Etahi Whetu

Māori Star and Constellation Names

Compiled by C J Hilder, June 2000-May 2003.
URL: http://www.teapot.orcon.net.nz/maori_star_names.html
The assistance of Lorraine (Te Rohe) Johnston is gratefully acknowledged.

There are no definitive Māori names for particular stars. The various tribes often have different names and different traditions. It is probable that each tribe had its own names for something in the vicinity of 300 stars, with some names being used more universally throughout Aotearoa. These 'universal' names were often used for different stars by different tribes. To further add to the complexity of the situation, some stars were given different names at different times of the year, or when appearing in different parts of the sky. Several Māori star names have been recorded and published, most with no indication of which tribes made use of the names, and most not identified with specific stars.

This list has been compiled for the purpose of putting names to actual stars and groups of stars. Only published star names have been used, and only those that can be definitely identified with a particular star, constellation or planet. Where more than one name is known for a single star, constellation or planet, one name has been chosen and an attempt has been made to select the commonest or most representative name from those available in the literature. The result is a collection made up of names taken from more than one iwi.

This practice has been adopted in order to create a list of names that can be used as labels on a star map. It creates a one dimensional picture of what was once a complex system of inter-related names that were almost certainly used for many purposes besides those we know about today from the literature.

This list of names has been used as the basis for a bilingual Star Wheel, published on the web site Astronomy In Your Hands. This is believed to be the most comprehensive Māori star map published.

Due to the incompleteness of this list any additions that you might offer are welcomed. (Contact the author Chris Hilder .)

Stars and Constellations

Autahi	Canopus
Kaikōpere	Sagittarius
Māhutonga	Southern Cross
Mairerangi	Scorpio (body)
Marere-o-tonga	Archernar
Matamata Kāheru	Hyades
Matariki	Pleiades
Ō-tama-rākau	Fomalhaut
Pīawai	The False Cross
Poutū-te-Rangi	Altair
Puangahori	Procyon
Puanga	Rigel
Pukawanui	Canis Major (triangle)
Pūtara	Betelgeuse
Ranginui	Beta Centauri (closest pointer)
Rehua	Antares
Ruawāhia	Arcturus
Takurua	Sirius
Tama-rereti	Scorpio (tail)
Taumata-kuku	Aldebaran
Tautoru	Orion's belt
Uruao	Alpha Centauri (furthest pointer)
Whakaahu kerekere	Pollux
Whakaahu rangi	Castor
Whānui	Vega
Whetū Kaipō	Bellatrix
Whetū Matarau	The Pointers (to the Southern Cross)
Whiti-kaupeka	Spica

Milky Way and Nebulae

Kapua Puehu o Tautoru	The Orion Nebula (M42)
Matanuku	Large Magellanic Cloud
Ngā Pātari	Magellanic Clouds
Ngā Pātari Kaihau	Small Magellanic Cloud
Te Māngōroa	The Milky Way
Te Pātiki	The Coal Sack

Sun, Moon, and Planets

Rā	Sun
Marama	Moon
Whiro	Mercury
Kōpū	Venus
Papatūānuku	Earth
Matawhero	Mars
Kōpūnui	Jupiter
Pareārau	Saturn
Rangipō	Uranus
Tangaroa	Neptune
Whiringa ki Tawhiti	Pluto

Sources and Notes

Best, E The Astronomical Knowledge of the Maori Government Print, Wellington, NZ, 1922 (reprinted 1986), available online at http://www.knowledge-basket.co.nz/kete/taonga/taonga.html; Hana Limited (publisher) Te Ao Hurihuri (Internet publication) Hana Limited, Porirua, NZ, 2001, Contributors Tony Fisher and Hapimana Rikihana, URL http://www.hana.co.nz/teao.html, Files dated 11 May 2001, Accessed on 19 Oct 2002; Leather, K Taatai Arorangi (Internet publication) Phoenix Astronomical Society, Wellington, NZ, URL http://www.astronomynz.org.nz/maori/maori.htm, Files dated 5 January 2003, Accessed on 1 May 2003; Moorfield, J C Te Whanake 4: Te Kōhure Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato, Hamilton, NZ, 1996; Ngata, H M English-Maori Dictionary Learning Media, Wellington, NZ, 1993; Orbell, M The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Māori Myth and Legend Canterbury University Press, Christchurch, NZ, 1995; Williams, H W A Dictionary of the Maori Language (7th edition) Government Print, Wellington, NZ, 1971; Key to abbreviations used in the following table:; B = Best, H = Hana, M = Moorfield, N = Ngata, O = Orbell, W = Williams. The numbers are page numbers. H references include a reference to the pdf file on the Hana web site, as follows:

Name	Sources	Notes
Autahi	N 48; W 23; B 42ff; O 33; M 176	Aotahi and Atutahi are different forms of this name.
Kaikōpere	H (ii)1	Literally "archer" (Ngata p 18).
Kapua Puehu o Tautoru	H (ii)1	Literally "dust cloud of Tautoru"
Kōpū	W 138; N 520; O 90; M 176; H (i)1	It was common for this planet to have different names as morning and evening star, but Kōpū appears to be acceptable as a general name for the planet itself.
Kōpūnui	B 39; H (i)2	Rangawhenua is given as another name for Jupiter in W 323, N 243, and M 176. Leather gives Hine-i-tiweka as a name for Jupiter, and gives Best as the source.
Māhutonga	W 166; B 39; O 98; M 176	Taki o Autahi is another common name for this constellation N 441, W 371, H (ii)2.
Mairerangi	W 478; B 6, 41 & 56ff	Tūhoe usage, according to Best.
Marama	W 180; N 285
Marere-o-tonga	M 177; W 182	Williams does not give this name as Achernar, but does give it as te kai arahi mai o Atutahi. Hana gives Tautahi for this star H (ii)1.
Matamata Kāheru	B 40; H (iv)1	Literally "pointed spade." Best lists it as Mata-kaheru. This group of stars are also known as Te Kōkōtā (W 121; B 6 & 40) or Te Kōkota (M 176).
Matanuku	H (ii)1
Matariki	N 343; W 190; B 52ff; O112; M 176; H (ii)2	This name, in various forms, is used Pacific wide, according to Best. Leather gives Matariki as a name for Capella, and gives the source as Stowell.
Matawhero	B 40; M 176; H (i)2	Best gives his source as Stowell. Leather has Matawhiro but does not give a source.
Ngā Pātari Kaihau	H (ii)1
Ngā Pātari	W 270; B 39; M 176; H (ii)1	Hana gives Ngā Kapua Pātari. Kapua literally means "cloud" (Ngata p 58)
Ō-tama-rākau	M 177	Hana gives Te Mahurahura for this star.
Papatūānuku	H (i)2
Pareārau	W 266; N 243; B 31; M 176; H (i)3	Hana gives this as a name for Saturn. Ngata and Williams give it as a name for Jupiter. Best mentions it as both Jupiter and Saturn.
Pīawai	H (ii)1	In H(v)1 the Diamond Cross has been labelled Pīawai. This is apparently an error.
Poutū-te-Rangi	W 299; B 59; O 142; M 177	Williams identifies this name as also being applied to Antares. (Antares appears in this list as Rehua.)
Puanga	W 302; B 47ff; O142-3; M 177; H (ii)1	Puaka is the South Island variant according to Best. Another probable name for this star is Pipiri. According to Williams p 283 Pipiri is a star visible in the mornings a little earlier in the year than Matariki. At Auckland latitudes Puanga rises approximately one week earlier in the year than Matariki and is therefore very likely to be Pipiri. (Leather gives Pipiri as being "Scorpio generally" but gives no source.)
Puangahori	W 302; B 41; M 177; H (ii)1	Hana gives this name as Puanga Hori.
Pukawanui	B 33	Possibly is Pūkawanui. Best does not indicate vowel length. Best gives his source as Stowell.
Pūtara	H (ii)1
Rā	W 319; N 464; H (i)1	Tamanui-te-rā is the full name of the sun. (Melbourne, Hirini Te Wao Nui a Tāne Huia Publishers, Te Whanganui-a-Tara, NZ, page 62.)
Ranginui	H (ii)1
Rangipō	H (i)3	Presumed to be a modern name because traditional Māori would not have been able to see this planet.
Rehua	N 14; W 334; B 56ff; O 154; M 177	Tūhoe usage, according to Orbell. The name Rehua was used for Betelgeuse or Sirius by others. See entry for Takarua.
Ruawāhia	W 350; B 41; M 177	Williams cites the name, but does not identify it as Arcturus. Leather gives Turu as a name for Arcturus, and gives Makemason as the source.
Takurua	N 431; W 375; B 60ff; O 173; M 177	This star was known as Rehua during the summer according to H (iv)1 and H (vi)1.
Tama-rereti	B 35, 41, & 56ff; O 176; M 176
Tangaroa	H (i)3	Presumed to be a modern name because traditional Māori would not have been able to see this planet.
Taumata-kuku	B 40; M 177; H (ii)1	Best does not specify a source.
Tautoru	N 312; W 404; B 47ff; O193; M 176; H (ii)2	Tautoru has been listed here for stars in Orion, but another common name for stars in Orion is Te Kakau, the name for the adze handle seen in the constellation (Best pp 31 and 38; Williams p 104). Moorefield lists Te Kakau as applying to the star Regulus (p 177), but it appears to be more commonly used for stars in Orion. Te Kakau has not been included in this list as applying to Regulus - this is to make it simpler for teachers to use Te Kakau to refer to stars in Orion if desired.
Te Māngōroa	W 178; B 32; O 203; M 176; H (iv)1
Te Pātiki	W 271; B 41; M 176; H (ii)2
Uruao	H (ii)2
Whakāhu kerekere	M 177
Whakāhu rangi	W 3 & 486; B 34; O 243-4; M 177	Williams & Orbell identify Whakāhu as either Castor or Pollux. Only Moorefield gives the second part to the name: rangi.
Whānui	W 487; B 42 & 63ff; O 246-7; M 177
Whetū Kaipō	H (ii)2
Whetū Matarau	N 441; H (ii)2	In Ngata this name is used in an example under the head word "Southern Cross." There is no head word "Pointers."
Whiringa ki Tawhiti	H (ii)4	Presumed to be a modern name because traditional Māori would not have been able to see this planet.
Whiro	B 42; M 176; H (i)1	Best gives his source as Stowell.
Whiti-kaupeka	M 177; H (ii)2