Hawaiki

Hawaiki is the mythological homeland to which several Polynesian peoples trace their origins. It is considered a type of Utopia, the homeland of the ancestors. Hawaiki is also the place from which traditional Māoris believe they are born from, and also the place they return to after death. It is referenced in stories, songs, proverbs, and genealogies. Hawaiki has both mystical and real significance; It is revered as part of the Māori cycle of life and death, and it is also believed to be a real island located somewhere in Polynesia, normally indicated towards the east.

Throughout this post, I will use the Māori word “Hawaiki” in my own reference to this legendary place, though the word may vary in different Polynesian languages.

Māoris traditionally welcome a newborn child with this phrase:

“E taku pōtiki, kua puta mai rā koe i te toi i Hawaiki.”
“My child, you are born from the source, which is at Hawaiki."

On the occasion of death, the following is also orated:

“E ngā mate, haere ki Hawaiki,
Ki Hawaiki nui, ki Hawaiki roa, ki Hawaiki pāmamao.”
“To the dead, depart to Hawaiki,
To great Hawaiki, to long Hawaiki, to distant Hawaiki.”

You may read more about the Māori concept of Hawaiki at this website: http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/hawaiki. It is a fascinating topic in itself, but I will stay on the topic of linguistics for this post (rather than veer off into cultural anthropology).

I first heard of Hawaiki in a charming New Zealand film called Whale Rider (I recommend watching this movie, which is based on the book by Witi Ihimaera). Because I am from Hawai‛i, this name immediately caught my linguistic attention.

Hawai‛i, the island chain located in the northernmost corner of the Polynesian “triangle,” was actually named after its largest island called Hawai‛i [w is pronounced as v in the Hawaiian language, and the ‛ or “‛okina” represents a glottal stop]. From many trips to Sāmoa during my childhood and teenage years, I had learned that Sāmoa’s largest island is also called Savai‛i (which is a cognate of “Hawai‛i;” many Polynesian words are mutually intelligible despite language differences).

Hawai‛i [Haw.] = Savai‛i [Sam.]—“s” stands in this Samoan word where “h” is in Hawaiian. “w” and “v” are pronounced the same in this case.

The Tongan word “hou'eiki,”meaning “chiefs,” is thought by some to be a cognate of Hawaiki. Some scholars further assert that the words/places Hawai‛i and Savai‛i were originally meant to denote chiefly rank rather than Hawaiki itself.

Hawaiki [Māori; mythilogical place] --> hou'eiki [Tong.; "chiefs"] --> Hawai‛i [actual place]

(Remember, the assertion of a link between Hawaiki and Hou'eiki is not a definite truth, but is at least suspected.)

Therefore (and assuming that the aforementioned assertion is factual),

Hawaiki [Māori] = Hawai’i [Haw.] (distantly)— the ’okina (glottal stop) stands in some Polynesian languages where “k” would stand in others; “w” is pronounced as “w” in Māori and as “v” in Hawaiian, so “w” and “v” sounds also correspond in the same way.

Hawaiki is thought to be related to the Cook Island Māori word for underworld, Awaiki, and thus Hawaiki itself is sometimes thought of as an underworld.

Hawaiki [Māori] = Awaiki [C.I. Māori; “underworld”]

On Easter Island, the Rapa Nui word for Hawaiki was Hiva, and was thought to lie eastward. In the Marquesas, the word “Hiva” denotes the names of several islands: Nuku Hiva, Hiva Oa, and Fatu Hiva.

The Hawaiian word for the ancestral homeland is Kahiki. Kahiki is actually a cognate of Tahiti.

Kahiki [Haw.] = Tahiti [Tah.]

What is interesting to note is that Tahiti is sometimes identified as the location of the actual Hawaiki.

A Māori Saying:

“Ehara i te mea poka hōu mai: nō Hawaiki mai anō.”
“It is not a new thing done without proper cause: it has come to us all the way from Hawaiki.”