Lecture 1 - The Beginning of the World Flashcards
Three key clusters of creation texts :
- Io = the initiation of the creation process
- The separation of Rangi-nui (Rangi) from Papa-tu-a-nuku (Papa)
-Creation of the first humans by the atua
Atua
Ancestors of ongoing influence, spirit being, creative power). AKA the gods.
What is Io
A high or supreme atua
Io controversary
- Some argue that Io is inauthentic because it is a later tribal tradition developed by tohunga after they became familiar with Christianity.
- Others argue that traditions often adapt to changes in surrounding society and that Io is a modification of existing indigenous beliefs. This was done to provide a counterweight to Christianity inroads. They intentionally focused on those traditional elements that had the most similarity to Christian
ideas.
-Others belief that Io has long been a part of tribal traditions for Ngāpuhi and Ngāti Kahungunu as evidenced by the presence of Io in Karakia.
Karakia
-formulaic chants accompanying ritual acts addressed to the atua that use archaic language appropriate to works inherited from the ancestors.
-Tohunga performed karakia when communicating to the
atua in order to achieve outcomes for their human
communities.
Io controversary response
- Christianity was incorporated by Māori into their existing beliefs forming a “Māori brand of Christianity” and the addition of other atua into faith (how is Io any different?)
-If Io is accepted by particular Māori communities and taught by tohunga either in the past or today that in itself makes Io authentic.
-Traditions differ between different tribes but no one tradition is more valid than another.
Ngāpuhi Io Traditions
- Io is known by a series of epithets or extensions to his base name (reveals the importance of this Atua for Ngapuhi in relation to others).
-According to the Tohunga Māori Marsden Io existed externally in Te KoreKore (‘the realm of potential being’). Here the Io encompasses all states of being (passive, negative, positive and active). Out of a conjunction of all these elements Io initiated creation through a process of genealogical recitation or naming.
-At the head of the cosmos was Io this generation process moved on to a series of principle epochs, including Te KoreKore (the void), Te Kowhao (The abyss) and Te Po (the night). Together these realms formed the ‘seed bed of creation’ (essential elements of the universe).
-Io caused a state of being to come into existence first as a seed in Te Kore and Te Kowhai and then as a steadily growing plant, which expanded and developed what Michael Shirres describes as ‘an insensate movement towards being self-realisation’.
- The growth is driven by Mauri which Io had placed in the first seed
-Led through a series of organic stages from Te Pu (the taproot) down to te aka (the vine).
-Series of active growing processes generated starting at Te Rapunga (the seeking) and ending with Te hiriri (elemental and pure energy).
- Io then initiates more growth initially at Te Mahara (the subconscious) and then through states of consciousness and knowledge to Te Whe (Seed world).
- Io then breathed Te Hauora the Breath of life) into the creation processes producing more definite structures and the ‘material natural world of sense perception’. This permitted the emergence of sky and earth, and eventually, Te Ao Wairau (the spiritual world)
-Io then delegated the creation process to other spirit beings notable Rangi and his first born Tane but Io continued to intervene via ‘spirit messengers’ to ensure the momentum of development continued.
-Io implants rebelliousness amongst offspring of Rangi and Papa so that they will seek light, Te Ao Mārama.
-Io gives Tāne instructions to complete building the heavens,
and assign tasks to his younger siblings
Tohunga
-‘expert’, ‘priest’, ‘scholar’; someone endowed by
atua with an ability to perform particular activities taught to humanity by the atua themselves.
-Tohunga effectively acted as a kind of medium between
atua and humanity.
-Tohunga fashioned the creation narratives and taught them in schools (whare wānanga).
Quotation from Michael Shirres
The world of the atua is not separated absolutely from the world of everyday activities, from the secular world. Rather, the two worlds are closely linked, all activities in the
everyday world being seen as coming under the influence of the spiritual powers.
Note: the tohunga essentially bridge this gap
Key tohunga for Io Narratives
-Ngā Puhi: Māori Marsden 1924-1993.
-Ngāti Kahungunu: Nēpia Pōhūhū, Paratene Te Okawhare and Moihi Te Mātorohanga, dictated their teachings on different occasions to H. T. Whatahoro between about 1863 and 1880.
Ngāti Kahungunu Io story
-Io-matua-te-kore unites with Papa-tū-ā-nuku-matua-te-kore in Te Kore
-Io initiates genealogical process of coming-into-being
through a series of Te Pō
-Genealogy continues through a sequence of organic growth to daylight (Te Ao)
-Final stage is the union of Rangi and Papa: their child Tāne continues development of the world with Io’s help.
-Tāne and brothers separate their parents, pushing them
apart using four toko (poles)
-To fully separate the parents, Tāne tells his brother, Tūmata-uenga and others to cut through their arms
-Two toko begin bending. Tāne tells Paia to recite karakia to push Rangi higher up into sky
-Tāne‘s elder brother Whiro wants to be the first to visit Io; he seeks to kill Tāne but is unsuccessful and dies.
-Tāne successfully climbs to Io and undergoes purification,
becoming Tāne-nui-ā-rangi
-Io-te-wai-ora gives Tāne three baskets of knowledge (Te Kete uruuru-matua; Te Kete uruuru-tipua, Te Kete uruurutahito); and two sacred stones (Whatu-kura-rehu-tai, Whatukura-huka-ā-tai).
-Tāne returns to earth (Papa-tū-ā-nuku) and deposits the
baskets and stones in Whare-kura.
Key Tohunga in the stories of the separation of Rangi/ Raki and Papa
-Te Rangikāheke of Te Arawa
-Matiaha Tiramōrehu of Ngāi Tahu
Te Arawara version of the separation of Rangi and papa
-Rangi and Papa embrace tightly in total darkness: their sons decide on the tikanga (the correct way forwards) to seek light
-The brothers debate about the tikanga: Tu-mata-uenga says to kill them; Tāne-mahuta proposes separating them, to which all agree
- They each try to separate their parents without success, until Tāne-mahuta pushes the parents apart: Rangi becomes sky, Papa
remains the parental earth.
-Their parents complain at this ill-treatment, likening it to kōhuru (grievous ill-treatment, treacherous dealing)
-Tāwhiri-mātea disagrees with this tikanga, allies with Rangi and attacks his brothers, defeating every one except Tū-mata-uenga.
-Papa-tū-ā-nuku conceals her sons, Rongo-mā-tāne and Haumiatiketike
-Tū-mata-uenga attacks his brothers for their lack of support; defeating every one except Tāwhiri-mātea.
-The other brothers, who failed to fight, are eaten as utu
(compensation), coming under Tū-mata-uenga’s authority, as tēina (younger brothers).
-Number of people increases after separation, including ancestors like Māui, Uenuku and Toi
-Parts of Papa disappear into sea; larger population live on
remaining lands
Ngāi Tahu version of Raki/ Rangi + papa separation
-Raki marries many women including Papa-tū-ā-nuku, producing many offspring.
-Papa-tū-ā-nuku previously married to Takaroa who left to take away their child’s placenta
-Papa-tū-ā-nuku marries Raki, with various children, including Rehua and Tāne
-Takaroa fights Raki on the beach and beats him: Raki’s later children are sickly and weak
- Raki who still embraced Papa instructed his son Tāne and his brothers (tāina) to separate the parents so that light will grow
- Tāne suggests his elder brother Rehua, do it, but Raki insists all the brothers assist
-Tāne instructs his brothers to prop Raki up in the sky while Paia performs chant to give them strength
-Tāne decorates his naked father with stars
-Tāne couples with female beings including Te Puta-rākau;
they produce Hine-tītama and Hine-ā-tauira
-Tāne couples with Hine-ā-tauira who learns who Tāne is.
Overcome with shame (‘mate i te whakamā’), she runs off to Te Pō
-Hine tells Tāne to return and raise their children
The creation of humanity: Ngāi Tahu version
-Tāne creates a human, Tiki-auaha (male), from Hawaiki’s earth
-Tāne also creates a female partner, Io-wahine, by mixing
water and Hawaiki’s earth
-Tāne experimentally copulates with her, establishing
appropriate activities (e.g., swallowing) and various
excretions (tears etc.)
-Io-wahine ‘ran forth’ before marrying Tiki-auaha
-Their offspring people the world
