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Historical loan words

pōtēteke

1. (verb) to turn over and over, somersault.


2. (noun) haka in which the performers recited their haka while upside down - sometimes said to be a sexual dance performed naked.

Ka mātakitaki tērā te tangata whenua ki te mahi a te ope nei e mahia ana; ka whakatūria tā rātou haka, e whā ngā kapa. Ko te haka nei he pōtēteke, pare ai ngā upoko ki raro, ko ngā waewae ki runga, ka takitakina tā rātou haka (JPS 1928:268). / The local folk watched this performance of the group, and then performed their posture dance in four ranks. This performance was a pōtēteke, in which the performers' heads were downwards and the legs were uppermost as they recited their haka.

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3. (noun) turning over and over, somersault.

Ka rere a Whānui ka tīmata te hauhake i ngā kai; te potonga o ngā kai ka mahia ngā mahi a Ruhanui, koia ēnei: ko te tūperepere, ko te tōreherehe, ko te kai whakatāpaepae, ko te kokomo, ko te tūmahana, ko te kaihaukai, ko te haka, ko te poi, ko te whakahoro taratahi, ko te tā pōtaka, ko te pōtēteke, ko te taupiripiri, ko te mū tōrere, a te whai, a te pānokonoko, o te tararī, a te kīkīporo, a te pākuru, a te tārere, a te kūī, a te kūrapakara, a te rere moari, me ērā atu mea katoa (TWMNT 11/9/1872:110). / When Vega rose the harvesting of the food began; and when that was done the activities of Ruhanui were carried out, which were these: the ceremony and feast to celebrate the storing of the kūmara crop, tobogganing, the displaying of food, the exchanging of gifts between hosts and visitors, feasting and presenting food, performing haka and poi, flying kites, whipping spinning tops, doing somersaults, racing arm in arm, playing draughts, performing string games, playing the pānokonoko string game, playing the jewsharp, beating the time to songs with pieces of wood held against the cheek, playing the mouth resonator, swinging, calling kūī, playing kūrapakara, swinging on the moari, and all those other games.

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