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karakia

1. (verb) (-tia) to recite ritual chants, say grace, pray, recite a prayer, chant.

Nā, ka mahia e ngā tohunga ka unuhia ngā rito kōrari, ka karakiatia kia mōhiotia ai, ka mate ka ora rānei (M 2005:280). / Now, the tohunga plucked the centre shoots of the flax, and recited incantations over them to ascertain whether the result would be defeat or victory.

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Synonyms: inoi


2. (noun) incantation, ritual chant, chant, intoned incantation, charm, spell - a set form of words to state or make effective a ritual activity. Karakia are recited rapidly using traditional language, symbols and structures. Traditionally correct delivery of the karakia was essential: mispronunciation, hesitation or omissions courted disaster. The two most important symbols referred to in karakia are of sticks and food, while the two key actions are of loosing and binding. Individual karakia tend to follow a pattern: the first section invokes and designates the atua, the second expresses a loosening of a binding, and the final section is the action, the ordering of what is required, or a short statement expressing the completion of the action. The images used in karakia are from traditional narratives. There were karakia for all aspects of life, including for the major rituals, i.e. for the child, canoe, kūmara, war party and the dead. Karakia for minor rituals and single karakia include those for the weather, sickness, daily activities and for curses and overcoming curses. These enabled people to carry out their daily activities in union with the ancestors and the spiritual powers.

Hanga rawa anō tōna whare wānanga, hei akonga mō ngā tamariki ki ngā tini karakia, ki tō rātou atua tapu, te karakia mākutu, te karakia ātahu, te karakia wehe, te karakia taupō, te karakia hono i te iwi whati, te karakia whakahoki mākutu, te karakia patu i ngā tapu, te karakia i ngā kanohi pura, te karakia mō te raoa, te karakia mō te haere ki te whawhai, te karakia whakaara i ngā tapu, te karakia kia ua te rangi, te karakia kia mao te ua, te karakia kia whatitiri, kia rū te whenua, kia maroke ngā rākau, kia maroke te wai, kia ngaru te moana, kia rokia te moana, kia haere mai ngā ika taniwha o te moana, ngā ngārara o te tuawhenua, te karakia o te huamata, te pure o te hua mai o te tau, te karakia o te kawenga ki roto i te rua tāhuhu, i te rua kōpiha rānei, te karakia o te tomokanga ki te ngāherehere, o te whakaputanga mai rānei i ngā manu mate ki waho o te ngahere, te karakia o te whakaatahanga o te whare o te whakatuheratanga hoki o te whare, te karakia o te nehunga tūpāpaku, te karakia o te whānautanga tamariki, o te whakaputanga hoki ki waho i te whare kōhanga, o te tohinga rānei i te ingoa (TJ 20/6/1899:3). / He built his academy of learning to teach the children the many ritual chants, their sacred god, karakia for witchcraft, to bewitch, to divert affections, for ?ulcers, to mend broken bones, to counter witchcraft, to kill using tapu, for blindness, for choking, for going into battle, to lift tapu, for rain, for rain to cease, to cause lightning, to cause earthquakes, to make trees dry up, to dry up water, to make the sea rough, to calm the sea, to attract large fish of the ocean and insects of the land, karakia for planting, to lift the tapu on a harvest to ensure a plentiful crop, for storing crops in covered pits or pits, karakia for entering the forest or for bringing dead birds out of the forest, karakia for building and opening buildings, for burying the dead, or childbirth and for leaving the house for childbirth and of the naming ceremony.

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See also karakia whakahorohoro, karakia whati, karakia haumanu, karakia kikokiko, karakia whakaū

Synonyms: kaha


3. (noun) prayer, grace, blessing, service, church service - an extension of the traditional term for introduced religions, especially Christianity.

Kāore he utu mō ngā tīkiti, kāore hoki he ohaoha i roto i ngā karakia (TTT 1/10/1923:16). / The tickets are free and there is no offertory in the service.

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Synonyms: inoi, minita, whakaekeeke, whakarato, rato, ratonga, tuku

karakia whati

1. (noun) war preparation ritual - a karakia to prepare a warrior for battle.

See also karakia

pukapuka karakia

1. (noun) prayer book.

karakia haumanu

1. ritual chant to revive a person.

See also karakia

karakia whakaū

1. confirmation service.

I muri i tēnei karakia, ko te karakia whakaū (TP 12/1911:2). / After this service was the confirmation service.

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karakia whakahorohoro

1. (noun) a ritual chant to remove tapu.

Ko tēnei i muri nei he karakia whakahorohoro i ngā tapu o ngā tāngata (TWMNT 3/4/1872:58). / The following is a ritual chant to remove the tapu of people.

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karakia kikokiko

1. malevolent ritual chant.

I hira ake tō rātou mana i tō ngā rangitira o ngā hapū, ā, i te mātūtūtanga o te mate, i hewa ngā tūroro nā ngā karakia kikokiko i ora ai (KO 15/6/1882:6). / Their mana is greater than that of the chiefs of the kinship groups and when convalescing the patients are deluded into thinking that the malevolent ritual chants will heal them.

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See also karakia

whare karakia

1. (noun) church (building), synagogue, house of prayer - a building for religious services.

Nō te rā hāpati i kauhau ai a Te Karaiti, i roto i ngā whare karakia (TP 8/1904:8). / On the sabbath day Christ preached in the churches.

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whare karakia nui

1. (noun) cathedral, basilica.

Nō te tau 1954, i whakatūria anō a Huata hei kēnana mō te Whare Karakia Nui o Pita i Kirikiriroa (TTR 2000:84). / In 1954 Huata was made a canon of St Peter’s Cathedral, Hamilton.

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tari-karakia

1. (noun) square rope of eight strands - also as tarikarakia.

whakauruwhenua

1. (verb) to perform karakia to preserve title to land, before entering a tribal territory, or for acquiring land title - often also involves leaving leaves and sprigs of greenery at particular landmarks.

Ehara i te tino noho tupu; he haere nō mātou ki reira, ki ērā whenua o mātou, whakauruwhenua ai, i te mea hoki, he tikanga tēnei nō ō mātou tūpuna iho, arā, ka noho mātou i tētahi wāhi o ō mātou whenua, ā, ka heke te iwi ki tētahi wāhi noho ai, ngaki ai, kia mau ai te mana o ō mātou whenua i a mātou, kia kā tonu ai ā mātou ahi i te nuku o ō mātou whenua, kei riro aua whenua i ētahi iwi kē (TAH 52:43). / It was not our permanent residence; we went there, to those lands of ours, to preserve our title to the land, because this was a custom of our ancestors, that is, we stayed for a while in one part of our territory and then the tribe shifted to another place, living there and cultivating our gardens so that the mana of our land would be retained by us, so that our fires would stay alight throughout our lands to prevent them being taken by other tribes.

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kawa waere

1. (noun) clearing karakia uttered to clear the marae upon which the house being opened stands. The ruanuku advances towards the house intoning the karakia waere.

kawa ora

1. (noun) house opening karakia - the most important karakia which imbues life into the new house. It follows te kawa ahoahonga.

kawa ahoahonga

1. (noun) house opening karakia performed directly in front of the house just prior to naming the house and is then followed by other karakia.

kawa whakahoro

1. (noun) house opening karakia - this is a generic term for a set of 6 karakia intoned in sequence to free the carvers and their tools of tapu.

tahutahu

1. (verb) (-na) to cook, set on fire, light, set alight, burn.

I te marama o Hōngongoi, kua tino mātao te tangata, me te tahutahu ahi, ka pāinaina (HM 2/1990). / In the month of July a person is very cold and must light a fire and warm oneself.

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Synonyms: tutungi, tungi, tou, toutou, tūngutu, tūmata, mārama, māramatanga, rama, tahu, tūrama, teatea


2. (verb) to perform karakia for the wairua.

Synonyms: whai, tahu

mata rākau

1. (noun) karakia recited over weapons before fighting.

Ko te whare maire he whare mākutu e whakaakona ana ngā tāngata ki reira ki te patu i te tangata, i te kai, i te rākau, i te whenua, me te waewae o te tangata, me te mata rākau o te parekura (WW 1913:10). / The whare maire is a house of witchcraft where men are taught the rituals for destroying people, food, trees, land, spells for retarding a person's footsteps, and spells said over weapons of war.

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kawa whakaotinga

1. (noun) house opening karakia that brings the ritual outside to a close and the ruahine opens the door of the new house.

tahu

1. (verb) (-na) to set on fire, light, set alight, burn, ignite, combust.

Ko ngā otaota hoki o ngā pāmu kua maroke rawa atu, ānō he mea tahu ki te ahi (KO 15/1/1886:3). / And the grass of the farms has dried off completely as if it was burnt with fire.

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Synonyms: tutungi, tungi, tou, toutou, tūngutu, tūmata, mārama, māramatanga, rama, tahutahu, tūrama, teatea


2. (verb) (-na) to cook.

He mea hohore rawa ētahi o ngā manu, he mea tahu, he manu hou ētahi (JPS 59:283). / Some of the birds were plucked, some were preserved in fat and some eaten fresh.

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3. (verb) to perform karakia for the wairua.

Synonyms: whai, tahutahu


4. (noun) brewing.

Ki taku mahara me whakatupu koutou i te hāpi, te taru e meatia nei e te Pākehā he tahu pia (TWMNT 2/12/1871:20). / In my opinion you should grow hops, the plant used by the Pākehā in brewing beer.

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kawa whakaara

1. (noun) karakia performed at the entrance to the marae for house openings. This karakia invokes Rangi, Papa and Whiro.

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