Go to National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa
Volume 14, 1881
Previous Article | Table of Contents | Next Article
This text is also available in PDF
(2 MB) Opens in new window
– 73 –

Appendix.
A Paradigm of the word Whero, one of the (several) Maori terms for the red colour.

“It is said, that the New Zealander's perception of colours was defective and weak; this, however, is a mistake. Their colours were mainly divided into three distinctive classes,—white, black, and red;—but they were never at a loss clearly to express all colours. They used them, much as an English mariner uses the four names of the principal winds and points of the compass, repeated and involved to make 32, only much more expressively; as they also used with them several adjectives, increasing or lessening the meaning; also the words themselves reduplicated as diminutives. Besides which, if a New Zealander wished to convey to another a very exact idea of any colour intended, he would mention that of some natural object which was of the same shade of colour, “etc., etc. (W. C. “Essay on the Maori Races,” § 33, Vol. I., Trans. N.Z. Inst.)

Whero = red.†

I.

Ascending: intensifying.

(Indicating, pure, clear, strong, brilliant, and lasting red colours.)

  • Kowhero.

  • Tino kowhero.

  • Tino whero.

  • Tino whero rawa.

  • Whero nui.

  • Whero nui rawa.

  • Whero nui whakaharahara.

  • Tino whero nui rawa.

  • Tino whero nui rawa whakaharahara.

  • Tona whero i whero ai.

  • Tino whero whakawhero.

  • Katahi te tino whero.

  • Katahi te mea i tino pai tona whero.

[Footnote] † There are also several other proper names of red,—as, kura, kurakura, ngangana, pakurakura, ura, etc.

– 74 –

  • Koia rawa

  • Koia kau

  • Eharay

  • Tena

    • te nui o te whero!

    • te pai o te whero!

    • te kaha o te whero!

    • te ataabua o te whero!

    • te ahua pai o tona whero!

    • te tuahua pai o tona whero!

  • Tino whero rawa, anana!

  • Whero kita.

  • Whero kitakita.

  • Whero whakamoe kanohi.

  • Whero whakakorekoreko kanohi.
II.

Descending: lessening.

(1.

Lighter, but fair reds.)

  • Kowherowhero.

  • Wherowhero.

  • Kowhewhero.

  • Whewhero.

  • Towhero.

  • Tu-a-whero.

  • Tu-a-kowhero.

  • Tu-a-kowherowhero.

  • Tu-a-wherowhero.

  • Tu-a-kowhewhero.

  • Tu-a-whewhero.

  • Wheronga-parakaraka.

  • Whero-kowhai.
(2.

Fainter, but having more or less of red and pink hues.)

  • Maa-whero.

  • Maa-whero maa-whero.

  • Maa-wherowhero.

  • Maa-tu-a-whero.

  • Maa-tu-a-wherowhero.

  • E iti ana tona whero.

  • E iti ana tona wherowhero.

  • E itiiti ana tona whero.

  • Maa-wherowhero tu-a-whakamaa ake.

  • Maa-wherowhero ake.

  • Maa-wherowhero iho.

  • Maa-tu-a-wherowhero iho.

  • Maa-tu-a-whewhero iho.

  • Ahua whero noa iho.
– 75 –

    • Ahua whakawhero noa.

    • Ahua wherowhero noa iho.

    • Tu-ahua wherowhero noa iho haere ake ki te maa.

    • Tona whero, he wherowhero noa iho otira ahua whakawhero ake.

    • Ata wherowhero.

    • Tu-a-kowhewhero.

    • Tona ata e ahua wherowhero ana.
    (3.

    Dark-red, red-brown, etc.)

    • Whero-pakaka.

    • Whero-tu-a-pouri.

    • Whero ahua pouri.

    • Whero ahua whakapouri.

    • Whero-parauri.

    • Kihai

    • Kahore

      • maarama tona whero.

    • Whero-rere-kee.

    • Whero-tangi-kee.

    • Whero-ahua-kee.

    • Whero-ahua-tangi-kee.

    • Whero-tu-ahua-kee.

    • Whero-tu-ahua-tangi-kee.*

    • Whero-pouri.

    • Whero-pango.
    (4.

    Faded red colour.)

    • Whero haamaa.

    • Wherowhero haamaa.

    • Whero tupapaku.

    • Wherowhero tupapaku.

    • Whero kua kore.
    (5.

    Ugly, disagreeable, bad, red colours.)

    • Whero kino.

    • Whero kinokino.

    • Wherowhero kino.

    • Wherowhero kinokino.

    • He whero ano ra, otira he whero tu-ahua kino.

    • Whero marutuna.

    • etc., etc.

[Footnote] * These six terms are really beautiful ones, possessing great depth of meaning: A good and interesting philological chapter might be written in their exposition.

– 76 –

To most, if not all, of those terms and idiomatic phrases (of which many others could be readily furnished) for the various natural colours of red, would be added the thing possessing that particular hue of red in the estimation of the speaker; who would also aim to be correct, otherwise his comparison, or simile, would be sure to be ventilated and roughly handled. Such was generally given with the comparative particle me (like: just as) preceding the noun: as,—tino whero, me te pua raataa = of a deep red, like the flowers of the raataa tree: whero, me he koura=red, just as a crawfish: whero, me he toto pango = red, like black (or old) blood. There were also several other modes of drawing the comparison.

Of those examples I have given above, I have repeatedly heard a very large number of them used.

Previous Article | Table of Contents | Next Article