pou herenga waka
1. (noun) mooring, canoe mooring post.
Nā rāua i ārai atu a Ngāti Maniapoto i roto i ngā pakanga maha. Ka rite rāua ki te pou herenga waka ki ō rāua iwi (M 2005:244). / The two of them resisted Ngāti Maniapoto in many battles. Thus they were likened to a canoe mooring post for their tribes.
Synonyms: tauranga, tumu herenga waka, herenga waka
2. (noun) chief, leader - a figurative term for a chief.
Tērā kē te kupu mō te rangatira, te pou herenga waka, e kīia nei e ā tātou kupu poroporoaki ki te rangatira e mate ana, "Haere, haere, e te pou herenga waka." Ki te whati hoki te pou i herea ai te waka, kua tere te waka, waihoki ki te mate te rangatira, kua marara te iwi (TP 3/1910:4). / There is the saying for a chief, the canoe mooring post, which we say in our farewell speeches to a dying chief, "Farewell, Te Pou Herenga Waka." If the stake to which the canoe is tied breaks, the canoe will drift off; similarly if the chief dies the tribe will be disunited.
