Hopu. 1. To wash oneself, to bathe, 2. Aid, helper, in the following expressions: hopu kupega, those who help the motuha o te hopu kupega in handling the fishing nets; hopu manu, those who served the tagata manu and, upon finding the first manutara egg, took it to Orongo. Vanaga. Bath; to bathe, to cleanse (hoopu). Pau.: hopu, bath; to bathe. Ta.: hopu, to dive. Churchill. Mq.: hopu, to embrace, to clasp about the body. Ma.: hopu, to catch, to seize. Churchill.

The helpers might here represent the cardinal points. Notice the long lower jaws and the differences in thickness - left couple presumably in summer, and the pair at right in winter.