AO-TEA-ROA

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 13 June 1928, Page 10

AO-TEA-ROA

(By Rev. H. J. Fletcher.)

MAORI NAMES.

No. XXXII

Ra kura, the red sun, is an honorific name for the sun. It seems to have been a name in, use in the distant past, for it was the name of one of the minor gods. If was the name of Rangi’s kaunoti, or hre generating stick. In memory of this ancient stick, the fire stick carried on the Tahiti mu to New; Zealand was given the same name. Ra kura was also the name given to one of the thwarts of the fu wheiiua canoe. White has a story collected, from the Ngai Taliu people of the South. Island, where the name is given as that of a young chief. The name is old, possibly older than the story of the Takitimu. Rakuraku o Tawhaki was tlie name of one of the famous axes of olden time. It is claimed to have been used by Rata when lie felled a tree to make a corioe for himself. —The descendants of the crew of Mataatua say that their canoe was hewn out with the aid of this magic weapon. And in the story of the fashioning of the Takitimu the same axe is mentioned. Rakuraku is defined in the dictionary as an implement to scrape with. Ranga is a word of so many meanings that one is apt to go astray withoilt a guide. There is a. place on the North Taranaki coast named Te Ranga a Raka. Raka. was one of the crew of the Tainui. Two of the meanings of Ranga are beach and fishing ground. It would mean Baku’s beach or fishing ground. Ranga, a Taikehu is a shoal in Tauranga harbour named after- a chief called Taikehu. Ranga in this case is to be rendered, as company. Ranga a Taikehu means Taikehu’s party or company. Ranga tira. to he carefully distinguished from Rangi tira, is used both as a place name and a personal one. It is the usual term for chief or noble, but in some cases where the spelling is Ranga tira instead of Rangatira it should die rendered a,s a company of travellers.

Rangi is used a® a name by itself as well as being the first portion of names with a very wide range of meanings. The primary meaning of Rangi is heaven or sky. The next is day, and then a number of others. Most of the names come under the first two.

The Maoris personified the heaveim and the earth under the names o Rangi and Papa. Rangi the sky and Papa, the earth. 'Rangi is one of the most widely used of personal names. It lias been used all through the time of the Maori occupation of New Zealand, and it can be traced away back through' the Pacific among the other branches of the Polynesian race. Most of the personal names may he connected .with the meaning of heaven or sky. The place names with the word for day, but there are many exceptions to both cases.

Rangi ate a. is one of the famous names ini Maori history. It appears in the “Lore of the"Wihare Wananga” as a temple, in the highest heavens, the abode of 10. It is best known as an island in the Pacific under the name of Raiatea. It is known as a; place name in New Zealand,, named no doubt in memory of some of the older places. Rangi haeata was the name of a chief who was a. prominent figure during the early days of the settlement of Wellington. He was the favourite nephew of Te Rauparaha. The translation of the words is day dawn.

Rangi maire kura was the name of one of the heavens according to Whare Wananga teaching. Rangi in this case means, heaven, but we have no record of wbati the descriptive words mean.

Rangi mangu, black day, was the name given to a. fight between Ngati Awa and Ngapuhi during the wanderings of the former people. Ngati Awa were badly beaten, losing a large number of men.

Rangi mata. ura, tlie heaven with the glowing face, is one of the twelve heavens.

Rangi nui. great heaven, is’really ’the full mime of Rangi given above. Rangi ora is » fairly common place name in both islands -, in most eases the names are from the shrub known by that name (Brachyglbttis repanda). Rangi parauri, the dark heaven, is another one of the heavens.

Rangi riri is a word likely to mislead the unwary by leading one to translate as angry day. There was an occasion in New Zealand when such a meaning might have been applied with a considerable amount of truth. When the great fight took place at the pa called Rangiriri, in the Waikato, it might truly have been called the day of anger. But we cannot tell if the Word had such a simple meaning. The name is a very ancient one. The Maoris had the peculiar idea that some place in the ocean was the spot from whence all fish come. This place they called Rangiriri. The name has been localised; the ,pa mentioned above is one, and there is an island near the entrance of Dunedin Harbour with the same name.

Rangi tahua is another very ancient name. It was the name of a place vistied by Rata: An island with the same name was one of the places of call on the way from Tahiti to New Zealand. Whether this was the place visited by Rata or not we cannot tell, for there may have been more than one place with the same name even in those far away days. Mr. S. P. Smith considered that Sunday Island in the Kermedees answers to the description and place of the Rangi tahua of tradition. It has been suggested that the name should be rendered as day of plenty. Rangitane is the name oil’ one of the old tribes of New Zealand. They derive their name from an ancestor of that name who was descended from Toi kai rakau. Rangi tawlii i,s another of the old imported names. It was the name given by Turi to his home at the mouth, of the Patea. River. One writer suggests that the name would, mean “day of food.’’ but till is is not guaranteed. Rangi te wan aw ami is the name of the fourth, heaven from, the: summit. Tbiis is sometimes given a.s Rangi te wini wdni. Wanawana. and Winiwini both: mean dread. sk» it would seem in this case, that some such meaning, can bo app’ded to the word. Rangi tikei is the name of one of the rivers on the South Taranaki coast. Tradition says that an explorer named Hau travelled .aiding the coast from a point south of Patea. naming all tlie rivers! he crossed on his journey. This was memorised in a .song still sung on great occasions by the various tribes' of the eoaist. In the song itlie name is given as Rangitikei, because of the long walk from the mouth of the Turnkina. to-the mouth of the Ra.ngitiikei. Tikei means a stride, hence Rangi tikei. day of striding.

Ran< r i to to is a name that lias been much discussed in the correspondence columns of the New Zealand press, do ms years ago; I' remember seeing the opinion expressed that the name meant -skv of blood.” The writer gravely suggested that when the first Maoris arrived in New Zealand the island m hauiaki Gulf was in eruption, and from the red lava, the name was .given as “Sky of blood.” The simple explanation is, Rangitoto is the name of a certain kind of scoria- - ■ ••• We will oloso the slongj, list- oit words* derived from those of Rangi, with another of the words of long ago. Rangi whakai .kapira, is mentioned in two places in ancient .story. In one it in the name of the covering mint of the famous axe, Awliiorangi, the most prized possession of the Pa-tea folk. In tlie other it iis- the name of a pillar in a kumairai pit mentioned' in an ancient lament. It is ouriouq to note that in both cases the ‘words belong to the Paten people. The word would.translate as “sky covered 1 with cloud.” Ra O' Matahburua, tihe sail of Mata hoiwa, is the name of a place car Gill air in, on Cook Straits. Raicrikia), a place on the Wihanigamm River, is not a Maori word, it is the Maori way of .spelling Laodicea. It. is curious to what lengths some, of out early missionaries went in trying to root oint tliei old Maori names. On the edge of the Taupo Lake there was an old fortified pa called Motutore. When missionaries had made life fairly seoure ®round the lake the inhabitants of the pa built their houses on a more convmvient isite on.i,the shore of the lake. s ]ies new: selt-tlemi-eTht wad catllod isaJl>ytlsoii, and the large Whairepuni received the name of Babel! Rapa was the name Q;f a pa. on the edge of the southern shore of Lake Taupo. It is noted for the tragic fate that overwhelmed the inhabitants' on cue night in May, 1846. There had been a considerable amount of rain for some time previous and several .slips on the mountain side, one of which blocked the course of a, small stream which ran through the pa. This dam, was over 1000 feet above the pa. It gradually filled, and although the people living in the pa were warned of their danger, they took no heed. When the water •overtopped the dam it gave way, and an avalanche of water, mud and rock , tore its way down the valley and smothered the pa and all its inhabitant but two. It is not’ often the dictionary gives the derivation of a place name, but in this case it has. It gives as the seventh meaning of Rapa, “spread out,, extended.” and then quotes from one of the old Taupo stories, which translates a® follows: He arrived at the Bay of Taupo ijfid .said to hto companions, “Let us go' in extended order.” 1 Hence the name Te Rapa. Rlapa pukatea is the name, of a place at Hokianga. A chief named Tama liotu made the Rapa, or stern post of liis canoe out of a Pukatea tree (laurelia no vaezealandiae) at that place and the name has been retained ever since. Rarauhe maeinae and Rarauhe tarahunga are the names by which two of the very ancient peoples of New Zealand were known to the Mlaoris. These were some of the people in possession when Toi arrived about the year 1100. The late Colonel Gudgeon translate® the first of these names as, the braoken in pain, and the second as, the low-grow-ing bracken. Rarauhe is one of the Maori names for the common fern or bracken. Rarohenga is one of the term®. tor tlie spirit world. In one reference it is used practically as -a! synonym for Te Reinga. Mr. S'. P l . Smith in a note in (The Lore of the Whare Wananga) divides the wird as Rai-O' hengfa and explains the use of it a® symbolising the “utter confusion of mind of those who descend to' Hades.” Henga is from he, wrong, mistaken, trouble, etc. _ Rarohenga is a name for one of the Samoan Islands. Raro Tonga is the name of one of tlie Islands occupied; by the Maoris before coming to New Zealand. Unlike most of those old names, it ha® been retained all through the years since the Maori® started on their great migration about 1350. Many explanations of the name have been offered, but none has found general acceptance. Rata is a prominent name in old Maori story, be was a grandson of lawliaki. He was tlie hero of a curious fairy story about the felling of a tree for the purpose of making a, canoe, but lie did not placate tlie spirits of the forest before doing so. He left bis work at night with the tree' lying oil the ground. When lie returned next morning he found that the wood elves had replaced the tree on its stump and every chip and shaving was replaced. This was repeated several times until lie vas told of ihis error. After carrying out the prescribed, ritual lie had no further trouble. Rata is an historic person, but what the stories mean we cannot tell. Ra to ruia, the double sunset, was the name of a battle in Rarotonga between the force® of a noted priest named Uenuku and a chief named Whena. Tlie story says that ,by the powers of Ins incantations Uenuku caused the darkness te descend, to confuse Whena’s people to Such an extent that they fought against one another. Mr. S. P. Smitn offers the simple explanation of a total eclipse of tlie sun taking place during the light, and the Maoris with their love of the marvellous attributing the darkness to the power of Uenuku’s enchantments. The name lias been localised in New Zealand in one of the Arawa genealogies. Rau is the first part of many names with the meanings of both leaf and feather. One of the well known chiefs, a friend of tlie pakelia, in the early days of the settlement of Wellington was named Te Puni. He was also known as Te Rau a Matuku, the feather of the bittern. Rau a inoa, feather of the moa, was a place name on Pirongia, Waikato. Rau a Te Karaka, the leaF of the Karaka, is a personal name on- an Arawa genealogy. Raumati is one of the common words for summer, but it is also a place name and a personal name of very extensive use. Raumati was the man who gamed unenviable lame by burning, the Arawa canoe at Alaketu. His mother belonged to the Tangata W hernia people of Taurauga and it is supposed that it was because of some old tribal feud that Raumati burnt the canoe'. There is another version of the story which says that the actual binning .of the canoe was an accident, for the fire spread from a fire lit for another purpose However that may be, Raumati paid for his misdeed with, his life. The Arawa people fought with Raumati’s relatives near Maketu and Raumati was killed.