Aotearoa
Sign in to saveAotearoa is the Māori-language name for New Zealand. The name was originally used by Māori in reference only to the North Island, with the whole country sometimes referred to as , especially in the South Island. In the pre-European era, Māori did not have a collective name for the two islands.
Article
10 sectionsContents
- Origin
- Mythology
- Usage
- Music
- Proposals for official use
- See also
- Explanatory notes
- Notes
- References
- External links
Aotearoa is the Māori-language name for New Zealand. The name was originally used by Māori in reference only to the North Island, with the whole country sometimes referred to as , especially in the South Island. In the pre-European era, Māori did not have a collective name for the two islands.
Several meanings for Aotearoa have been proposed; the most popular translation usually given is "land of the long white cloud", or variations thereof. This refers to the cloud formations which are believed to have helped early Polynesian navigators find the country in Māori oral tradition.