Aotearoa

Aotearoa [ ao ˌ tearoa ] is the most widely used today and most accepted Māori name for New Zealand.

Etymology

The etymological meaning and origin of the word is unknown to this day and there are various theories about. Aotearoa is in this case from the three words " ao ", " tea" and " roa " together. The first word component has the meanings "cloud", "Earth " / " world " and " Day " / "Daylight " / " Twilight ", the second "white" and the third is "long " or "large " / " high ". The most common translation of these three juxtaposed words is the land of the long white cloud (English: The land of the long white cloud ).

Maori legend

After an oral tradition Māori legend the daughter of the explorer Kupe is seen something white on the horizon and "He ao! He ao! " ( " A cloud! A cloud! ") Have proclaimed. She had thus discovered the Great Barrier Island, which is called in the language of Māori today as Aotea (ie White Cloud ). When the Māori soon a much larger land mass discovered behind this island, they called it Aotea Roa.

A theory that ties in with this legend refers to lenticulare clouds. Since both the North and the South Island have exceptionally high mountain ranges of the South Pacific, they create standing waves. The resulting elongated Föhnwolken differ significantly from the usual cumulus clouds. Since clouds often the first are what can be seen of a country on the high seas, would be a label near to these unusual clouds.

Snow-capped mountains

Exceptionally large clouds for New Zealand but not characteristic. Therefore, another theory refers to the snow capped mountains of the Southern Alps of the South Island and the Volcanic Plateau of the North Island. Since the Polynesian immigrants snow was unknown, they would have thought the mountains for clouds cloaks.

Long days

A third theory translates the term as meaning " land of the long, bright days." Due to New Zealand's southern location below the tropics, the twilights and the summer days to take relatively long. For the Polynesian discoverers of this circumstance was very unusual, because they knew a quick change of daylight and darkness of the night and equally long, but shorter days from their home. Receives support this theory by the Maori name " Rakiura " for Stewart Iceland. This term can be translated as " Red Hot Sky " and it probably refers to the often spectacular sunrises and sunsets as well as the southern lights.

Use

In pre-colonial times, there was no single, collective term for the islands that make up New Zealand today. Some Iwis designated the North Island as Aotearoa or as Aotea. However, the more common name for the North Island was Te Ika a Maui (the fish of Maui ), while the South Island was wearing different names such as Te Wai Pounamu ( the nephrite / jade water ), Te Wahi Pounamu ( nephrite / jade -site ) or in contrast to the North Island Te Waka o Maui / Aoraki ( the canoe of Maui / Aoraki ).

With the arrival of Europeans, the name "New Zealand " for the archipelago established. The Māori gave this term initially onomatopoeic again and transliterated it with Niu Tireni, Nu Tirani or similar terms (eg the Treaty of Waitangi ). This term but is now largely rejected because the part of the Māori neologisms are preferred over translations from English.

The term " Aotearoa " for the whole of New Zealand but was probably introduced ( British / European descent, or simply non- Māori New Zealanders ) also Pakehas. Historians such as Michael King lead the use back to an error in the 1916er February issue of the journal " School Journal". The term was then probably in a similar manner as the myths propagated by the Moriori. Nevertheless, he won among Māori increasingly popular ( as the term " Aotea ," but which is now hardly to be found ).

Aotearoa is still no official translation or even designation of New Zealand, although the term is usually used in official documents and labels. So contributes about the National Library of New Zealand, the Maori name " Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa " and also the Maori text of the bilingual since the 1990s anthem "God Defend New Zealand " means New Zealand as Aotearoa.

Altogether, the name in the last 25 years has significantly increased in popularity and is now used by both Māori as well as Pākehā.

An alternative name, which refers to the bilingualism of the country is targeted, " Aotearoa New Zealand". It is used for example by the New Zealand Greens, who call their party "Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand".

Used this term also from the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia.