 |
 |
|
|
| |
| PROTO-POLYNESIAN ETYMOLOGIES |
| *Mamangi [Proto Polynesian] |
Originally, Morinda myrtifolia (Rubiaceae) [and possibly plants of similar appearance] . |
|
| PROTO POLYNESIAN, probably originally denoting a tough vine with green, prominently veined leaves. |
Proto Nuclear Polynesian: *Mamangi
REFLEXES IN SOME POLYNESIAN LANGUAGES:
Tongan: mamange (Morinda myrtifolia [Rubiaceae])
Samoan: mamagi (Faradaya amicorum [Verbinaceae])
Hawaiian: mamane (Sophora chrysophylla [Fabaceae])
Maori: Māmāngi (Coprosma repens & C. arborea [Rubiaceae]) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Watch this space! This is one of the first pages written in the prototype stage of this web site, which has been transferred with minimal changes to the newer format. It is still therefore "under construction", but contains the essential linguistic and botanical information, along with other material. Updated text and more pictures will be added progressively as soon as time permits (new pages for plant names not yet discussed are being given priority). If you would like this page to be updated sooner than planned, please email a note to temaarareo at gmail.com.
 Although the plants which have inherited this name belong to three different families (those at opposite ends of the settlement continuum -- Tonga and Aotearoa -- are united botanically by common membership in the coffee family), and two (the Tongan and Samoan ones) are vines and the others trees, they are linked on a number of dimensions. Firstly there is a similarity in leaf form -- the Samoan mamagi could easily be taken for a Coprosma when not in flower, and the Hawaiian mamane, although closely related to the kōwhai, has much larger and more solid leaflets than the New Zealand members of the genus Sophora, up to 5 cm. long and 2.5 cm (an inch) wide. Seen from a distance, it does have a resemblance in form to the New Zealand Coprosmas. All these plants are pretty tough -- the Hawaiian mamane and its counterparts in Aotearoa especially so (I took the closeup of the leaves of a mamane tree growing at 9,000 feet and the one of the whole tree at 10,000 feet on the slopes of the Mauna Kea volcano in Hawai'i).
The Tongan mamange is also known as fufula, and an infusion of the bark is a remedy for stomach aches. The name mamange is also given to a set of varieties of the yam, Dioscorea alata. The Samoan mamagi, Faradaya amicorum, is known in Hawaii as mamalupe.
|
Sophora chrysophylla - Mamane (Hawai'i)
(10,000 ft., Mauna Kea, Hawai'i) |
Sophora chrysophylla - Mamane (Hawai'i)
(Foliage and flower. 9,000 ft., Mauna Kea, Hawai'i.) |
|
| Further information : More later, but in the mean time, check the Bibliography for material on New Zealand and tropical plants. Tracking down the referents of the Tongan and Samoan names was difficult because the dictionary definitions were vague. However, these two sources provided answers: D.R. Drake, W. A. Whistler, T.J. Motley & C.T. Imada, "Rainforest vegitation of 'Eua Island, Kingdom of Tonga", NZ Journal of Botany, Vol 34, 1996, p. 76; and W. Arthur Whistler, The Ethnobotany of Tonga: The Plants, Their Tongan Names and Their Uses, Honolulu: Bishop Museum Press, 1991, p. 82. The Cook Island Biodiversity Network Database and Wikipedia are good places to start looking for information about the tropical plants. Websites with information on New Zealand plants include Robert Vennell's The Meaning of Trees, the New Zealand Plant Conservation Network, and the Landcare / Manaaki Whenua NZ Flora database, all of which have links to other sources of information. The University of Auckland School of Biological Sciences also has an excellent website dedicated to New Zealand native plants. The University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture has a page on the characteristics and propagation of Sophora chrysophylla. |
| Photographs: The inset photo of Morinda myrtifolia is by the late W.A. Whistler. The other photographs are acknowledged in the captions. We are grateful to the photographers for permission to use their work.
Citation: This page may be cited as: R. A. Benton (2009) "The Proto Polynesian plant name *Mamangi" (web page periodically updated), Te Māra Reo. "http://www.temarareo.org/PPN-Mamangi.html" (Date accessed)
(Hoki atu ki runga -- Go back to the top of the page.) |
|
|
|
|
|
