NCEA Level 1 Te Reo Rangatira key terms

A line of descent linking a person or group to ancestors and to the natural world; recited to establish identity, rights to land, and relationships between people and places.

A kinship group made up of several related whanau who trace descent from a shared ancestor; the main social unit holding land and obligations.

The largest kinship grouping, comprising many hapu that trace descent from a founding ancestor; often translated as tribe.

The extended family group; the basic unit of Maori social organisation bound by shared descent and mutual care.

Land, and also the placenta; the word links people to the earth through birth, belonging, and the duty to care for ancestral ground.

The people of a particular place by right of long-standing occupation and descent; those who hold mana over the land in that area.

The authority and rights a group holds over a specific area of land through occupation, descent, and acknowledged status.

Prestige, authority, and spiritual power that a person or group holds; it can be inherited or earned through actions and is diminished by wrongdoing.

A state of sacred restriction setting something apart as not to be touched or used freely; it protects people, places, and knowledge and carries obligations.

The state of being free of restriction, ordinary, and safe to approach; often used to restore balance after tapu has been lifted.

The duty and practice of guardianship over land, water, and living things, exercised by the people who hold mana whenua so resources endure for future generations.

The ethic of caring for others through hospitality, generosity, and respect, upholding the dignity of both hosts and guests.

Chieftainship, leadership, and the right of a group to govern its own affairs and resources according to its own customs.

A leader or chief whose standing rests on descent and on service to the people; leadership is shown by looking after the group.

An elder of a group, respected for knowledge and experience; often called on to speak, welcome visitors, and guide decisions.

A senior woman elder of a group, respected for her knowledge and her role in welcoming guests and upholding customs.

The open courtyard and surrounding buildings where a community gathers; the place for formal welcomes, speeches, mourning, and discussion.

The carved meeting house on a marae; its structure is often named after an ancestor, with the ridgepole as the spine and rafters as ribs.

The formal welcome ceremony in which visitors are called onto the marae, then greeted with speeches, songs, and the sharing of food.

The pressing of noses and foreheads in greeting, symbolising the sharing of breath and the creation of a relationship between people.

Formal oratory in which a speaker delivers a structured speech on the marae, following conventions of genealogy, acknowledgement, and argument.

A proverb or significant saying that carries inherited wisdom; used in speech and writing to support a point by drawing on ancestral knowledge.

A formulaic statement of identity naming one's mountain, river, ancestral house, and people; it establishes where a speaker belongs.

A greeting or acknowledgement, often formal, that recognises people, places, and ancestors before the main purpose of a speech or text.

The recitation of genealogical connections as a form of evidence and identity; a speaker uses it to link people, places, and events together.

A chant or incantation used to open a formal speech, often drawing on tradition and setting a spiritual tone before the speaker continues.

A song or chant; on the marae a group sings a waiata after a speech to support the speaker and reinforce the message.

Carving in wood, bone, or stone; carved patterns record ancestors, stories, and relationships and are read as a form of text.

Speech, talk, discussion, or narrative; also used as a verb meaning to speak or tell, and covers both formal and everyday communication.

A word; in language study it refers to individual vocabulary items whose meaning, form, and use a learner must know.

A sentence or spoken expression; a complete unit of meaning built from phrases and clauses according to the grammar of the language.

Grammar, the system of rules describing how words combine into phrases and sentences, including word order and particles.

A verb, the word class that expresses an action or state and takes tense and subject markers in a sentence.

A noun, the word class naming a person, place, thing, or idea; it can be preceded by particles and modifiers in a phrase.

An adjective or descriptive word that modifies a noun, indicating qualities such as size, colour, or condition.

A piece of writing, such as an essay, report, or narrative; in assessment it refers to the extended written text a candidate produces.

Thought, opinion, or idea; in writing and speech it refers to the viewpoint or reasoning a speaker or writer develops.

To listen; in assessment it refers to the skill of understanding spoken language and extracting meaning from what is heard.

To read, or a notice or announcement; in assessment it refers to reading comprehension and to public notices used as texts.