Turanga Leela

[on:]

After reading one fanfic on TLZ, I thought things must be set straight. I want to talk about Leela's name. Everybody knows it's Turanga, right? I think, that LEELA is her FIRST name! Her parents are Turanga Moris and Turanga Munda, so logicly Leela's first name is actually her second name..... you get the point   

[Reply #1 on:]

Yes, you're absolutely right. Though it's pretty old news around here... more than 3 years old actually.

Welcome to PEEL. Enjoy it here. 

[Reply #2 on:]

Thanks 

[Reply #3 on:]

Well thats how it works with leela. It sounds sort of like a tribe name or something...

[Reply #4 on:]

What does? Turanga? I've heard much weirder last names.

[Reply #5 on:]

Yea Turanga. I just ment its like a tribe name, you know, Leela from the tribe Turanga...

[Reply #6 on:]

It sounds more like an Oriental name. Like Yao Ming. His first name is Ming, his last name is Yao. On his jersey, it says "Yao", stating his last name. It's like that in other Oriental countries I think as well.

[Reply #7 on:]

New Zealand actually. Just use your Yahoo etc.

Naming the Land Chapter One - Naming the Land

The city of Palmerston North stands upon a block of land known as Te Ahua-Turanga. This name was bestowed by the Rangitaane people, who are the tangata whenua (original inhabitants of the land) and have resided in the Manawatu district for hundreds of years.
 
The name Te Ahu-a-Turanga commemorates a famous ancestor named Turanga-i-mua (“Turanga the first born”), who lived about 25 generations ago. He was the eldest son of Turi, captain of the Aotea canoe, and achieved fame as a brave warrior, a bold explorer and a handsome lover of beautiful women.

When he died, Turanga was buried on a small peak in the Ruahine mountain range and this place became known as Te Ahu-a-Turanga (the shrine of Turanga). Several generations later, Turanga’s bones were exhumed and taken to the Patea district for re-burial, but the peak remained a sacred place for the Rangitaane people. A pathway crossed the range at this point, and whenever travellers reached the peak they recited karakia (prayers) to ensure a safe journey.

In 1858, when the New Zealand Government began to purchase land in the Manawatu district, a dispute arose between the Rangitaane people and neighbouring tribes as to the ownership of a large block of land covered with native forest that lay between the Oroua River and the Ruahine-Tararua mountain ranges. This dispute was eventually settled in favour of Rangitaane, who demonstrated their mana (prestige and authority) by bestowing the name Te Ahu-a-Turanga upon the land in question and offering it for sale to the New Zealand Government (see map below).