Rehua
1. (personal noun) Antares - the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius and the one associated with summer.
E kī ana te kōrero, ‘Te tātarakihi, te pihareinga; ko ngā manu ēnā o Rehua.' Ka tangi ana ēnei ngāngara kua tīmata te raumati (Te Ara 2011). / The saying says, ‘The cicada and the cricket are the flying creatures of Rehua.' These creatures sing when summer has begun.
2. (personal noun) eighth month of the Māori lunar calendar, approximately equivalent to January.
Ko te putanga mai o Matariki te tohu mō te marama tuatahi, ko ngā ingoa hoki ēnei o ngā marama katoa: Te Tahi o Pipiri, Te Rua o Takurua,Te Toru Here o Pipiri, Te Whā o Mahuru, Te Rima o Kōpū, Te Ono o Whitiānaunau, Te Whitu o Hakihea, Te Waru o Rehua, Te Iwa o Rūhi-te-rangi, Te Ngahuru o Poutū-te-rangi, Te Ngahuru mā tahi, Te Ngahuru mā rua (TP 1/3/1901:6). / The appearance of Pleiades is the sign for the first month and these are the names of all the months: The first is Pipiri, the second is Takurua, the third is Here o Pipiri, the fourth is Mahuru, the fifth is Kōpū, the sixth is Whiti-ānaunau, the seventh is Hakihea, the eighth is Rehua, the ninth is Rūhi-te-rangi, the tenth is Poutūterangi, the eleventh and twelth months.
3. (personal name) an important male atua associated with kindness, enjoyment and entertainment – said by some to be the eldest child of Rangi and Papa.
I ngā kōrero o te whānau a Rangi rāua ko Papa-tū-a-nuku ko Rehua te mātāmua, i whānau ā-uira mai i tōna whaea; noho tonu atu i te rangi, kāore i heke iho ki te ao nei. He atua ingoa nui tēnei i roto i ngā waiata tohunga o Te Tai Hauāuru (M 2006:598). / In the narrative of Rangi and Papa-tū-a-nuku's family Rehua is the eldest and was born in the form of lightning from his mother, and he remained in the heavens and did not descend to this earth. This is a renowned atua in the priestly songs of the West Coast.
