Smith. — On Maori Nomenclature. 397 



pakehas in using Maori names. Hearing persons addressed, 

 they have taken the preceding "E " to be part of the name. 

 The chief Te Puni, of Wellington, was always known by the 

 European settlers as " E Puni." A great many similar in- 

 stances might be given. 



There are no family names among the Maoris. Every 

 child has his own name given soon after birth, which is re- 

 tained through life, though not always used. A person may 

 take many names. The so-called Maori King, Potatau, was 

 known as " Te Wherowhero " in the early days of the colony. 

 The name of the head of the family, however, comes into use 

 by his descendants as the name of a hapu or tribe, generally 

 by adding the prefix " Ngaati " or "Ngai" — Ngatiwhakaue, 

 at Rotorua — the family or descendants of Whakaue ; Ngai Te 

 Eangihouhiri, in the Bay of Plenty — the descendants of Te 

 Eangihouhiri : both of these prefixes meaning the same — i.e., 

 progeny. In some cases the singular form is used, as " Te 

 Atiawa" instead of " Ngatiawa ; " and other forms also are used, 

 as " Te Whanau o," " The family of " — Te Whanau o Apanui, 

 on the East Coast— or, " Te Uri o," " Te Aitanga a," "The 

 offspring of " — Te Uri o Hau, Kaipara ; Te Aitanga a Whare, 

 Poverty Bay, &c. 



It is not meant to assert that the names of tribes and 

 hapus are invariably, or even generally, those of ancestors ; 

 but in many cases it is so. and the use of these prefixes would 

 always be understood as indicating the family of the name so 

 prefixed. Families of some of the early missionaries, which 

 have multiplied and reached to the third and fourth genera- 

 tions, are often so designated. 



In speaking of Maori names, of course the names given in 

 Christian baptism are excluded. 



There is a remarkable Maori custom, which in bygone days 

 used to be very strictly observed. If a chief changed his 

 name, as in the cases above referred to, and took as a name 

 a word in common use having any connection with food, some 

 other word was forthwith substituted for the word so appro- 

 priated, which thereafter ceased to be used. I recollect in- 

 stances of this in the Bay of Plenty. A chief took the name 

 of Te Wai Atua (Spirit- water), and forthwith the word " ngo- 

 ngi" was substituted for "wai," which was dropped, both 

 words meaning water. In another case the word " kai " 

 (food) formed part of the names assumed by chiefs — Korokai 

 and Nga Kai. The use of the word " kai" for food ceased in 

 consequence, and the words "kame" and "tami" were used 

 instead. 



Other peculiar uses of names were the tapatapa and tuku- 

 tuku. To tapa anything was to give the name of a person to 

 it, the effect of which was to put it, figuratively, into the keep- 



