1. (noun) spell to protect against mākutu and to ensure well-being.
He kaiwhatu te taonga pai ki te iwi Māori, hei tiaki mō te tinana, hei ārai atu mō ngā nanakia, mō te mākutu anake i whēneitia ai (H 1992:90). / To the Māori people, kaiwhatu spells are valuable assets to protect the body, to ward off treachery, but they are only used for countering mākutu.
New edition of the leading Māori-language textbook out now.
Te Aka Māori-English, English-Māori Dictionary and Index by John C Moorfield comprises a selection of modern and everyday language that will be extremely useful for learners of the Māori language.
More infoTe kai a te rangatira
He Pātaka Kupu is a monolingual Māori language dictionary, and was designed using its own culturally authentic terms.