koha
A Māori tradition of reciprocal giving of gifts.
Noun New Zealand, countable
- A Māori tradition of reciprocal giving of gifts.
- Koha are commonly given at the conclusion of a powhiri (a Maori welcome onto a marae (meeting place)). [Mary Anne] Salmond explains that "great pride is taken in being able to present a generous gift to the hosts." Koha...
- The speaker then sits down and a person from the marae side walks over to collect the koha and acknowledge it. - 2003, Hirini Moko Mead, “Te Takoha: Gift Giving”, in Tikanga Māori: Living by Māori Values, Wellington:...
- Mana Party leader Hone Harawira is standing behind his party's by-election candidate saying Pakeha don't understand koha if they have a problem with him keeping the $12,000 raised for his surgery. - 2013 June 19, Kate...
- A voluntary donation given for a service that has been provided.
- There was considerable opposition to any advance for this mill being charged as against "Koha." […] In respect to the Turakirae Block, Manihera and Wi Kingi claimed "Koha" for Taita, Mangaroa, and Pakuratahi, stating...
- Unfortunately, some of our young people have come to the conclusion that koha as a system is out of date. Several times I have heard it said by young people that they are going to a hui but, not to worry, the Government...
- In and Out of Context is a free/koha event and for everyone! Bring the whole family, bring someone you’re keen to impress, if they’re impressed make a donation! - 2012 December, “In and Out of Context: A Street Light...
Origin
Borrowed from Māori koha (“regard, respect; gift, present”).
Forms
Noun Sri Lanka
- The koel (Eudynamys), a genus of cuckoos from Asia, Australia, and the Pacific with a distinctive loud call; specifically, the Asian koel (Eudynamys scolopaceus).
- Our species, the Koel or Koha also belongs to this sub-family of Cuculinae. The male cuckoo is dark in colour, while its female is speckled (called the Gomara Koha). - 1997, Gamini de S. G. Punchihewa, Vignettes of Far...
- The sound of the koha is associated with the advent of the Sinhala and Tamil new year; the bird is often called the Avurudu koha—the New Year Cuckoo. The koha is an early bird, and its call is strident, plaintive, and...
- The adult male koels (or kohas as they are locally known) start calling in March, and are in full voice come April. Most Sri Lankans associate the call—a shrieking 'koo-Ooo' or 'ko-Haa' more penetrating than the...
Origin
Borrowed from Sinhalese කොහා (kohā, “cuckoo”), probably from Sinhalese කෝ + හඩ (kō + haḍa, “cuckoo”) or ultimately as the abbreviation of the word tells, the imitation of the chirping and trilling sound.