The speakers of the two languages, Sumerian and Akkadian, cohabited for several centuries, which resulted in this linguistic area in a Sumerian-Akkadian symbiosis. The Akkadian vocabulary has also been enriched by other languages, Semitic or not, such as Hurrian or Elamite. From expressions designating combat rituals, this text presents the hypothesis that a relationship exists between the languages of the Maoris and the languages of the South Pacific islands on the one hand, and this Sumerian-Akkadian symbiosis on the other hand. This despite a great geographical distance between Mesopotamia and the South Pacific, and at different historical periods of language use. Migrants left from Middle East to Southwest Asia and Melanesia, Australia, New Zealand, before our era. It is most often admitted that a comparison between languages in order to detect a parental link is all the more relevant as this study takes into account the syntax. However, the simple approach chosen here by the author is to take some words from the semantic field which are not part of secular life -from which a kinship can hardly be demonstrated- but which are linked to symbols of sacred science at the center of religion. The divine authority would have been maintained there through language, it would have asserted itself in the continuity of speech. It is that the sacred word itself contains the god. Expressing badly is to oppose divine directives, to kill the god or the ancestor, disrespect their intercessors, and therefore to risk retribution. Express correctly is to solicit benevolence and to foresee the reward. Languages are spoken by humans, who live with their religious feelings and their view of the world.

1. SUMER, AKKAD, AND THE HAKA,
MAORI FIGHTING RITUAL
in New Zealand, land of rugby
by Michel Leygues, PhD in Social Sciences, Paris Pantheon-Sorbonne
Abstract
The speakers of the two languages, Sumerian and Akkadian, cohabited for several centuries, which resulted
in this linguistic area in a Sumerian-Akkadian symbiosis. The Akkadian vocabulary has also been enriched
by other languages, Semitic or not, such as Hurrian or Elamite.
From expressions designating combat rituals, this text presents the hypothesis that a relationship exists
between the languages of the Maoris and the languages of the South Pacific islands on the one hand, and this
Sumerian-Akkadian symbiosis on the other hand. This despite a great geographical distance between
Mesopotamia and the South Pacific, and at different historical periods of language use. Migrants left from
Middle East to Southwest Asia and Melanesia, Australia, New Zealand, before our era.
It is most often admitted that a comparison between languages in order to detect a parental link is all the
more relevant as this study takes into account the syntax. However, the simple approach chosen here by the
author is to take some words from the semantic field which are not part of secular life -from which a kinship
can hardly be demonstrated- but which are linked to symbols of sacred science at the center of religion.
The divine authority would have been maintained there through language, it would have asserted itself in
the continuity of speech. It is that the sacred word itself contains the god. Expressing badly is to oppose
divine directives, to kill the god or the ancestor, disrespect their intercessors, and therefore to risk
retribution. Express correctly is to solicit benevolence and to foresee the reward. Languages are spoken by
humans, who live with their religious feelings and their view of the world.
Keywords
Sumerian, Akkadian, Haka, Maori, sibi, siva, tu, ka, mate, mâtu, mātu, ora, per’u, taputaki.
References
Akkadishes Handwörterbuch, Von Soden, Wiesbaden, Germany.
Manuel d’épigraphie akkadienne, René Labat, F. Malbran-Labat, Paris, France.
The Assyrian Dictionary, Oriental Institute, Chicago University, USA.
Sumerian Lexicon, John A Halloran, Los Angeles, USA.
In red: Maori or Pacific islands terms.
In green: Sumerian and Akkadian terms from Mesopotamia.
The Haka ritual was an essential part of conditioning Maori for combat or battle. It is still practiced today in
cultural and sporting events, to challenge the opponent, for example at the opening of a rugby match.
The most common interpretation of the Maori word Haka is "war dance". The inversion of Haka gives Kaha, which
means "strength", "intensity" in Maori. The words of the Haka provoke intimidation, they express the ideas of Ka
mate: death, and Ka ora: life force.
In Maori, ha: breath, life force, and ka: to ignite, awaken energy. The word Haka of the Maoris could refer to the
Sumerian A: creative father, Á: divine force; to the Akkadian hakûm and perhaps to the Canaanite hākā: waiting, in
hope; to the Akkadian hakukūtu: flaming body, blaze in the sky, invocation; Sumerian a-ku-ku (-ú)-tum:
brandished “like an explosion or a thunderstorm” against an adversary or an enemy; ha or ha-a: appeal to divine
force to destroy; ka: invocation of God by ka: the word of the priest, that of the exorcist, or by song.
Sumerian :
aka, ak, ag, a5: to do, act; to place; to make into (something).
ka: mouth.
ká: gate.
Akkadian : ka designates what feeds (provides energy) and kà: milk (nourishes).

2. Haka song :
-mate : Ka mate : word of death.
.Akkadian UŠ mâtu : to die. UŠ: edge; to let reach; to join.
KUR mat : which appears and blazes like the dawn sun in the country of origin, KALAM matu or in Sumerian un:
the country of Sumer, also un sag 3-gi 6: country of the “Blackheads”, i.e. the Sumerians. Onemata: the land of
immortality of the Maori, of the exploits of ancestors, could be that of the Sumerians or Akkadians. Onemata could
refer in Sumerian UN: the land of Sumer, and to Akkadian mātu: country, home country, native land.
The black outfits of the All Blacks in rugby would correspond to what would be for them the land of the ancestors,
the land of immortality.
-ora : Ka ora: word of life.
Sumerian ur : vital force, like that of an animal, of a dog, in reference to the qualities of the Sumerian god Tu:
power, dignified posture, combativeness, vigilance. These attitudes correspond to the characteristics expressed by
the different Akkadian values tu: incantation, conjuring formula, exorcism, intended for the god Tu.
Maori warrior-dancers bring honor to their family, their village or their country. They draw their energy from the
god Tu or Tuu, or Tu-matau-enga, god of the "angry face", of war, of mata: death. It is possible that the god TUU
of the Maoris was originally the god TUTU of the Sumerians, Marduk of the Akkadians, in his capacity as TUD:
creates, generates, represented in Akkad by lú TU-E erib biti: member of the clergy, or god UTU: energy of the sun
in matter.
-matau : Akkadian mâtu : to die ; tmā = tamû : take an oath, make a connection to God.
-enga et tu : Sumerian en, tu-tu, tu-en, tu-ga : conjuring or incantation formulas of the priest or exorcist; unugi:
burial, unug: residence, fortress where stands unugí: the dragon, the killer. Sumerian god Eng-ur is god of the
abyss.
Sumerian :
. tu 11: high; tu 12 and tu 10 express the ideas of the divine force which makes it possible to press, cut down,
disperse, corresponding to the Maori god of war Tu, who gives the warrior the power to seize the enemy. It is said
in Akkadian that this force comes “from the surroundings” to express a mysterious, intangible place, or that it
comes from A 5: the abyss, A 9: the foundation, or from Á: the dwelling of the gods.
. ka designates the mouth, what feeds, gives energy; phoneme 'à: the deep, underground dwelling, the sanctuary.
. tu: to interfere.
. tu5, tu 17: to wash, bathe; to pour, to make libation.
. tu 6: conjuration; exorcistic formula.
. a-kal : divine or spiritual force, of the All, of God.
This divine energy is represented by the Maoris in the Haka in:
. Tu-mata-uenga: Tu of the horrible, deformed face
. Tu-mata-kakaa: Tu of sharp, scathing eyes
. Tu-mata-tawera: Tu of the fiery face, inflamed
. Tu-mata-rau-wiri: Tu of the vibrating blade
. Tu-ka-nguha: Tu of the flared nostril, which is inflamed
. Tu-kai-taua: Tu of the warrior devour
. Tu-whakaheke-toto: Tu of spilled blood
. Tu-whakaariki: Tu of the maker of chiefs
. Tu-whakaheke-tangata: Tu who retrogrades, relegates adversaries
. Tu-ka-riri: Tu of anger
in reference to the qualities of the god TU: power, resistance, dignified posture, combativeness, defiance, firmness,
exhortation, reserve, vigilance, impassivity. These attitudes expressed by the different Akkadian values tu:
incantation, conjuration, exorcism, intended for the god Tu: who is upright, prop of the universe, ka 5: basis of
Creation, tu’u: base of the cult.
TUU is identified on the sacred place of Maeva, in the island of Huahiné in French Polynesia, as the god of warlike
and combat expedition canoes, and before in Sumer as the god of the ceremonies of the processions of boats.

3. Maoris terms Meaning Correspondance Sumer and Akkad
« Tu-mata-uenga » Tu of the horrible, deformed
face, tongue out
Akkad UG 5 mâtu: to die.
ma’tu: tongue.
Sumerian unugí : dragon, slayer.
EN, TU-TU, TU-EN, TU-GA :
conjurating or incantation formulas.
enga : abyss.
« Tu-mata-kakaa » Tu of sharp, scathing eyes. Igi-mè ak: before the battle; vanguard. Igi-kak:
throw; igi: eye; gag, kak: puncture, knife,
arrohead; kakku: weapon ; tmk = tamaku:
grab and look in the whites of the eyes.
« Tu-mata-tawera » Tu of the fiery face, inflamed.
Maori legend: Tawhiri is god
of winds and storms, Whiro
reigns over darkness, he is
diabolical.
TAG, tà : break, hit, hurt, tah : to open, to
split, same sign as to confront.
ta 6 : hurricane, upheaval, that which falls
from the sky.
tawûm : take an oath, be appointed.
tawwertum : whole.
ARÁ : to blaze.
« Tu-mata-rau-wiri » Tu of the vibrating blade. Wir = GIR-RI: flash, lightening.
Ru: same sign as sword, pierce, knife,
ruk-ku, rug: axe, fight; ru 5: knock, tumble.
« Tu-ka-nguha » Tu of the flared nostril, which is
inflamed.
KA appû : nose ; ku 13, qu :crushed ; ha-a :
to destroy ; guana : same sign as “swollen”
and path of combat.
« Tu-kai-taua » Tu of the warrior devour. KA : mouth, words of incantation,
exorcism; TU tû : conjuratory formula.
TU 10 : tear down.
« Tu whakaheketoto
»
Tu of spilled blood. TU 6 tû: conjuratory formula, tudukkû:
incantation of KA pû : mouth, TU6-TU6 : of
the exorcist.
É ekurru : God TU temple, with sacrificies.
TU 10 : spill blood.
E ikû : channel through which flows the
blood of the sacrificed, of u8-ha : sheep, ua :
red.
kittu : loyalty, fidelity, treaty.
« Tu-whakaariki » Tu of the maker of chiefs. Wa: wisdom ; suggest Akkadian a’rk, wrk =
arāku, warāqu: difficult path which leads to
becoming a chef.
« Tu-whakaheke-
tangata »
Tu who retrogrades, relegates
adversaries.
tan, dan : strong, powerful like the wolf or
the feline, which puts the opponent in a
difficult situation.
tanûqatû: moan, lament, complain after
defeat.
« Tu-ka-riri » Tu of anger. ri-ri-ga: to seize, to descend, to overthrow, as does
the storm.

4. Exemples :
. Tu-mata-kakaa : suggests the Akkadian tmk = tamaku : tab, tab-ba, dab : grabbing, looking into the
whites of the eyes ; US matu : to die.
. Tu-whakaariki : suggests the Akkadian a’rk, wrk = waraqu = wu-ri-iq, ur-ri-qi, wu-ur-ru-qi : to turn
pale, face become pale.
God TU, or TUU is therefore invoked in the sacred songs of the Maoris: by the Haka, the Maori religious
leaders proceed as in Sumer they performed a ritual of ablutions expressed by tu 5, intended for the god
who you: stands upright, stable, equitable, and tu 4: prop of the universe. Religious leaders, warriors and
Maori women sing sacred songs, invoke: as in Sumerian nar: the blackmailer, with the same sign as ka 5:
fox, the one who is at the base of creation.
The wording of the Haka song: Ka mate would therefore refer to the ancient Sumerian pictogram which
corresponds to the Akkadian US mâtu: dead, and to the Sumerian pictogram at the source of BE wa'âsu, or
BE êsu: to be little numerous, the elite of warriors, depicting the Sumerian god Enlil, a pictogram of the
arrow pointing upwards, and also designating êsu: the children of god Dumuzi, or of god Tammuz. To be
related to the Akkadian tâhazu: exploration on the road, combat (outside, or inside: on oneself); ME
tâhazu: fight. AZ azu: the bear: vital force, and symbol of AS êdu: the One. The Akkadian tawûm, tamû,
means “to take an oath”, to swear, to be named, called, qualified. Nam (-erim)-ku 5-da = ma-mi-tum: oath,
banner, coalition and: subject, vassal.
The peruperu is for the Maori the true dance of the warriors. They practice it with arms when they are
face to face with the enemies; it is the extreme and intense form of peru: the anger of the descendants of
the god, that is to say in Akkadian per’u: the offspring, descendants of the Ancestors -, heirs of the god, of
the Father ad, at, àba; identified by ancestors, or place of origin.
A group of Maori warriors often consisted of 140 members, a number corresponding to what the largest
canoes in Oceania could hold. The traditional name of this battalion was Te Hokowhitu-a-Tu, which may
refer to Akkadian ukultu: to be fed, to subsist, and to Sumerian uku 3 = ug(-) a3: people, uku-us: soldiers,
warriors: with the same sign as the Akkadian MER agagu: to be angry, MER ezzu: to be furious, and as
AGA agû: crown (of feathers). The UKU value expresses the people of Sumer.
Maori warriors were armed with the taiaha, a double-edged spear used with two hands. The term is
closer to the Akkadian ME tahazu: combat, TUG ahazu: seize, TUG ahhazu: demon; tah-hu-ti-ia: idea of
having the memory of. Nowadays, the taiaha is mainly used in Maori ceremonies, of challenge, of
challenge, named taki. The word taki evokes the taputaki of the Trobriand Islands which seems to have for
origin the Akkadian tap-pu-ut aki, or the Akkadian tappûtu alaku: common cause, help, concord, alliance,
assistance, mutual aid, ability to exchange and give, namely to receive; alik tap-pu-ut akî means: crippled,
invalid; tappû: read tab-ba = ab tab: companion, peer, tappûtu has the meaning of society, circle, company,
association, community, or even: help, accomplice, accomplice, acolyte. Akkadian tapu: to be attentive, to
pursue.
***
Originally, maori means “ordinary”.
In Tahitian, māori also means “in confidence”: Haere māori mai! “Come, welcome! ".
Maori is in opposition to the term designating pākehā or papa'a. : the first Europeans.
In Akkadian:
.maḫāru :
.to please, welcome, be ready for, to accept valuables.
.to face rivals, to match, to withstand. = ma-ḫa-ri, maḫ-ri.
.maḫrû :
.original, first in social status, eminence.
.former, earlier, previous, first among foremost rulers.
.refer to previous obligations, earlier, before, for the first time.
.to tell the same formula as before.
In the Marquesas Islands, tuu is the center of ceremonial activities; hakapu'a: customary gifts, offerings to
the gods, and haka'iki is the chief, a term that evokes the Akkadian aka: to do, with the same sign as
kikittu: ritual. Tuu could refers to the Akkadian already quoted TU 6 tû: conjuring formula, TU 6-DUG 4-
GA tudukkû: incantation, by lu TU 6-TU 6: exorcist; a ritual, which seems to refer to Akkadian aka, with
the same neo-Assyrian sign as that which expresses the idea of a priest who recites, calls, kneads. The

5. combat ritual is called Kailao in the Tonga Islands, Uri'Uri in the Cook Islands, which evokes in Akkadian
ur which designates valour, the hero, ur-bi: together, ur 4- ur 4: to tremble, ur 6: to tumble, to hit ; in
Sumerian ur: life force, uri 2: to guard, to protect. Kailao could be related to the Akkadian (ka-hi) sipru: to
work, to rise towards ilu: god, kal: to be strong like a hero, with spear or javelin. Among the Fijians, the
equivalent of the Haka is called Sibi: combat ritual. Sumerian IŠIB: exorcism during a ritual, ŠÍB:
touching, hitting, ŠUB: throwing to the ground, depicted by Sumerian pictograms in the shape of a
boomerang or a bow; Akkadian SIB lapâtu: to strike.
Among the Samoans, the equivalent of the Haka is Siba Tau: (siba = Fidgian sibi, Tau = god Tu, sacred
place of Tu):
« Le Manu Samoa ia manu le fai o le faiva
Ua ou sai nei ma le mea atoa
O lou malosi ua atoatoa
La e faatafa ma e soso ese »
Translation :
"Warriors of Samoa may your mission succeed, I am ready, fully prepared, my strength is at its peak!
Move over, step aside! »
Correspondence with Sumerian and Akkadian:
“Warriors”: manu: manû: to recite, to shout what the exorcist said, ma: many, abundant, terms linked to
the idea of dragon, killer, guardian, man, body, rivalry, struggle, adversary, mortar bat.
“Atoa; at = ad: strength of the father, cry, clamor, linked to the idea of lightning, dagger, pike.
“Strength”: malosi; malû: to be full, mala: “more than” full, linked to the idea of being numerous, ready.
“Faatava; bad: to be high, fortress, linked to the idea of dying.
“Step aside”: susu; sasû: to shout, sas: to rub, linked to the idea of rivalry.
***
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