Māori Proverbs & Sayings
By many, by thousands, the work will be accomplished.
Seek the treasure you value most dearly: if you bow your head, let it be to a lofty mountain.
As an old net withers another is remade.
As man disappears from sight, the land remains
What is done is done.
Seek after learning for the sake of your wellbeing.
The leaves of the manuka tree have been laid down.
An active soul is a healthy soul.
With your basket and my basket the people will live.
Leave your praises for someone else.
My love for you knows no bounds.
The flounder (fish) does not return to his dust.
Small in size is contrasted with great in value or beauty.
A lazy dog sticks close to the fire and singes its tail.
Words can’t express how much I love you.
My success should not be bestowed onto me alone, as it was not individual success but success of a collective.
My language is my awakening, my language is the window to my soul.
Like the honey of the flax flower .
Nothing can be achieved without a plan, workforce and way of doing things.
A little is better than none.
Marry a man with calloused hands.
It is the job of the children to smash the calabash.
When one house dies, a second lives.
As a person’s importance increases so do those who seek his favor.
A deep neck, but a shallow outcome.
It is the thought that counts.
The leader at the front and the workers behind the scenes.
There is food at the end of my hands.
Forgetfulness is an enduring possession.
He who does not seek will not find.
Ignore small matters and direct effort toward important ones.
Goodwill towards others is a precious treasure.
Like a dog follows his nose, man will find opportunity.
Certain conditions are best left to work themselves out.
Love received demands love returned.
A person with great endurance.
Be a leader not a follower.
It is the octopus who says sitting is working.
nYou depart with mighty boasts, but you come back having done little.
If something is too small for division, do not try to divide it.
Honest work brings its own reward.
Although it is small it is a treasure.
Unlike a canoe rope, a human bond cannot be severed.
Something has completed a full cycle.
Better times are coming.
My love for you will never wane.
Caution is highly prized.
Don’t die like a octopus, die like a hammerhead shark.
Let us keep close together not far apart.
The kumara (sweet potato) does not say how sweet he is.
look, listen, then speak.
Although it is small, it is given with love.
An active person will remain healthy while a lazy one will become sick.
A problem is solved by continuing to find solutions.
Like the rain that pelts down upon the roof, the lips of women move below.
A White heron flies once.
Many hands make light work.
By black and red together it is done.
Without foresight or vision the people will be lost.
A canoe which we are all in with no exception
Sit down and bide your time.
Industry begets prosperity; idleness begets poverty .
With red and black the work will be complete.
The Māori are the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand. The Māori originated with settlers from eastern Polynesia, who arrived in New Zealand in several waves of canoe voyages at some time between 1250 and 1300 CE. Over several centuries in isolation, the Polynesian settlers developed a unique culture that became known as the “Māori”, with their own language, a rich mythology, distinctive crafts and performing arts. Early Māori formed tribal groups, based on eastern Polynesian social customs and organisation. Horticulture flourished using plants they introduced, and later a prominent warrior culture emerged.
There have been three distinct but overlapping cultural eras—before widespread European contact, the 1800s in which Māori began interacting with European visitors and settlers, and the modern era since the beginning of the 20th century. The present culture of the Maori has been strongly influenced by western European culture but remnants of the old culture have been retained and revived, though often in a modified modern form. Maori speak fluent English but the New Zealand government has established government funding, organizations and schooling systems to encourage the learning and usage of the Maori language. As a result, there is now more awareness of their culture by young Maori.
The language of Maori is an Eastern Polynesian language spoken by the Māori people, the indigenous population of New Zealand. Since 1987, it has been one of New Zealand’s official languages. It is closely related to Cook Islands Māori, Tuamotuan, and Tahitian. (An excerpt from Wikipedia)