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Loan words

Historical loan words

karanga

1. (verb) (-hia,-tia) to call, call out, shout, summon.

Ka karangahia e mātau te ingoa, ka whai haere mai i a mātau (HP 1991:20). / When we called its name it would follow us.

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Synonyms: umere, hāmama, haute, , ōi, tīwaha, hauma, hāparangi


2. (noun) formal call, ceremonial call, welcome call, call - a ceremonial call of welcome to visitors onto a marae, or equivalent venue, at the start of a pōwhiri. The term is also used for the responses from the visiting group to the tangata whenua ceremonial call. Karanga follow a format which includes addressing and greeting each other and the people they are representing and paying tribute to the dead, especially those who have died recently. The purpose of the occasion is also addressed. Skilled kaikaranga are able to use eloquent language and metaphor and to encapsulate important information about the group and the purpose of the visit.

Kātahi ka pā te karanga, “Haere mai! Haere mai!” (JPS 1929:17). / Then the call went out, "Welcome! Welcome!"

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See also kaikaranga

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