1. Shoot (of plant), tama miro, tree shoot; tama tôa, shoot of sugarcane. 2. Poles, sticks, rods of a frame. 3. Sun rays. 4. Group of people travelling in formation. 5. To listen attentively (with ear, tariga, as subject, e.g. he tama te tariga); e-tama rivariva tokorua tariga ki taaku kî, listen carefully to my words. Tamahahine, female. Tamahine (= tamahahine), female, when speaking of chickens: moa tamahine, hen. Tamâroa, male.

1. Child. P Pau.: tama riki, child. Mgv.: tama, son, daughter, applied at any age. Mq.: tama, son, child, young of animals. Ta.: tama, child. Tamaahine (tama 1 - ahine), daughter, female. Tamaiti, child P Mq.: temeiti, temeii, young person. Ta.: tamaiti, child. Tamaroa, boy, male. P Mgv.: tamaroa, boy, man, male. Mq.: tamaóa, boy. Ta.: tamaroa, id. 2. To align.

There is a myth which tells us about the great trickster hero Maui who thought Sun went too fast over the sky making the days too short, and how he decided to learn Sun a lesson - to move in a slow enough pace to allow people the time necessary for cooking food etc. So he went to the place where Sun comes up in the morning, and hid and waited for him, together with his companions. When Sun rose from his hole Maui caught him in a snare and beat him on his head to make him listen. In his anguish Sun cried out:

Why am I treated by you in this way? Do you know what it is you are doing. O you men? Why do you wish to kill Tama nui te ra?' This was his name, meaning Great Son of the Day, which was never known before ... (Antony Alpers, Maori Myths & Tribal Legends.)

Nui means great and Tama-nui becomes 'Great Son', i.e. Sun at a later stage than at his birth (when his name should be Tama-iti, with iti meaning 'little'.)