In Maori grammar, proper nouns, also referred to as “ingoa whakarākei”, play a significant role. In the context of this Polynesian language, proper nouns are used for names of people (personal names), places, tribes (iwi), landmarks, canoe (waka), tribal meeting houses (marae), and even for gods and spiritual entities. These special names are important and are respected in conversations and narratives. It’s worthwhile to note that, unlike English, Maori does not use capital letters to denote proper nouns.