Delve into the history of one's whakapapa (heritage) and explore how to identify key connections to both the whenua (land) and whānau (extended family).
Develop our understanding of whakapapa and how it relates to our pepeha and the A/O categories.
Share a family story with your kaiako about some of your ancestors. Each family have these precious stories that get passed down.
Why is it important to maintain and treasure this knowledge?
Tangata whenua template
Tēnā koutou katoa (Greetings one and all)
- Ko ___________________tōku maunga (mountain)
- Ko ___________________tōku awa (river)
- Ko ___________________tōku moana (ocean)
- Ko _________________tōku waka (canoe)
- Ko _________________ tōku rohe (district)
- Ko __________________ tōku iwi (tribe)
- Ko ___________________ tōku hapu (subtribe)
- Ko __________________ tōku marae (meeting place)
- Ko ____________ raua ko ___________ōku matua (my parents)
- Ko___________________ tōku hoa rangatira (my partner)=
- Ko ______ratou ko_____, ko_____ nga tamariki (my children)
- Ko ____________ tōku ingoa
Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa (Therefore, greetings, thrice over)
Tangata Tiriti and Tauiwi template
Tēnā koutou katoa (Greetings one and all)
- Ko __________ te whakapaparanga mai (my ancestry e.g. English, Scottish, Japanese)
- Ko __________te whenua tupu (where I grew up)
- Ko __________ te kāinga (my home)
- Nō ________ au (I’m from)
- Kei __________ au e noho ana (I live currently)
- He _________ au i ___________ (my job and organisation)
- Ko ___________ au (my name)
Tēnā tātou katoa
*This has been adapted from Keri Opai’s excellent pukapuka Tikanga: An introduction to te ao Māori
Using the templates provided, make a start in terms of filling out the important details to you.
The templates are not exhaustive, though they do follow a traditional structure.
Practice reciting the Ko (almost a core as in an apple core sound) and the tōku (emphasis on the long o sound)
It is useful to note the importance of the A/O categories for possessives here.
|
Person |
Māori |
English |
|
First |
tāku/tōku |
my |
|
Second |
tāu/tōu |
your |
|
Third |
tāna/tōna |
his or her |
The A and O categories show the respect and mana of te reo built into the language. The O category indicates respect and reverence for those people and things that came before you. The A category indicates things that you are responsible for.
| A | O |
|
children
|
elders, parents
|
Here are some pātai (questions) to support your whaiwhakaaro (reflection).
| How do I say/pronounce ____ in Māori? | He aha te kupu Māori _____? |
| What does ______ mean? | He aha te kupu ____? |
| Can you repeat that? |
Kōrero mai anō? |
| Is my pronunciation right? | Kei te tika taku whakahua i te kupu ___? |
| Why? | He aha i pērā ai? |
| What made it so? | Nā te aha i pērā / pēnā ai? |
| What is your thinking? | He aha tō whakaaro? |
| What is your knowledge? | He aha tō mōhio? |