Lecture 1: Beginning of the world Flashcards
Pūrākau definition
narratives
Atua definition
ancestors of ongoing influence with power over particular domain
Tohunga
experts within their practice, endowed by the atua with an ability to perform particular activities taught to humanity by the atua themselves
karakia
formulaic chants accompanying ritual acts addressed to the atua
what is Io
a supreme being who exists eternally in Te Korekore
what are the two main iwi who believe in Io
Ngāpuhi and Ngāti Kahungunu
what is the io creation described as
a whakapapa of karakia recited by Io. in speaking the names of the different realms/stages of creation, Io is brining them into existence
controversy surrounding Io
many consider it a later tribal addition developed by tohunga after they became familiar with Christianity. Therefore they believe it is inauthentic and may have developed in response to foreign ideas
Examples of creation narratives
- Io
- Te Arawa
- Ngāi Tahu
- Ngāti Kahungunu
Te Arawa narrative
- Rangi and Papa embrace tightly in total darkness with their sons existing in the cramped space between them
- brothers seek to create space and light between them
- Tūmatauenga suggests to kill them, Tānemahuta proposes only to seperate them, Tawhirimatea does not agree with either
- they try to seperate the parents with no luck until Tāne inverts his body and pushes their parents apart with his legs
- the parents are angry at their ill treatment, Tawhirimatea allies with his father Rangi out of great aroha for his parents and attacks his brothers
- each brother is defeated except for Tumatauenga
- Tumatauenga is angry at his brothers lack of supports and seeks revenge against his brothers
- those who failed to fight are eaten and come under Tumataunegas authority as a junior in rank
ngai tahu version
- papatuanuku is initially married to Takaroa, who ges away to bury their childs placenta
- while Takaroa is away, Papatuanuku takes on Raki as a new husband, and have numerous children, including Rehua and Tane
- takaroa returns to find papa and raki together and challenges raki to a fight
- raki is defeated, with Raki’s subsequent children being born sickly and weak
- Raki, who still embraced Papa instructs his son Tane and his brothers to seperate the parents so that light will grow. Raki insists that all brothers assist in the separation
- tane instructs his brothers to prop Raki up in the sky while Paia performs karakia to give them strength
- tane is successful in separating the parents. Raki is killed as a result but his wish is for his children to live in a world of light
- Tane adorns his naked father with stars
what does the Purakau of humanity tell us
- Tane
- tiki auaha
- io wahine
- hine hau one
- hine titama
- hine nui te po
Ngai tahu, humanity version
- tane creates a human, Tiki auaha, from Hawaiki’s earth. he breathes life into him
- tane also creates a female partner, Io Wahine, by mixing water and Hawaikis earth
- tane breathes life into her and proceeds to experimentally copulate with her, establishing appropriate activites and excretions. the aim is to establish from where reproduction will spring from
- io wahine is said to have ran forth before marrying tiki auaha
seperation narratives
Te Arawa and Ngāi Tahu
what does each brother represent
Tane Mahuta= forests, birds
Tawhirimatea = wind
Tumatauenga= people
