330 NEW ZEALAND LANGUAGE. [PART III. 



Also to denote the place of birth, or the dwelling : 

 Te Pakea o Uropi . . the stranger from Europe. 

 E nga iwi o tawiti . . you tribes from afar. 



A and na are used in expressing relationship; as: 

 Te Tama a Warepouri . the son of Warepouri. 

 Te Tuwahine na Erangi . Erangi's sister. 



Or to denote an action; as: 



Te korero na Kauwau . the speech of Kauwau. 

 2. Very frequently, instead of these different expressions 

 of the genitive case, to or ta is used ; and in that case the 

 construction is in the following peculiar manner :- 

 The village of Epuni . ta Epuni kainga. 

 The custom of the natives to maori ritenga.. 

 Proper names are declined in the following manner : 

 Nom. Ko Etako, or Etako. 

 Gen. Na or no, a or o Etako. 

 Dat. Ki Etako. 

 Ace. Etako. 

 Foe. Etako. 

 Abl. I a Etako. 



If the word begins with a vowel, the e of the vocative is 

 omitted ; if with a consonant, the article is e, or e te : for in- 

 stance, e Paki, oh Paki, or e te Paki. 



CHAPTER III. 



OF GENDER. 



THE gender is expressed in man, animals, and some plants 

 by adding the word signifying male or female to the noun. 

 It is remarkable that the natives early observed the differ- 

 ence of the organs of fructification in different individuals of 

 the same tree or plant, and expressed it in their language. 

 The words used are tane for the male, and wahine for the 

 female ; thus : 



He matua tane , . . a father. 



He matua wahine a mother. 



