2. (noun) strand (of a cord), warp - lengthwise threads of a woven flax garment.
Te miri o Rukutia: Te miri o te harakeke, arā o te muka hei whenu, hei aho rānei mō te whatu kākahu (M 2004:292). / The caress of Rukutia: The twisting of flax fibre into strands or cords and cross-threads to be used in weaving garments (M 2004:293).
3. (noun) cosine (maths).
He ōwehenga te whenu e hono ana i tētahi koki o te tapatoru hāngai ki te tāroa me te tapa pātahi (TRP 2010:334). / Cosine is a ratio which connects an angle of a right-angled triangle with the adjacent side and the hypotenuse (TRP 2010:334).
māwhitiwhiti
1. (verb) to jump from one to another, jump over - like a grasshopper.
Engari i warea ki te huri ki te reo Pākehā, ka hoki mai ki te reo Māori, āhua pērā. He āhua māwhitiwhiti nei te āhua o te kōrero (Kāretu 2015). / But he kept changing to English, then returning to Māori. The way he talked was like a grasshopper jumping from one to the other.
2. (noun) short-horned, flightless grasshoppers of several species, locust.
I muri o tēnei ka tae mai anō te whakaatu, kai te tahuri rātau ki te kai māwhitiwhiti, ā ki te kōhua hoki i ngā kiri o ngā hōiho hei hupa mā rātau (TPH 31/5/1900:2). / After this further notification arrived that they had resorted to eating grasshoppers and boiling the hides of horses as soup for them.
Synonyms: whitiwhiti, kapakapa
3. (noun) crossover stitch - used in making kākahu. Also used as a term for the use of five whenu (or multiples of five) to create a hole for the here to go through, and as a counting system for the top and the bottom of a kākahu, ensuring that the weaver has the count correct.
ngutunui
1. (noun) variety of harakeke from Ngāti Maniapoto. Short, bendy variety smudged with reddish shadings on sides and tips of blades. Overall bush has a yellow-bronze appearance particularly in the older leaves. Good for kete and whāriki if blades are long enough. Can produce good muka for whenu in kete, wall-hangings, etc. Said to be highly prized for making fine mats and cloaks.
ngaro
1. (noun) variety of harakeke from the Moutoa swamp, Foxton. Very tall (up to 3 metres) and straight. Bush has dark, bronzy-green appearance. The young blades are a distinct bronze shade and are relieved by a scarlet line along the centre of the blades. Produces silky muka, but is also used for piupiu and kete. Ideal for whenu and aho in cloaks. Recognised last century as one of the best cultivars for milling. Strong, hard fibre, well suited for cordage.
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.
