whakataukī
1. (verb) (-tia) to utter a proverb.
Ka whakataukī atu a Kiwi ki a Waha-akiaki, “Kia pēnei, tō kōuma āpōpō e iri ana i te pōhutukawa i Kai-arero.” (JPS 1923:234) / Kiwi uttered a proverb to Waha-akiaki, “It will be like this, tomorrow your breast-bone will be hanging on the pōhutukawa tree at Kai-arero.”
2. (noun) proverb, significant saying, formulaic saying, cryptic saying, aphorism. Like whakatauākī and pepeha they are essential ingredients in whaikōrero.
(Te Pihinga Textbook (Ed. 2): 31-32; Te Kōhure Textbook (Ed. 2): 38-39;)
Tētahi take nui i whakaaetia e tēnei hui, ko ngā mahi a ngā tūpuna o mua kei ngaro, kia tino mahia nuitia i ēnei rā: Ngā whakataukī, ngā waiata Māori, ngā pepeha, me ngā tikanga katoa o ngā mea, me ngā harihari, tūtū ngārahu, me ngā hari kai (TP 8/1909:11). / An important matter that was agreed to by the meeting was the activities of the ancestors of former times that these should be used widely today: The aphorisms, Māori songs, tribal sayings and the customary practices of everything, the songs to unite people in a common purpose, war dances and songs for presenting food.
Synonyms: pepeha, whakatauākī, peha
