mamaku
1. (noun) black tree fern, Cyathea medullaris - a giant tree fern with flattish oval frond scars on the trunk, black and very thick frond stalks and arching fronds. Common in damp forest gullies.
Mō te whēwhē, whakamahia ana e ia te iho o te mamaku me tana hūare ka ūkuikuia atu hoki ki tana rīngi mārena (TTR 1998:60). / For boils, she used the pith of the mamaku fern and her spittle rubbed with her wedding ring.
2. (noun) Stilbocarpa polaris - and endemic species.
3. (noun) gully fern, Cyathea cunninghamii - a tall, graceful tree fern similar to mamaku but with a more slender trunk, much more slender stalks and fronds. The trunk lacks the hexagonal scar pattern of mamaku and does not have the skirt of dead stalks of 'kātote'.
4. (noun) Prince of Wales Feathers, crape fern, Leptopteris superba - native tufted ground fern, often with a short woody trunk. Fronds tapered equally at both ends, very finely divided. Fluffy to touch. Grows best in cool, wet forest. Frond tapers at both ends.
See also heruheru
Synonyms: maikukuroa, ngutu kākāriki, pūniu, tētē kura, tētēkura, ngutungutu kiwi, tētē, heruheru
5. (noun) whekī-ponga, Dicksonia fibrosa - native tree fern with very thick, soft, fibrous, rusty-brown trunk and a heavy skirt of dead, pale-brown fronds. Many narrow fronds on very short stalks, harsh to touch.
See also whekī ponga
Paki o Matariki, Te
1. 'The widespread calm of Pleiades - the name of the coat of arms of the Kīngitanga which was designed by two Tainui tohunga, Tīwai Parāone of the Hauraki tribes and Te Aokatoa of the Waikato and Raukawa tribes. The work was approved in the time of King Tāwhiao, the second Māori king. The double spiral in the centre represents the creation with the series of strokes between the double lines marking off the various stages in the creation of the world. The figure on the right represents te atuatanga (spirituality) and the one on the left aituā (misfortune). The cross with the heart design represents Christianity while the seven stars represent Matariki, the Pleiades. The nīkau tree and harakeke plant on the right represent housing and clothing of the ancient Māori. The mamaku, an edible tree fern, and para, the tuber of which was used as food, are symbolic of the food of the Māori.
(Te Kōhure Textbook (Ed. 2): 1;)
Hei tohu i te mana me te awe hoki o Mere Rikiriki, i tāpaetia atu ai e Kīngi Tāwhiao he haki māna, e mau nei te īngoa ko 'E Te Iwi Kia Ora'; kātahi te taonga matahīapo ko tēnei; ko ōna tino tohu ko Te Paki o Matariki (TTR 1996:171). / Mere Rikiriki's influence and mana is demonstrated by King Tawhiao's presentation to her of the flag with the name 'E Te Iwi Kia Ora'; this was a prized treasure with significant markings known as Te Paki o Matariki.
