Māhutonga
1. (personal noun) Southern Cross, constellation Crux - a constellation seen in the southern skies. These are the stars depicted on the Aotearoa/New Zealand flag.
Nā Māhutonga i tohutohu mai ō koutou tūpuna, me te nui hoki o tō rātou māia, kia whakawhiti ora mai rātou i Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa, ki tēnei whenua (TP 7/1911:10). / It was the Southern Cross that guided our ancestors and with their bravery they were able to cross the Pacific Ocean safely to this country.
See also Taki-o-Autahi, Te
kāhui
1. (noun) swarm, flock, cluster, herd, company.
Ko ngā hipi tame raho-poka ēnei o te kāhui, kāore he maha ngā kōrero mō tēnei wehenga o te kāhui (TP 7/1911:5). / These are the castrated rams of the flock and there isn't much to say about this section of the flock.
See also rāhui
2. (noun) constellation, group of stars.
Kei te whakaata mai a Puanga-rua i roto i te Kāhui o Tautoru mō te marangai kei a Haki-haratua, arā, kei a Mei (TTT 1/3/1930:2007). / Rigel appears in the constellation of Orion's Belt for the rain in the lunar month of Haki-haratua, that is, May.
huihui
1. (verb) (-a,-tia) to put or add together, come together, meet, gather, assemble, congregate.
He tini noa ngā tāngata Māori i kitea ki Pikopiko e huihui ana, he mahara pea he huaki tā te Pākehā (TWM 6/2/1864:3). / Many Māori were seen gathering at Pikopiko, perhaps expecting an attack by the Pākehā
Synonyms: āpiti, tūtakitaki, karahui, whakatūtataki, hui, tūtaki, tūtataki, whakatūtaki, porotūtaki, porotūtataki, pūtahi
2. (noun) assembly, group, constellation.
Tākina mai rā ngā huihui o Matariki, Puanga, Tautoru, ka ngaro Atutahi māna e whakarewa te tini whetū riki ka rewa kei runga (TJ 11/5/1899:4). / The constellations of the Pleiades, Rigel, Orion rise and Canopus disappears and elevates the many small stars suspended above.
Tatā-o-Tautoru
1. (personal noun) Orion's Belt - three belt stars of Orion arranged in a straight line below and to the right of Rigel forming part of the stern of the large constellation called Te Waka o Tamarēreti.
See also Kakau a Māui, Te
Waka o Tamarēreti, Te
1. (location) Tamarēreti's Canoe - a constellation in the shape of a huge canoe. Tautoru (Orion's Belt) forms the stern while Tail of the Scorpion is the prow. Māhutonga (The Southern Cross) is the anchor and The Pointers are Te Taura o te Waka o Tamarēreti (the anchor line). The canoe is known as Uruao.
See also Uruao
Taki-o-Autahi, Te
1. (personal noun) Southern Cross - constellation seen in the southern skies. These are the stars depicted on the Aotearoa/New Zealand flag.
Kei tētahi wāhi o te haki o Aotearoa, ko te tohu o te tieki o Ingarangi, kei tētahi taha ko ngā whetū whero e whā, he tohu mō Te Taki o Autahi, he tātai whetū kei te rangi – he whero te tae o ngā whetū, e rima ngā mata o ia whetū (Te Ara 2013). / One part of the New Zealand flag has the Union flag of the United Kingdom and on another side representing the Southern Cross, a constellation visible in the sky – the stars' colour is red and each star has five points.
Huihui-o-Matariki, Te
1. (personal name) Pleiades, Seven Sisters - a cluster of stars in the constellation Taurus, commonly spoken of as seven though only six are plain to the average naked eye. The first full moon after its appearance in the north-east horizon just before dawn in late May marks the time to celebrate the Māori new year.
Synonyms: Tātai-o-Matariki, Matariki
Matakaheru
1. (noun) Hyades - an open star cluster in the constellation Taurus, appearing to surround the bright star Taumata-kuku (Alderbaran).
See also Kōkōuri, Kōkota, Te
Tātai-o-Matariki
1. (personal noun) Pleiades, Seven Sisters - an open cluster of many stars in the constellation Taurus, with at least six stars visible to the naked eye. First appearance before sunrise of Matariki in the north-eastern sky indicates the beginning of the Māori year - about the middle of June. According to some tribes, Matariki is the star of the old year and Puanga-rua the star of the new year.
See also Huihui-o-Matariki, Te
Synonyms: Huihui-o-Matariki, Te, Matariki
Pūtahi-nui-o-Rehua
1. (personal noun) Canis Major - line of stars leading southward from Rehua (Antares) and culminating in the great star triangle. A small constellation, the brightest star of which is Takurua (Sirius). Also said to be the highest of the heavens and the home of Rehua.
See also Kāhui Takurua, Rehua
tātai whetū
1. (noun) constellation, cluster of stars.
Mārama katoa ana ia ki ngā whakapapa, kōrero tuku iho, te tātai whetū, te taiao me ngā karakia e pā ana ki te huamata, te tua rākau, te hanga whare, te tārai waka, te whakaara riri, te whakaora tūroro me te poroporoaki i te hunga mate (Te Ara 2013). / He understood genealogy, oral history, the constellations, natural lore and the ritual chants for planting, felling trees, building houses, fashioning canoes, making war, healing the sick and farewelling the dead.
Matariki
1. (personal noun) Pleiades, Messier 45 - an open cluster of many stars in Te Kāhui o Matariki, with at least nine stars visible to the naked eye. The brightest star in the centre of the cluster, also known as Matariki (Alcyone), married Rehua (Antares) and is the mother of the other eight stars of the Pleiades known to Māori. The other eight stars are: Tupuārangi (Atlas), Waipunarangi (Electra), Waitī (Maia), Ururangi (Merope), Tupuānuku (Pleione), Waitā (Taygeta), Pōhutukawa (Sterope) and Hiwa-i-te-rangi (Calaeno). The first appearance before sunrise of Matariki in the north-eastern sky, in the Tangaroa phase of the lunar month, indicates the beginning of the Māori year - about mid-June - and is the cause for celebrations. Matariki disappears at the end of the Māori year and traditionally this was also a reason for celebration with some iwi. During this time when Matariki was absent from the sky, she was said to visit four places, each for seven nights, Maukahau, Tārarau-ātea, Papa-whakatangitangi and Tītore-māhu-tū. Matariki is a truncated version of the name Ngā Mata o te Ariki Tāwhirimātea (the eyes of the atua Tāwhirimātea). Matariki is associated with good health and wellbeing.
Ko te putanga mai o Matariki te tohu mō te marama tuatahi, ko ngā ingoa hoki ēnei o ngā marama katoa: Te Tahi o Pipiri, Te Rua o Takurua,Te Toru Here o Pipiri, Te Whā o Mahuru, Te Rima o Kōpū, Te Ono o Whitiānaunau, Te Whitu o Hakihea, Te Waru o Rehua, Te Iwa o Rūhi-te-rangi, Te Ngahuru o Poutū-te-rangi, Te Ngahuru mā tahi, Te Ngahuru ma rua (TP 1/3/1901:6). / The appearance of Pleiades is the sign for the first month and these are the names of all the months: The first is Pipiri, the second is Takurua, the third is Here o Pipiri, the fourth is Mahuru, the fifth is Kōpū, the sixth is Whiti-ānaunau, the seventh is Hakihea, the eighth is Rehua, the ninth is Rūhi-te-rangi, the tenth is Poutūterangi, the eleventh and twelth months.
Mō te marama o Mei, arā o Te Hakiharatua ki tā te Māori, o te tau 1922: Ko Matariki te whetū kei te ārahi i tēnei marama, he wehenga tau ki tā te Māori whakahaere (TTT 1/5/1922:13). / For the month of May, that is Te Hakiharatua according to the Māori, of the year 1922: The Pleiades is the star that heralds this month and divides the year according to the Māori system.
See also Huihui-o-Matariki, Te, Tupuārangi, Waipunarangi, Waitī, Ururangi, Tupuānuku, Waitā, Tātai-o-Matariki
Synonyms: Huihui-o-Matariki, Te, Tātai-o-Matariki
Ikaroa, Te
1. (location) The Milky Way - a band of light crossing the sky, made up of vast numbers of faint stars.
Ko Rauru-rangi te kete pupuri i te rā, ko Te Kauhanga te kete pupuri i te marama, ko Te Ikaroa te kete pupuri i ngā whetū (Te Ara 2015). / The basket holding the sun was named Rauru-rangi, the basket containing the moon was Te Kauhanga, and the basket holding the stars was Te Ikaroa (the Milky Way).
See also Mangōroa, Te
Synonyms: Ika-whenua-o-te-rangi, Te, Ika-o-te-rangi, Te, Tāhū-o-te-rangi, Te, Roiata, Mangōroa, Te, Paeroa-o-Whānui
Pātiki, Te
1. (personal name) The Coalsack - a dark nebula of dust near the Southern Cross that gives the appearance of a gap in the stars of Te Mangō-roa (The Milky Way).
Ko Tamarereti he tangata. Ko tōna waka ko Tautoru, he whetū kei te rangi e tū rārangi ana. Kei tua ake ko Te Ika o te Rangi, tōna āhua kei tō Te Pātiki. / Tamarereti is a man. His canoe is Orion's Belt, stars standing in a line in the sky. They are the other side of the Milky Way and look like The Coalsack.
See also Manakouri, Rua-pātiki, Te
Ika-o-te-rangi, Te
1. (location) The Milky Way - a band of light crossing the sky, made up of vast numbers of faint stars.
Ka tīkina ngā whetū, ka tātaitia. Ka whakamārōkia Te Ika-o-te-rangi (Tr 7:33). / The stars were fetched and arranged. The Milky Way was stretched out.
See also Mangōroa, Te
Synonyms: Ikaroa, Te, Ika-whenua-o-te-rangi, Te, Tāhū-o-te-rangi, Te, Roiata, Mangōroa, Te, Paeroa-o-Whānui
