Iwi - Erina Yokobe

Iwi is a Māori word, which generally means “people” or “nation”, and it often translates as “tribe”. Iwi are the largest units in Māori society. This word is both singular and plural in Maori language, and it’s mainly pluralized in English.

Example sentences:

 ・Iwi play a significant role in Māori society.

 ・ I am proud in our iwi.

 ・ Each iwi has its own distinct customs and history.

The reason why I think “iwi” is interesting is that when the word written in small letter, it looks like a crying emoticon. Its two “i” seems flowing tears, and “w” seems mouth for me. So, I became curious about the meaning of this word. However, the actual meaning of “iwi” is completely different from “crying”. I was a little bit surprised when I knew the word implies “tribe”.

Comments

  1. I agree that “iwi ” looks like crying face, also many “iwi ” would agree with it.

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    1. Thank you for your reply! I hope they will agree with my thoughts!

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  2. Your perspective is very interesting! When I recognize "iwi" as an emoticon, it looks like a cat and is so cute:)

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    1. Thank you for your comment! Yes, it's also looks like a cat emoticon!!

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  3. So imaginative! Maybe it makes Kiwis even cuter too.

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  4. The reason why you chosen this word is so cute❤️ And I love your imaginative!

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    1. Thank you for your comment! I'm so happy to hear that!!

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  5. 'Iwi' is a word that has become more commonly used in NZ-English in the past 10 years. It can be used alongside other expressions referring to kinship groups such as 'hapu' & 'whanau.'
    David :-)

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    1. Thank you for your reply, and for letting me know more about "iwi". I became curious about the relevance of each Maori words. I'd like to look up Maori language deeply, and learn more about Maori culture!

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  6. I just notice that the word "Kiwi" include "iwi" in the word. Is there any connection with the word ?

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  7. Thanks for your comment! I didn't realize that this word is included in "Kiwi"! I searched its relevance, but I couldn't find any of it... But I'm sure both words play an important role in Maori society!

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