Manawa Toa

by Dunsford, Cathie

  “That,” replies Cowrie, “is a Heart Warrior. You can see her in the northern hemisphere. It’ll remind you of who you are and of this voyage. Me te mea ko Kopu ka rere i te pae: like the star Venus as she rises above the horizon …”

  “And you,” whispers Sahara, a tear in the corner of her eye, as she snuggles into Cowrie’s arms for their last sweet night together.

  Above them, the sky sparkles stars that guided the first Pacific navigators to these islands and will continue long after nuclear explosions have left. Below, a lone dolphin rests in the dark waters, preparing to guide the Heart Warrior safely home to Aotearoa. Haere e whai i te waewae o Uenuku, kia ora ai te tangata. Good fortune comes to those with the memory of going to the feet of Uenuku.

  Glossary

  See Cowrie and The Journey Home for further glossaries. All words are Maori, colloquial New Zealand English, Hawai’ian [H], or Samoan [S].

  ae: yes.

  ahi: tuna fish [H].

  akiaki: red-billed seagull.

  aloha: greeting, also love, in Hawai’i.

  Aotearoa: Northland, New Zealand.

  aroha: love.

  beadies: beady eyes.

  bickie jar: jar of biscuits.

  bush telegraph: informal communication network.

  cuzzies: cousins.

  dak: dope, marijuana. Colonial rule has made this often the only source of income for dispossessed islanders, as in many Third World countries.

  e oma! let’s go! come on!

  feijoa: native fruit, of guava family.

  goer, as in “she’s a goer”: she is ok, she gets involved, moves, goes.

  Great Turtle Island: Native American name for USA.

  haka: dance of challenge.

  hangi: underground cooking.

  haole: white person [H].

  Hau Atoll: Pacific atoll where French agents who bombed the Greenpeace Rainbow Warrior in Auckland Harbour were sent as “punishment” by the French government, who had ordered the bombing. Both agents were let free before their sentences were served. A Greenpeace photographer was killed when the boat was bombed and others nearly missed being exploded but escaped the boat in time.

  hei matau: bone fishhook.

  heiau: temple, sacred stone building [H].

  hoea: paddle; also used for spear because paddle is in shape of a spear.

  huhu: large bug.

  hui: meeting.

  hula: Hawai’ian dance.

  ieie: vine that curls around walls and trees like octopus tentacles [H].

  ika: fish.

  iwi: tribe.

  kahawai: fish.

  kahuna: Hawai’ian priest or elder.

  kai: food.

  kai moana: seafood.

  kamaha’o: wonderful [H].

  Kanaka Maoli: Hawai’ian Independence Movement [H].

  ka pai: go well, all’s well.

  kapuku: process of soul travelling from body (see text for context) [H].

  karakia: prayer.

  kava: Fijian liquor.

  kete: woven kit or bag, usually made from flax.

  kia kaha: stay strong.

  kia ora: hullo, greetings; also used as expression of agreement.

  kihini: kitchen.

  kina: sea egg.

  kiore: Polynesian rat.

  kohanga reo: lit. language nest. Preschool programmes conducted in Maori.

  korero: talk, speech.

  koru: spiral design with spiritual signifiance, like a fern frond in shape.

  kuia: wise woman elder.

  kumara: Maori sweet potato.

  kupua: elders [H].

  kura kaupapa: Maori-language immersion secondary schools.

  lavalava: pareu or cloth worn around body [S].

  lehua: blossom of o’hia tree, large sprawling tree like the pohutukawa tree in Aotearoa. with exquisite red or yellow blossom in summer [H].

  lei: neck garland of flowers [H].

  mahalo: thank you [H].

  malama pono: much love [H].

  manu toetoe: kite made from pampas grass.

  Manawa Toa: Heart Warrior.

  manuka: tea tree.

  marae: gathering place for Maori.

  mere: club.

  MMP: Mixed Member Proportional Representation (form of government in Aotearoa).

  mokopuna: grandchildren.

  Nga Puhi: Northland tribe to which Cowrie belongs.

  Ngati Cyberspace: Ngati is used for tribe—so hence here, cyberspace internet tribe.

  nikau: native palm tree of Aotearoa.

  Opononi: Home of Opo, the gay dolphin, in the Hokianga Harbour, Tai Tokerau.

  pakeha: white person.

  Papatuanuku: Earth Mother, earth we live on, Aotearoa.

  paua: black shellfish with bright green-blue shells, like abalone.

  pohutukawa: native tree which blooms in summer.

  poi: liquid made from beaten taro plant [H].

  pounamu: greenstone, native jade found in Aotearoa.

  powhiri: welcome.

  pukapuka: book.

  rellies: relatives.

  rubber ducks: inflatable boats (widely used in Aotearoa).

  ruru: owl.

  squizzy, as in “have a squizzy”: have a look.

  suss out: investigate.

  Tai Tokerau: Northland, Aotearoa.

  takapu: gannet.

  tangata whenua: people of the land.

  taninha: monster.

  taonga: sacred gift.

  tapa: beaten cloth, usually decorated with berry dyes.

  Te Aroha: name of Kuini’s sexual abuse programme; “aroha” lit. means “love”.

  Te Kotuku: Te Kotuku Marae, named after the kotuku or rare white heron.

  toetoe: pampas grass.

  torea: oystercatcher (bird).

  tuatua: shellfish.

  Uenuku: God of the Rainbow, he passed on wisdom to those who were willing to hear.

  utu: revenge.

  wahine: woman.

  waiata: song.

  waka: Maori canoe; also used in text for modern canoe or kayak.

  weta: large insect like a huge cricket, with barbed legs and awesome jaws.

  whakamutu! be quiet!

  whanau: family.

  whare nui: large house, meeting house, as the marae.

  wheke: octopus.