Best. — Maori Numeration. 



151 



pears to equal our expression " in countless numbers " — like 

 unto the sands of the sea-shore, or leaves in the Vale of Val- 

 lombrosa. Both viano and tini are used separately, or together, 

 to denote a great number, a myriad ; hence mano does not 

 necessarily imply a specific number, as a thousand. The 

 word ngeangea is probably an intensive. Ellis expresses his 

 astonishment at the completeness of the Polynesian system 

 of enumeration in these words: "The precision, regularity, 

 and extent of their numbers has often astonished me." 



The Native terms for the numerals were as given below: — 



Of these terms the first nine are still used, but the word 

 ngahuru is no longer employed in counting, being replaced by 

 the term tekau, which latter appears to have been used in 

 pre-European times to denote twenty — but of which more 

 anon. 



To the above terms various prefixes are applied. When 

 using any of these expressions for numbers in conversation, 

 or when enumerating articles, the term ko is prefixed to the 

 first, which thus becomes kotahi. From two to nine in- 

 clusive the prefix is e. To ngahuru no prefix is applied as a 

 cardinal, but as an ordinal tua is so employed : tua-nga- 

 huru = iem\\. Tekau, the modern term for ten, never bears 

 a prefix, the ordinal being expressed by the use of the definite 

 article : te tekau = the tenth. Thus we have the cardinal 

 numbers as follows 



E-ono 



E-whitu 



E-waru 



E-iwa 



Ngahuru, 0?- telcau = ten 



These terms are often used when countinf^. 

 But an ancient, and more correct, style of actual enumeration 

 is by prefixing ka to the numerals. Probably, however, ka 

 is not a true prefix in this case : for my own part, I do not so 

 regard it. In Williams's Maori Dictionary we find " yfca = 

 a verbal particle, denoting the commencement of a new 

 action or condition, or a state of things new to the speaker." 

 Here we have the key to the matter — in this wise : when, in 

 counting a number of articles, a person says " ka wha," the 

 expression means that that number is attained, the counted 



SIX 



seven 

 eight 

 nine 



as used in Maori. 



