Learning Media - Te Pou Taki Kõrero

The following, composed by Professor Patu Hohepa of the University of Auckland, provides a perspective on the function of possessives within the Māori language, as this is one aspect of Māori grammar which cannot adequately be illustrated by dictionary entries alone.

The possessive markers a and o are used to translate “belonging to” or “of”. They mark the possessor in a relationship which links possession and possessor. That is why a and o are called possessive markers. In the phrase te whenua o te whānau (the land of the family), te whenua is the possession and te whānau is the possessor, and o is the possessive marker. One must choose the right possessive marker in every instance, to be a good speaker, and also because these possessive markers express meaning differences which are culturally important to Māori. You cannot avoid using either a or o. They are crucial to the language. The a and o can be bound to time or number prefixes, and to first person pronoun suffixes, for example, mā, mō, nā, nō, tā, tō, and tāna, tōna, māna, mōku.

In colloquial speech, a neutral form is used, for example, taku, tana, aku, ana, rather than tāku, tōku, āku, ōku. Possessive sentences are used a lot in Māori.

Anything can be possessed: things that are visible (for example, horse, child, land); things that are not so easily visible (for example, air, universe, geothermal energy); invisible things (for example, thoughts, dreams, soul); and concepts (for example, culture, right and wrong, power).

Sometimes, the possessive marker and the possessor follow the possession in a phrase.

Sometimes, marker and possessor form a phrase which comes before the possession.

Sometimes, especially with pronouns, the possessive marker is incorporated with the definite article, so te kura o mātau can also be tō mātau kura. Verbs and noun phrases can also be “owned”, for example, He pai tā mātau haere. Our journey was good.

The easiest way of choosing the right possessive marker is to work out the relationship between the possession and the possessor, and only two questions are needed. 1. Is the relationship based on “location”? If the answer is yes, use o. 2. If “location” is not relevant, is the relationship based on “control”? If the subject is in control, use a; if not, use o.

Location

“Location” has a number of interrelated meanings.

1. The “possession” has a location in time or space.

the days of the past ngā rā o mua
the fourth day of the week te whā o ngā rā o te wiki
the time of the war te wā o te pakangā
my day of birth tōku rā whānau
in front of the house i mua o te whare
in the middle of the people i waenganui o te iwi
the gods of the heavens ngā atua o ngā rangi
his sitting places ōna wāhi nohoanga

2. The “possession” is part of the possessor - physically, spiritually, personally, or culturally.

my hands ōku ringaringa
the spirits of his ancestors ngā wairua o ōna tīpuna
the handle of the paddle te kakau o te hoe
the oil of the whale te hinu o te parāoa
the sweetness of sugar te reka o te huka
the custom of the marae te kawa o te marae
his hat tōna pōtae
the food of the sea ngā kai o te moana
the cloak of Mere te kahu o Mere
the man's coat te koti o te tangata
my wife tōku hoa wahine
my husband tōku hoa tāne
my older brother tōku tuakana

3. The “possession” acts as a “location” for the possessor. Transport is treated as a “location” in this way.

the canoe of Māui te waka o Māui
my home tōku kāinga
The Book of Job Ko te Pukapuka o Hopa
Tom's motorcar te motokā o Tame

Control

“Control” has various interrelated meanings.

1. The possessor carries or moves the possession.

Mary's kit te kete a Mere
Peter's sheep ngā hipi a Pita
Joseph's kumara nga kūmara a Hohepa
the chief's club te patu a te rangatira
the child's apples nga āporo a te tamaiti

2. The possessor rules, controls, orders, or dominates the “possession”.

the chief's servants ngā pononga a te rangatira
the soldiers of the Queen ngā hōia a te Kuini
the killing of the octopus by Kupe te patunga a Kupe i te wheke

3. The possessor initiates or produces the “possession”.

the works of the ancestors ngā mahi a ngā tīpuna
the children of Hata ngā tamariki a Hata
Patricia Grace's book te pukapuka a Patricia Grace
the food of the woman te kai a te wahine

4. The possessor and “possession” have an equal relationship.

the wife of Tūwhakairiora te wahine a Tūwhakairiora
the husband of Ruataupare te tāne a Ruataupare

If there is no “control”, that is, if the possessor does not carry or move, or rule, control, order, dominate, initiate, or produce the “possession”, you must choose o as the possessive marker.

the taking of the woman te rironga o te wahine
the defeat of the enemy te matenga o te hoariri
the ancestors of Hata ngā tīpuna o Hata
the Queen of the people te Kuini o ngā iwi