Personification and the genius of Te Reo Maori

Tena tatou! This week I wanted to speak on some of the genius of te reo maori, and how useful I have found our use of personifying our environment and everyday phenomena has been in my own life.Whakatauki - Taringa muhu kai (Ears groping for food.) [Te Kohikohinga Whakatauki a Raupo, pg 9]Whakautu Patai - "Me kaua..." - Is this correct? No. This is incorrect. Te Whanau Wiremu has this to say: [A Dictionary of the Maori Language, pg xviii]"Weak (Hortatory or Deliberative.)Me karanga ia. - He had better call; let him call.(Not used in the negative.)"if you want to express the idea of something that should not be done. Below is a great example from the Maori Newspaper The Maori Messenger. Te Karere Maori (1855-61) (MM.TKM 3-4/1855) [Te Aka, example 2]"Kaua koe e whakaae kia whai mana i a koe ngā tāngata whakaaro kore, engari, kei ngā tāngata whakaaro, kei ngā tāngata e arotau ana ki tō mātou reo (MM.TKM 3-4/1855:9). / Do not let thoughtless people be in power, but people of thought, people who look kindly on our language."Wetereo:"Idiomatically, common nouns can be personified, that is, treated as if they were people""Kua rongo maua ko taringa. Kua puta a Pito." [A Maori Reference Grammar, pg 34]"Te Paki o Hewa" [Kohikohinga Whakatauki a Raupo, pg 10]