Maramataka

The Maramataka is the lunar calendar of the Māori people.

The Maramataka is traditionally used to assist in the cycles of food gathering, such as fishing, eeling, and planting.

Etymology

Maramataka in the Māori language means "the turning of the moon."

Following the arrival of Christian missionaries in the early 19th century, the Māori adopted phonetic variants of the English names for the days of the week and the months of the year. Since about 1990, the Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori has promoted traditional sets reflecting the original Māori language before anglicisation.

Calendar

The Maramataka is a 12-month calendar, though the two months following the harvest month of Poutū-te-rangi are unremarkable periods of little activity and may be customarily removed from the calendar.

Māori days of the week
Day Anglicisation Official
MondayManeRāhina
TuesdayTūreiRātū
WednesdayWenereiRāapa
ThursdayTāiteRāpare
FridayParaireRāmere
SaturdayRāhoroi/HātereiRāhoroi
SundayRātapu/WikiRātapu
Māori lunar calendar
Month Anglicisation Official Description
December–JanuaryHānuereKohi-tātea "Fruits are now ripe, and man eats of the new food of the season."
January–February PēpuereHui-tanguru "The foot of Rūhī (a summer star) now rests upon the earth."
February–MarchMāehePoutū-te-rangi The crops are now harvested.
March–AprilĀperiraPaenga-whāwhā "All straw is now stacked at the borders of the plantations."
April–MayMeiHaratua "Crops are now stored in pits. The tasks of man are finished."
May–JuneHunePipiri "All things on earth are contracted because of the cold; likewise man."
June–JulyHūraeHōngongoi "Man is now extremely cold and kindles fires before which he basks."
July–AugustĀkuhataHere-turi-kōkā "The scorching effect of fire is seen on the knees of man."
August–SeptemberHepetemaMahuru "The earth has now acquired warmth, as have vegetation and trees."
September–OctoberOketopaWhiringa-ā-nuku "The earth has now become quite warm."
October–NovemberNoemaWhiringa-ā-rangi "It has now become summer, and the sun has acquired strength."
November–DecemberTīhemaHakihea "Birds are now sitting in their nests."

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Nights in the Maramataka: the Māori lunar month". Museum of New Zealand. Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
  2. ↑ "Māori Orthographic Conventions". Te Taura Whiri i Te Reo Māori (Māori Language Commission). Archived from the original on 23 September 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  3. 1 2 Taonga. "Lunar months". Te Ara. New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu. Archived from the original on 13 January 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2022.