Magic and Makutu
Page 25
Hinau: A native bush, which produces edible berries in late summer.
Iwi: A tribe or race of people.
Kapa haka: A traditional display of Maori dance and song.
Kehua: One of the many terms for a fairy or goblin in Maori mythology. For the purposes of this story, kehua denote spirit-goblins that can animate earth or wood, appearing as clay-like goblin creatures. Only about sixty centimetres tall, they are more mischievous than evil, but might be enslaved by a tohunga makutu for evil purposes.
Kia ora: A universal greeting that can mean ‘hello’ or ‘thanks’ or even ‘good health’ or ‘best wishes’.
Matakite: A seer.
Makutu: Destructive or evil magic.
Mana: Prestige, charisma, honour or dignity, or all of these virtues; mana encompasses the personal qualities of leadership and pre-eminence within a tribe and people.
Mana whenua: Literally, the territorial rights associated with the possession and occupation of land. In the context of the story, the display in Te Papa, the Museum of New Zealand, of Maori traditional artefacts is named ‘Mana Whenua”.
Maori: A Polynesian race that settled New Zealand, probably from around 800 years ago (the timing is unknown and somewhat controversial). They settled primarily in the North Island of New Zealand, and on adapting to the cooler lands, thrived and multiplied until the coming of the Europeans after Captain James Cook’s journeys in the late eighteenth century. The nineteenth century saw increasing European settlement and conflict, until Europeans dominated numerically and colonized the country.
Marae: The central place of a Maori community. In a pre-European settlement, it was the central area of a village, and contained the meeting halls and central courtyard where social gatherings and events would occur. In the modern world, a marae is often in the countryside, and will contain a meeting hall and lawn outside for gatherings on special occasions and the funerals of noted community members.
Mere: A traditional Maori club, which could come in many forms and be made from stone, bone or wood. The term patu also means club. For the purposes of this story, I have used the word ‘mere’ to denote blunt, heavy clubs which would be used to bludgeon an enemy, and I have used ‘patu’ to denote lighter-edged clubs which would slash an enemy.
Moko: A traditional Maori tattoo. Maori have a strong tradition of tattooing and this can cover much of the body, including the face. The patterns and motifs are strongly traditional. The carving of moko was a very painful ordeal, and part of the rites of passage of a young man or woman of rank — the more moko one had, the more mana and rank was implied.
Mokopuna wahine: Granddaughter.
Pa: A fortified village. Pa were normally found on hilltops, encircled by several rings of wooden palisades and, once guns became widespread, also entrenched.
Pakeha: Traditionally a Maori term for foreigners, although these days it has come to mean New Zealanders of European descent (primarily British, but also Continental Europeans such as German, Dutch and Scandinavian).
Patu: A club — see ‘mere’.
Patupaiarehe: One of the many terms for fairy or goblin in Maori mythology. For the purposes of this story, ‘patupaiarehe’ denotes pale-skinned, red-haired vampire-like creatures, which are dangerous to men.
Piupiu: A flax kilt.
Piwakawaka: A fantail; a native bird of New Zealand.
Poai: A boy.
Ponaturi: Another term for fairy or goblin. For the purposes of this story, ponaturi are pale-skinned, man-like sea-fairies who prowl the coasts, occasionally glimpsed by men.
Pou: An upright pole, planted in the earth and often carved. A pou mua is the name given to the front post of a meeting house (and is usually intricately carved).
Pukeko: A native bird of New Zealand; the purple swamphen.
Rangatira: The chief of a tribe.
Ruanuku: A wizard, as in tohunga ruanuku. Unlike a tohunga makutu, a tohunga ruanuku’s magic is more wholesome, and not aligned to evil.
Taiaha: The traditional Maori long-club. A taiaha looked a little like a spear with a carved point, but this was deceptive. It was not a spear, and never thrown. In fact the ‘point’ was the handle, and the thick haft of the weapon was the striking part. It was used more like a two-handed sword, and had a tradition of fighting moves associated with it. In combat, the pointed end was often used to apply the coup de grâce to a stunned opponent.
Tangata whenua: The People of the Land. The term can take a wide meaning such as all Maori, or a narrower view such as the people of a certain region. It implies a right to dwell upon that land.
Tangi: A Maori funeral, which can last for several days, depending upon the importance of the deceased.
Taniwha: A taniwha is generally seen as a protective spirit, associated with (especially) waterways, but also with other natural landmarks like caves and hills. They commonly appear in tales as giant lizard-like creatures, or massive serpents. They are also associated with great white sharks (mako-taniwha). They are sometimes hostile, and sometimes protectors of a village or place.
Taonga: Treasure, either tangible and intangible, and can include heirlooms, land, people and rights.
Tapu: Sacred. The term can apply to a place or a person or a thing. To break a tapu — by entering a place without the appropriate ritual actions, for example — was to court misfortune, and to pollute oneself spiritually.
Te tiro makutu: The path of makutu (destructive or evil magic).
Tiki (or hei-tiki): A tiki is a carving of a primal human form, usually male. Tiki are worn as a neck pendant, and can be made from wood, bone or stone. They have a great deal of cultural significance and mana, and are often treasured artefacts passed down through the generations.
Tiriti: Treaty.
Toa: A warrior.
Tohunga: A Maori priest or wise man (they were always male), similar to a druid or shaman. The tohunga preserved tales and legends, genealogies, and were the cultural repositories of their people. They were also looked to for guidance in astrology and as intercessors with the gods, and appear in legends as powerful ‘wizards’ with magical powers, some good and some evil. The term can also cover experts in skilled traditional fields like carving, navigation and canoe-making. The term tohunga makutu denotes a tohunga who uses black magic. The term tohunga matakite denotes a tohunga who specialises in prophecy.
Totara: A New Zealand native tree.
Tui: A New Zealand native bird.
Turehu: One of the many terms for fairy or goblin in Maori mythology. For the purposes of this story, ‘turehu’ denotes shape-shifting creatures, who appear goblinesque in their natural form. They are mischievous, and might be dangerous if antagonized, but are friendly if respected.
Tutae: Dung.
Wahine-toa: A female warrior.
Wai: Water.
Wairau: A spirit or supernatural being. In the context of this story I use it to denote supernatural beings with intangible forms.
Waka taua: A Maori war canoe.
Whare: A house. The meeting house at the centre of a marae is generally termed the whare runanga or wharenui, and is adorned with traditional carvings at the entrance and inside.
Aotearoa series
About the Author
David Hair is a New Zealander living once more in New Zealand, after nearly four years in India. He is the author of The Bone Tiki (winner of Best First Book at the 2010 NZ Post Children’s Book Awards) and its sequels in the Aotearoa series, The Taniwha’s Tear, The Lost Tohunga, Justice and Utu, and Ghosts of Parihaka. David is also the author of the Return of Ravana series, a four-book teen fantasy set in India, and the Moontide Quartet epic fantasy series; the first book of the latter series, Mage’s Blood, was released in 2012, and book two Scarlet Tides in 2013. David is married to Kerry and has two children, Brendan and Melissa. He has a degree in History and Classical Studies, and loves football and travel.
Copyright
HarperCollinsPublishers
First
published 2014
This edition published in 2014
HarperCollinsPublishers (New Zealand) Limited
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Copyright © David Hair 2014
David Hair asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers.
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National Library of New Zealand Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
Hair, David, 1965–
Magic and makutu / David Hair.
(Book six in the Aotearoa series)
ISBN 978-1-8695-0933-0 (pbk.)—ISBN 978-1-7754-9049-4 (epub)
1. Maori (New Zealand people)—Juvenile fiction.
[1. Maori (New Zealand people)—Fiction. 2. Good and evil—Fiction.
3. Fantasy.]
[1. Makutu. reo 2. Hinenui-te-Poreo 3. Pakiwaitara. Reo 4. Korero nehe. reo]
I. Title. II. Series: Hair, David, 1965- Aotearoa series ; bk. 6.
NZ823.3—dc 23
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