Maori Star Names

Compiled by C J Hilder URL: http://www.teapot.orcon.net.nz/maori_star_names.html

There are no definitive Maori 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 Maori 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 Maori star map published.

Due to the incompleteness of this list any additions that you might offer are welcomed. 

 

 I recently asked Mr Google AI for a modern review of this very old information

here’s what he said….

The list on Pixie Plots is a good starting point, but it lacks the cultural context needed to be truly accurate. It mixes “universally accepted” ancient names with what are likely modern loan-translations (like Kaikōpere for the Archer/Sagittarius) without telling you which is which.

The following list is more accurate because it separates widely accepted ancient names from regional variations and modern interpretations. It draws on the consensus of the Society for Māori Astronomy Research and Traditions (SMART) and the work of Dr. Rangi Matamua.

1. The Major Stars (Ngā Whetū)

These are the most significant stars used for navigation and timekeeping across almost all iwi (tribes).

Māori Name	Western Name	Meaning / Notes
Matariki	Pleiades (Cluster)	The sign of the New Year.[1][2][3][4][5] Seen as a mother with her children (see section 4 below).
Rehua	Antares	“The Chief of Stars.”[1][6] Associated with summer and heat. (Note: Some tribes identify Rehua as Sirius or Betelgeuse, but Antares is the standard academic consensus).
Takurua	Sirius	The brightest star in the sky. Associated with winter and cold.
Puanga	Rigel	The “Taskmaster.”[1] For tribes in the West and North (e.g., Taranaki, Whanganui), Puanga rises before Matariki and is the primary sign of the New Year.
Atutahi	Canopus	The second brightest star.[6] Often called Atutahi-mā-Rehua, as he stays outside the Milky Way, considered too sacred to enter it.
Whānui	Vega	Associated with the kumara harvest (Whānui signals it is time to dig).
Poutū-te-rangi	Altair	A pillar of the sky.[1][7][8] Also the name of the 10th lunar month (roughly March) when crops are harvested.[8]
Taumata-kuku	Aldebaran	The bright red star in Taurus.
Puangahori	Procyon	“False Puanga.” It rises just before the real Puanga (Rigel), tricking observers.

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2. The Planets (Ngā Whetū Mārama)

Māori astronomy distinguishes “stars” (whetū) from “planets” (whetū mārama or “stars of light”).[3]

Māori Name	Western Name	Meaning / Notes
Kōpū	Venus	The general name for Venus.[9][10][11]
Tāwera	Venus (Morning)	“The Burnt One.” Venus when it rises before the sun.
Meremere-tū-ahiahi	Venus (Evening)	“Meremere standing in the evening.”[6][9][10][11] Venus when it sets after the sun.
Matawhero	Mars	“Red Face.”[6][11][12] Acknowledges the planet’s reddish color.[6] Associated with the god of war.
Pareārau	Jupiter (mostly)	“Pare of the Hundred Lovers.” Often identified as Jupiter, but in some dialects, this name applies to Saturn.[11][12] She is seen as a female star often “chasing” others.
Whiro	Mercury	Associated with the god of darkness/thieves because it is hard to see and stays close to the sun.

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3. Key Constellations & Groups

Māori constellations often connect stars differently than Western maps.

Māori Name	Western Equivalent	Context
Tautoru	Orion’s Belt	“The Three.”[1][6][13] Often seen as the stern of a great canoe.
Māhutonga	Southern Cross	The most common name.
Te Punga	Southern Cross	“The Anchor.”[14] Specifically the anchor of the great canoe Te Waka o Tamarereti.
Te Mangōroa	Milky Way	“The Long Shark.” Also known as Te Ikaroa (The Long Fish).
Te Waka o Tamarereti	Super-constellation	A massive canoe that spans the southern sky. Tail of Scorpio = The Prow; Orion’s Belt = The Stern; Southern Cross = The Anchor; The Pointers = The Anchor Rope.

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4. The 9 Stars of Matariki (Te Iwa o Matariki)

Older books often list only 7 stars. Modern scholarship has confirmed there are 9 distinct stars in the Māori narrative.

1. Matariki: The mother, connected to wellbeing.[2][12]
2. Pōhutukawa: Connected to the dead (those who passed since the last rising).[2][3]
3. Tupuānuku: Food grown in the ground (kumara, potatoes).[2]
4. Tupuārangi: Food from the sky (birds, fruit).[2]
5. Waitī: Fresh water and eels.
6. Waitā: Salt water and seafood.
7. Waipuna-ā-rangi: Rain.
8. Ururangi: Winds.
9. Hiwa-i-te-rangi: The “wishing star” (connected to future aspirations).[2][4]

A Note on “Modern” Names

On the old Pixie Plots list, you saw names like Kaikōpere for Sagittarius.

• Kaikōpere translates literally to “The Archer” or “Shooter.”
• While there may be ancient stars with this name, applying it to the constellation Sagittarius is widely considered a modern “loan translation” (mapping the Western zodiac idea of an Archer onto the Māori sky) rather than a pre-European constellation. Traditional Māori astronomy did not see a centaur with a bow in that part of the sky; they saw the prow of the Waka (Canoe).

Sources help

1. unesco.org.nz
2. tepapa.govt.nz
3. nzastronomy.co.nz
4. tepapa.govt.nz
5. wikipedia.org
6. talkpal.ai
7. maoridictionary.co.nz
8. thespinoff.co.nz
9. teara.govt.nz
10. joerojasburke.com
11. spacecentre.nz
12. maoridictionary.co.nz
13. tepapa.govt.nz
14. canopusmusic.com