hapu

A subtribe of an iwi or Maori tribe; the basic political unit within Māori society; a subtribe or extended family.

Noun

  1. A subtribe of an iwi or Maori tribe; the basic political unit within Māori society; a subtribe or extended family.
    • “I don't know whose family it belongs in. I made enquiries round all my relations, and most Ngai Tahu hapu.” - 1983, Keri Hulme, The Bone People, Penguin, published 1986, page 253:
    • Sometimes such migrations led nascent hapū to districts well away from those of the tribe's previous habitation. - 2003, Michael King, The Penguin History of Aotearoa New Zealand, Penguin, published 2023, page 67:
    • In political terms Māori also organised for war in hapu, groups subordinate to chiefs, fighting as units. - 2020, Sujit Sivasundaram, Waves Across the South, William Collins, published 2021, page 68:

Origin

Etymology tree Māori hapūbor. English hapu Borrowed from Māori hapū.

Forms

hapus hapu hapū