|
Te Waipounamu is the official Māori name for New Zealand's South Island which is also sometimes referred to as ''Te Waka a Māui'' (The canoe of Maui), from mythology. Ngāi Tahu, the principal Māori iwi (tribe) of the southern region of New Zealand, utilised the very hard greenstone (jade) to make adzes and other implements, as well as ornaments. Particularly valued was a paler nephrite which the Māori called ''inanga'', gathered in a remote area near what is now called the Dart Valley. Māori named the district ''wāhi pounamu'', meaning "place of greenstone", and the South Island came to be called ''Te Wāhi Pounamu''. This somehow evolved into ''Te Wai Pounamu'' which means "the water(s) of greenstone" but bears no relation to the original meaning. The New Zealand Geographic Board found that, along with the North Island, the South Island had no official name. The Minister decided to formalise two names; the South Island or Te Waipounamu.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 title=NZ Geographic Board Welcomes Minister’s Decision On Islands’ Names )〕 ==See also== *Māui (Māori mythology) *Te Ika-a-Māui *Te Wahipounamu 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Te Waipounamu」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|