THE NAME "AORANGI."

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 53, 4 March 1925, Page 15

THE NAME "AORANGI."

(To the Editor.) Sir,—-In the Maori language there are "My synonymous terms; for instance, call the bellbird, according to local Circumstances, the koromako, the kori?*x°,. the tikapu, the rearea, and the *°Para, etc. The Maori sometimes names of things for a purj* s *. giving equivalents that would not °e« a literal translation; as for instance, an old northern chief was *uned Te Tai ("the tide"). The word was then-changed to Ngaihe, which ™ e anß "to rustle." Another chief was ™mcd Patiki ("a flounder"); then the rr,," 1 t" at district was, in consequence vJt Chief bein S named after it, called wffleke ("to slide along"). Then, again, j™«y words have one and the same *™ent, as makariri, maeke, hotoke, ™- ( winter," "cold"). Therefore by "«se examples we must admit that is Solne difficulty in the way of "| fitl y defining Maori names. Many jwes were named by tribes long now •fro 1? re & ar( i to some compound Wl «," aames ' there was probably, "en .the name was given, a definite idea of the Maoris now lost to y- We are compelled to surmise as to meaning of Maori names given to v raona and places—such as Aomarama \ oroad daylight," "life," "existence," "^aith , and."safety"), Aokaiwhitiangawrang, ("cloud blown wildly toward 2?"]. Aooteransi ('light of the Isi ' 1"• otear °a, name of the North wL. of T ew Zealand ("long, fair l( \ ). The word Aorangi has several «esning 8- i will quote here three of j"«a: "Cloud of heaven," "light of Jo«-m' and " world toward heaven. 3 ' ssibly the reason why this name was to Mount Cook was its attraction donVit ■^■ aor i immigrants. No not their great chief called out 5« Aorangi" ("world towards the ''•—I am, etc., WIREMU X EEWETL