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Proverbs

Loan words

Historical loan words

marae

1. (verb) to be generous, hospitable.

Kia mau ki te pai, kia atawhai ki te tangata, kia marae, kia mahi kai hei waewae mō te atawhai, ka tupu koe hei tangata (W 1971:180). / Hold to that which is good, be kind to people, be generous, prepare food to express your kindness, and you will grow to be a person of consequence.

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2. (modifier) generous, hospitable.

He wā he kiri kawa tōna wairua; he wā anō he tangata marae, he tangata nohopuku (TTR 1990:237). / Sometimes he was very short-tempered, and at other times he was generous or reclusive.

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3. (noun) courtyard - the open area in front of the wharenui, where formal greetings and discussions take place. Often also used to include the complex of buildings around the marae.

Kei te mihi ki a tātou mō ngā tikanga nunui a ō tātou tūpuna, kua ngaro nei i ngā Moutere e haeretia ana e au. Kia mau ki aua tikanga. Kia mau ki te pupuri i ngā marae o ō koutou kāinga. Ko tēnā te mauri hei paihere i tō koutou Māoritanga kei ngaro ki te kore. Ko ō koutou whanaunga o ngā Moutere e noho mai nei ahau, kua kore ngā marae, ā, kua noho tautangata i roto i ngā iwi nunui o te Ao (TTT 1/4/1930:2029). / It's praise to us all for the important customs of our ancestors, customs that have disappeared from the Islands that I am travelling around. Hold on to those customs. Strive to hold on to the marae of our villages. That is the vital essence to bind your Māoriness lest it be lost. Your kinsfolk in the Islands where I am living no longer have marae and live without identity amongst the dominant nations of the World. (Statement made in Māori by Te Rangi Hīroa).
Ka roa tēnei au e ātiutiu ana i runga i ō koutou marae (TP 1/11/1899:2). / I have been travelling about on your various marae for a long time.

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