waiata means A Māori folk song. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
Why “waiata” is a great word
WAIATA — [Noun] A traditional Māori song or chant, serving ceremonial, historical, or communal purposes. From Māori waiata ("song, chant"). Unlike a *haka*—a ceremonial dance of vigorous, shouted challenge—or a *ballad*—a European-derived narrative piece—a waiata is a vessel for collective memory, binding the living to the land and ancestors through voice alone. It is the solemn chant that welcomes the dawn, the woven chorus that lifts a carved beam into place, and the gentle lullaby that maps the stars for a sleeping child—the sound of a people remembering themselves into the future.
Etymology
From Māori waiata.