September 13, 2013
Reo names restored for manu
A new guide to New Zealand birds has sought to bring back many of the Maori names for our feathered friends.
Author Paul Scofield has scoured early journals, histories and dictionaries to compile nearly 1200 Maori names for 200 of the 365 species found in New Zealand. Most of which are rarely, if ever, used today.
He says traditional bird names are often practical descriptions of the elements important to survival in a harsh land, such as whether the meat is tasty, or the time of year at which the bird appears in the area.
Dr Scofield is now working with Maori academics Tom Roa and Hemi Whaanga finding Maori naming conventions for birds and the way that introduced fauna can be identified in te reo.
Birds of New Zealand: A Photographic Guide includes photographs by Brent Stephenson, and it’s published next week by Auckland University Press.
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