respond to tangihanga and grief” by Vanessa Eldridge
Published in the May 2014 issue of Kai Tiaki Nursing New Zealand
Glossary of Māori words and phrases used
| Ahi kaa |
Fire’s burning – those remaining at ancestral homes |
| Ao Māori |
Māori world |
| Aro |
Seat of feelings |
| Aroha |
Love |
| Atua |
A god, divine being |
| Hā |
Breathe/essence |
| Hawaiki nui |
Ancient homeland – large (where Atua dwell and spirit visits on return) |
| Hawaiki roa |
Ancient homeland – long (where Atua dwell and spirit visits on return) |
| Hawaiki pamamao |
Ancient homelands – distance (where Atua dwell and spirit visits on return) |
| Hono |
Gathering of wairua / energy for the purpose of healing |
| Hupe |
Nose secretions, (fluid from eyes and nose assist spiritual waka journey) |
| Karakia |
Prayer |
| Kaumātua |
Elders |
| Kaupapa |
Inherited value/ issue for discussion |
| Kotahitanga |
Practice of gathering and working as a collective for benefit of all |
| Kōrero |
Speak/ speech /conversation |
| Koroua |
Male elder |
| Kuia |
Female elder |
| Manaakitanga |
Care, treating others in such a way to uplift their esteem |
| Marae |
Ancestral gathering place/tribal settlement (where observances, celebrations and gatherings can occur in their true setting with esteem, respect, spirituality and appropriate custom) |
| Mirimiri |
Gentle light form massage with spiritual elements |
| Moemoea |
Dream(s)/ aspiration/vision |
| Ora |
Health /fit/ life/ well |
| Pā |
Village (traditionally fortified) |
| Paepae |
Orators bench |
| Pakiwaitara |
Legend/ folklore/stories |
| Pō Whakangahau |
Evening of heartwarming talk |
| Puku |
Stomach, belly, gut |
| Pūkengatanga |
Skilled/ well versed /capable |
| Ringawera |
‘Hot hands’ – kitchen workers |
| Tangihanga |
Funeral/ crying/weeping |
| Takahia o te whare |
Ritual to cleanse/clear a home |
| Tauiwi |
Settlers and new immigrants to Aotearoa (non- indigenous) |
| Te Pou Tautoko |
Name for Maori Advisory Group for Mary Potter Hospice |
| Tikanga |
Ritual/rite/ method of executing a task/ doing it the right way |
| Tīpuna |
Ancestors |
| Tuakana |
Elder brother or sister |
| Ūkaipōtanga |
Turangawaewae, sense of belonging, contributor to land or marae, sense of importance, identify, place where previously nurtured |
| Urupā |
Cemetery |
| Wairangatanga |
Interconnectedness and connection/relationship with the divine |
| Whaikōrero |
Oration |
| Whakatauākī |
Proverb |
| Whakawhanaungatanga |
The practise of re-acquainting, togetherness, identifying whānau and links |
| Whānau pani |
Bereaved family |
| Whakapapa |
Ancestry - genealogy |
| Whānaungatanga |
Practice of togetherness, identifying and forming links – bonding |