Homegrown
Whakamomori
the Ngāpuhi wayMost learners only ever hear one meaning of this word. Up here in the north it means something else, and my dog is about to show you what.
5 short steps · about 3 minutes
Learn a local meaning, hear how our old people used it, and help keep it alive.
Where you're from changes the word
Content note: this step mentions suicide.
While making the documentary Māui's Hook, I learned that whakamomori became the national term for suicide.
For us in Ngāpuhi, the word has a different meaning altogether.
If this topic brings anything up for you, you can free call or text 1737 any time to talk with a trained counsellor.
E whakamomori ana…
Watch the dog and read the captions. He's trying with everything he's got.
Match each piece of te reo to its meaning.
Now put the whole line together:
Hear it the northern way
Here in Northland, whakamomori often had a positive meaning.
Listen to each example in te reo. Guess the meaning before I translate it.
Example 1 · What's the advice to the student?
Example 2 · What's the message about the job?
Keep the local meaning alive
Some words are at risk of being swallowed by the national meaning. It would be a real shame to lose what they mean to each iwi.
This week, pick one:
Whakamomori: give it everything you've got.
Homegrown · made from the Māori in a Minute video "Desperate". Clips play only the important moments.