Māori culture and language
For Aotearoa this assistant has no embedded dictionary as it does for Kanak. It therefore consults the institutions that document Māori language and culture directly, and names the source in its answer. What it cannot find, it says so.
Languages and peoples
The institutions consulted
- Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māoritetaurawhiri.govt.nz
- Te Aka Māori Dictionarymaoridictionary.co.nz
- Te Ara — Encyclopedia of New Zealandteara.govt.nz
- Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewatepapa.govt.nz
- Auckland War Memorial Museumaucklandmuseum.com
- Waitangi Tribunalwaitangitribunal.govt.nz
- NZHistory — Manatū Taonganzhistory.govt.nz
- National Library of New Zealandnatlib.govt.nz
Questions to start with
- What does the haka mean in Māori culture?
- What are taonga and why do they matter?
- What plants are used in traditional Māori medicine?
- What materials are used in pounamu carving?
- What is the Waitangi Tribunal?
What the assistant will not do
It will not invent a word in a Pacific language, and it will not present one people’s practice as another’s. When it has no source, it says so. Every word in language it writes is checked after the answer, and the reader is shown any that appear nowhere.