Pakeha child/Maori name
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Forum Name: General Chat
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URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=10054
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Topic: Pakeha child/Maori name
Posted By: daikini
Subject: Pakeha child/Maori name
Date Posted: 21 August 2007 at 10:28am
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I was just browsing through some slightly older threads (catching up) and noticed rubydooby's thread about whether Ariana was too Maori for a white child
(OT: love that name, don't think of it as a Maori name at all, but that's probably because I knew of its Welsh origins) We're in the process of legally changing Kiya's name. She will be going from Kiya Mary K--- (my maiden name), to Kiya Mary Aroha L-------- (my married name, and that of her brothers and Nat). Nat asked to include Aroha as a middle name because it means Love. Those of you who've met us know we are as white a family as you get! Kiya is 6th generation on my side to be born in New Zealand, but our family heritage is Welsh/Scottish. Do you think Kiya is too white to have a Maori middle name? She understands why we've chosen it, and is proud of it, but I worry she'll be teased. ------------- Becca, mum of 2 girls & 3 boys |
Replies:
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 21 August 2007 at 10:36am
| I wanted to give Erin a Maori middle name, Marama, and still regret not doing it. I think that as long as it is done with respect and understanding (which I know you have), then it should be fine. |
Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 21 August 2007 at 10:48am
considering its her third middle name it will prob hardly get used and i dont see anything wrong with it at all. mind you you never know - some uppity maori might want her to give them her name back in later years...hahaha 
its lovely and goes well with the rest of her name... (and truthfully shes probably going to get teased about kiya as a first name anyway. i think all kids get teased about their name at some stage, wether its their first or surname. i feel sorry for my son cause i stuck him with a name too close to a girls...  )
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Posted By: hailstones
Date Posted: 21 August 2007 at 10:56am
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Well - personally I don't see a problem at all with that....we use names now that are adopted from all different Cultures, sometimes for the meanings, probably mostly because we just love the name. And no one seems to have issues with that.
I think that as New Zealanders it is part of our culture, we are taught (or now taught) some Maori in schools, we sing it in our National anthem, we see and hear it on our TV screens etc etc and I think we should be proud of it. And I think just because you may not have any Maori blood, that shouldn't be a reason for not using a name that you love! The fact that you all know the meaning and she is proud of it speaks volumes! Aroha is a beautiful name with a beautiful meaning, I often wish I had've used it myself in Elle's name. I say go for it!!!! ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 21 August 2007 at 11:09am
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I say go for it too, Aroha is a reasonably common name these days anyway, and like Gandt said, it's a third middle name so probably won't get used all that often. My girls are Maya Grace, Sienna Marie and Mercedes Kailah, we hardly ever use their long Maori names except on official forms, they're more symbolic names than names to be used. -------------  Maya Grace (28/02/03)
 (02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 21 August 2007 at 11:11am
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PS. Two of my girls have Spanish names and the other is Italian, and they're 6th generation NZ Irish/English on my side and Maori/Scottish on Willie's, not a speck of Spanish or Italian blood in any of them! ------------- Maya Grace (28/02/03)
(02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: nikkitheknitter
Date Posted: 21 August 2007 at 11:56am
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My friend's name is Ngaio and she is from the most Pakeha family I know (well, apart from my own!)... I never even thought about her not being entitled to her name or whatever as she has always been that way... it suits her perfectly.
She did end up going into the bilingual unit at our intermediate to learn Maori, but then moved back into mainstream when she got to High School. I thought that was cool. |
Posted By: jack_&_charli
Date Posted: 21 August 2007 at 12:38pm
just a different spin....maori's have 'pakeha/white' names and no one bats an eyelid
go for it, i think it's lovely ------------- http://www.alternatickers.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: miss
Date Posted: 21 August 2007 at 12:50pm
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Snap, I was about to say exactly the same thing.
Not to mention all the different cultrural names people use - how many Rebekahs and Isaacs that you know are jewish? -------------  
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Posted By: Kellz
Date Posted: 21 August 2007 at 1:22pm
| I think its lovely! Go for it! I think its really cool to add another middle name at this stage, since Nat is adopting her and shes taking his name. |
Posted By: busymum
Date Posted: 21 August 2007 at 1:57pm
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Yep I'm with the others (Hailstones and Emma, specifically - since they said what I was going to) ------------- |
Posted By: Faraway
Date Posted: 21 August 2007 at 2:51pm
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What a beautiful name! I know lots of people who are Pakeha and have Maori middle names. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: Anna
Date Posted: 21 August 2007 at 3:23pm
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Both my kids have maori middle names... Didn't occur to me not to do it even tho there is not a drop of maori blood between us? ------------- Anna http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: caitlynsmygirl
Date Posted: 21 August 2007 at 4:54pm
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my friends little girls middle name is Aroha, and shes blonde and blue eyed.
I say go for it, its a lovely name |
Posted By: Kels
Date Posted: 21 August 2007 at 7:59pm
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My friends daughter is named Aroha and she is English/scottish decent. I really dont see a prob with it Becca either. And like Emma with her kids and their names, I have a daughter with a spanish name and a son with a French name and we are Tokelauan lol If you like it DO IT ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
Busy mum to Miss 15yrs, Miss 10yrs and Master 4yrs |
Posted By: daikini
Date Posted: 22 August 2007 at 1:05pm
Thanks everyone 
Nat chose Aroha because of its meaning, and asked both myself and Kiya if he could add it into her name when we changed her surname. It makes him feel included and special to be able to contribute to her name in this way, as he really loves her like she is his own daughter. ------------- Becca, mum of 2 girls & 3 boys |
Posted By: mummy_becks
Date Posted: 22 August 2007 at 1:07pm
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True, i'm a Rebecca and I ain't Jewish. ------------- I was a puree feeder, forward facing, cot sleeping, pram pushing kind of Mum... and my kids survived! |
miss wrote:Posted By: Rachael21
Date Posted: 23 August 2007 at 3:27pm
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I think its such a lovely idea
A bit OT but where did you get you user name daikini from? I always see it and wonder |
Posted By: Two Blondinis
Date Posted: 23 August 2007 at 7:58pm
I really love the name, and if anyone questions you about your Pakeha daughter with the Maori middle name, tell them it's a Kiwi name! 
I think there are so many beautiful Maori names out there for both boys and girls and it would be a shame not to use them just because they are associated with a particular culture that you don't identify with ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
 
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Posted By: daikini
Date Posted: 23 August 2007 at 8:02pm
Short story: from the movie Willow which is my favourite movie.
Long story: In Willow, there are two types of people - the little people, who are the Nelwyn (nell-win); and the others, who are the Daikini (dye-key-nee). I used to consider myself really short at 163cm (just under 5' 4) and used becsnelwyn as my user name for things. As I've come to realise I'm average in height I've chosen to use daikini instead. ------------- Becca, mum of 2 girls & 3 boys |