What do the Polynesian names of your designs mean?
Ruth Wharram has provided the following:
- TANGAROA (also TAAROA) = the God of the Sea, the Great, Creative Spirit
- RONGO (also ORONGO) = his son
- HINA = Moon Goddess - woman
- HINEMOA = a woman in mythology who achieved a tremendous swimming feat
- TANE = Man, Lover, God of productivity or just Man, Husband
- TANE NUI = Big Tane
- RAKA = God of the Winds
- ARIKI = Chief
- TEHINI = Darling
- PAHI = Double Canoe
- TIKI = neck pendant which Maoris wear
- TIKIROA = Big TIKI
- HITIA = Sunrise - East
- WAKA = Canoe
- MAUI = Magic
- MOANA = Sea
- TOHORA = Dolphin
- MANA = Power
- HINE MOANA = Goddess of the Ocean
- ANUANUA = Rainbow
- RA = Sun
- WAKAITI = Small Canoe
- TOHUNGA = Priest
- WAKARUA = 2 Canoes
- AREOI = An age-old Tahitian fellowship of Artists and Seafarers
- Makua Hine Honua = Ancestral Woman of the Earth, i.e. the Hawaiian name for 'Spirit of Gaia'
- ITI = small
- ROA = long
- NUI = big
- RUA = 2
Any of the names can vary from island to island or are just slightly different. In Hawaii some of the consonants change, i.e. R becomes L, NG becomes N, so Rongo became Lono, the T often becomes a K, i.e. Matua becomes Makua (old/ancestral)
Also, remember, the pronunciation of the vowels is not like the English one but like Latin, Spanish, Italian, etc. i.e.:
- a = like the English in 'far'
- e = ea as in 'leather'
- i = e as in 'me' or 'he'
- o = as in the English word 'awe'
- u = as in the double oo in 'moon'
This is also good for people when they want to pronounce the names of our boats!!! Also, someone has asked if the name "NARAI" has to do with a particular Polynesian historical figure. In Polynesia, it is a woman's name, and she is a character from the book 'The singing Coral' by Sverre Holmsen, which I enjoyed very much. Hoping this is of interest, to all our builders and prospective builders.