Māori (All Terms)
From All Skies Encyclopaedia
Maori (All Terms)
Authors: Youla Azkarrula
The Maori (New Zealand) night sky is similar to the Polynesian night sky. But it differs enough to warrant its own sky culture. Maritime themes are central to the Maori sky culture and were used extensively in nautical navigation. Along with most other cultures, the rising and setting of prominent stars were used to signal planting and harvesting seasons.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]
Solar System Names
| Tongan | English | commentary |
|---|---|---|
| Te Ra | Sun | |
| Te Marama | Moon | |
| Takero | Mercury | |
| Tawera | Venus | morning star |
| Meremere | evening star | |
| Rangiwhenua | Mars | |
| Perearau | Jupiter | Both Jupiter and Saturn have the same name |
| Perearau | Saturn | Both Jupiter and Saturn have the same name |
List of terms (asterism names)
| Māori term | Designation | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Auihi Turoa | Comets | |
| Autahi | Canopus | |
| Hao - o- rua | Orion's belt | whole belt |
| Mahutonga | Southern Cross | |
| Matariki | Pleiades | |
| Pekehawani | S_Sco | |
| Pipiri | Double stars | |
| Pito - o - Watea | Ecliptic | |
| Poutu-te-Rangi | Altair | |
| Puanga | Rigel | |
| Puanga Hori | Procyon | |
| Rehua | Antares | |
| Ruawahia | Arcturus | |
| Ruhi | Scorpio | |
| Takarua | Sirius | |
| Tau toro | Orion's belt | the belt |
| Taumatakuku | Aldebaran | |
| Te ika o te rangi | Milky Way | |
| Te Kakau | Orion | a part |
| Te Kokota | Hyades | |
| Te Patiki | Coal sack | |
| Te Taura Ra o Tainui | Pointers | |
| Te Waka Ruru | Large Magellanic cloud | |
| Te Waka-o-Tama-Rereti | Scorpio | the tail |
| Te-Ra-o-Tainui | Orion, Hyades, Pleiades | A maori constellation without a European counterpart. It is a sea voyaging catamaran. The belt of orion is the keel, the hyades is a claw sail and the Pleiades is the bow. |
| Tupua-nuku, Tupua-rangi, Ururangi, Wai-puna-a-rangi, Waiti, Waita | Stars in the Pleiades | unspecified |
| Tuputuputu | Small Magellanic cloud | |
| Turu | Achernar | |
| Whakaahu | Castor | |
| Whakaahu (Both Castor and Pollux have the same name) | Pollux | |
| Whakaonge-kai | T_Sco | |
| Whanui | Vega | |
| Whiti-Kapeka or Mariao | Spica |
References
- References (general)
- ↑ Smale, Dan (online). Anutan sky culture in Stellarium, https://github.com/stellarium/stellarium , printed in Hoffmann and Wolfschmidt (eds., 2022), Astronomy in Culture --Cultures of Astronomy. Astronomie in der Kultur--Kulturen der Astronomie.: Featuring the Proceedings of the Splinter Meeting at the Annual Conference of the Astronomische Gesselschafb Sept. 14-16, 2021, tredition, Ahrensburg (Germany): 681.
- ↑ Best, E. (1955) 'The astronomical knowledge of the Maori',Dominion Museum Monograph no.3 Wellington: Government Printer.
- ↑ Best, E. (1959) 'The Maori division of time',Dominion Museum Monograph no4. Wellington: Government Printer.
- ↑ Evans, J. (1998) 'The discovery of Aotearoa', Reed.
- ↑ Kingsley-Smith, C. (1967) 'Astronomers in puipuis. Maori Star lore', Southern Stars 22,5-10.
- ↑ Leather, K. and Hall, Richard (2004) 'Tatai Arorangi: Maori Astronomy, Work of the gods',Viking sevenseas nz ltd, Paraparaumu, NZ, ISBN:0854671056.
- ↑ Lewis, D. (1994) 'We, the navigators. The ancient art of landfinding in the Pacific', University of Hawaii press.
- ↑ Orbell, M. (1996) 'The natural world of the Maori',David Bateman ltd.
- ↑ Orchiston, W. (1996) 'Australian Aboriginal, Polynesian and Maori Astronomy', Chapter in: 'Astronomy before the telescope' 318-328. Editor Chris Walker. BCA.
