Here's why:
* Cultural context: Traditional Māori sleeping practices didn't typically involve pillows. People slept on woven mats or flax bedding, often with a small bundle of flax or other soft material for support.
* Modern adaptations: The concept of a pillow is a relatively modern one, so the language has adapted to incorporate it. You could use the following options, depending on the context:
* Urupare: This is the most common word, literally meaning "headrest," and is generally understood to refer to a pillow.
* Moenga: This means "bed" or "sleeping place," and could be used in a broader sense to refer to the whole sleeping arrangement, including a pillow.
* Pūhera: This means "pillow" in the sense of a cushion for support, but it's not as commonly used for the sleeping kind.
Therefore, the best way to refer to a pillow in Māori would be to use "urupare" or explain it as "moenga hei tautoko i te upoko" ("bed for supporting the head").