raranga
1. (verb) (rangā,rānga) to weave, plait (mats, baskets, etc.).
Ka māngere ana te wahine ki te raranga whāriki, takapau, kōaka, ka kīia, 'He uri nō Hinerangi pakihore.' (TP 11/1908:6) / When a woman is too lazy to weave mats, fine floor mats and coarse mats it is said, 'A descendant of lazy Hinerangi.'
Synonyms: whiri, whiriwhiri
2. (noun) weaving.
Kua tae ināianei ki te wā hei whakatakoto i ngā kōrari mō te raranga (TWK 23:11). / It's now time to lay out the flax leaves for the weaving.
2. (noun) direction, course, bearing.
I haere mai tēnei tangata i te takiwā o Pukemaire, e ahu ana mai ki tēnei tarawāhi o Waiapu, me te tākawe hīnaki tuna nei; e ahu rawa ana te raranga o tana haere ki te takiwā ki te tonga, kei reira hoki te roto hei tukunga mō taua tū kupenga (TWMNT 18/4/1876:94). / This man came from the vicinity of Pukemaire, heading to this side of Waiapu, carrying an eel trap on his shoulder, heading in the direction of the area to the south and at that place there is the lake for letting out that type of net.
2. (noun) silvery sand grass, Spinifex sericeus - a native plant of the sand dunes with silvery, grassy leaves covered in silky hairs. Seeds are on large spiky balls which are released from the female plants in late summer.
See also kōwhangatara
Synonyms: kōhangatara, turikākoa, kōwhangatara
3. (noun) ridge dividing the rows of pākati carving pattern.
ruawai
1. (noun) variety of harakeke from Te Tai Rāwhiti. Tall, rather bendy leaves. Bright, light blue-green blades. Silver-blue, powdery underside. Black margin and keel. Orange keel and black margin on young leaf. Silver-purple shadings at base of plant. Prized for its long, white silky fibres of superior quality. Ideal for kaitaka, korowai and muka kete. A good raranga flax.
taeore
1. (noun) variety of harakeke from Ngāti Maniapoto and Opunake. Also called taiore. Tall, bendy, pale blue-green leaves, powdery blue on reverse. Black margins and keel. Many very tall, light-weight flower heads. Fibre used for aho in high quality cloaks. For kete, leaves dry to a pale fawn when boiled and a deeper colour when unboiled. Fibre in muka kete dries to a soft cream colour. Great for raranga.
tapamangu
1. (noun) variety of harakeke from Te Tai Rāwhiti. Medium height. Straight, narrow, strong, pale green blades. Black margin and keel. Very seldom flowers. A superior cultivar. A very good piupiu variety. Better suited for muka than raranga. Also once widely used by flax millers in the Manawatū.
2. (verb) to flow copiously.
Ka haehaea ki te kiri o te tangata, o te wahine, tārere ana te toto, ngā tohu o tā te Māori whakaputanga i te aroha (TP 4/1910:7). / The skin of men and women is lacerated and blood flows copiously, the Māori symbols of the expression of affection.
3. (noun) swing, pendulum.
Ka rere a Whānui ka tīmata te hauhake i ngā kai; te potonga o ngā kai ka mahia ngā mahi a Ruhanui, koia ēnei: ko te tūperepere, ko te tōreherehe, ko te kai whakatāpaepae, ko te kokomo, ko te tūmahana, ko te kaihaukai, ko te haka, ko te poi, ko te whakahoro taratahi, ko te tā pōtaka, ko te pōtēteke, ko te taupiripiri, ko te mū tōrere, a te whai, a te pānokonoko, o te tararī, a te kīkīporo, a te pākuru, a te tārere, a te kūī, a te kūrapakara, a te rere moari, me ērā atu mea katoa (TWMNT 11/9/1872:110). / When Vega rose the harvesting of the food began; and when that was done the activities of Ruhanui were carried out, which were these: the ceremony and feast to celebrate the storing of the kūmara crop, tobogganing, the displaying of food, the exchanging of gifts between hosts and visitors, feasting and presenting food, performing haka and poi, flying kites, whipping spinning tops, doing somersaults, racing arm in arm, playing draughts, performing string games, playing the pānokonoko string game, playing the jew's harp, beating the time to songs with pieces of wood held against the cheek, playing the mouth resonator, swinging, calling kūī, playing kūrapakara, swinging on the moari, and all those other games.
4. (noun) variety of harakeke from Te Tai Rāwhiti. Short, bendy, bright yellow-green blades, giving the bush a yellowish appearance. Beautiful raranga flax and valued for kete. Not a muka variety.
kohunga
1. (noun) superior variety of harakeke from Ngāti Maniapoto used for muka. Tall, rather droopy blue-green blades. Glaucous blue-green on underside. Black margin and keel. Many very tall flower heads with small seed pods. Used for the whenu in finest kākahu and for raranga and kete.
Ko te kohunga he harakeke roa, he raupeka ngā whā kānapanapa, he pango ngā tapa me te tuaka, he harakeke tino pai mō te whatu korowai (PK 2008:283). / Kohanga is a long New Zealand flax, the dark green leaves droop, the edges and spine are black and this is an excellent variety for weaving korowai cloaks.
atewheke
1. (noun) variety of harakeke from Taranaki suitable for stripping and raranga. Tall, bendy leaves. Interesting looking bush showing blades of several different shades. Some older ones quite yellow with black margins and keel. Young blades bronze with red veining on margins and keel. Good for whāriki and kete. Not suitable for muka.
