Lecture 3- Tikanga: How Not To Get Told Off! Part 2 Flashcards
Cultural concepts that make up tikanga Māori.
- Mana
- Tapu
- Noa
- Utu
- Mauri
- Wairua
Mana
- Simple definitions – prestige, authority
-Atua = Mana has origins here
-Whakapapa
-Achievements
-Tuakana (~senior)/Teina (~junior) : those who are older/ have higher place in whakapapa have more mana and generally followed (e.g. monarchy in western culture) however their can be cases where Teina can take over if the Tuakana are not acting in responsible way.
-“can be described as the creative and dynamic force that motivates
the individual to do better than others” (Mead, 2016:56)
Types of Mana
-Mana tūpuna/atua: Inherited (e.g. tribal control over land)
-Mana tuku: Conferred (e.g. delegating/ assigning authority to someone)
-Mana whakatupu/whakatipu: Accrued/achieved (e.g. degree shows you have the mana/ recognised to have knowledge in a particular area)
-Mana wahine: The mana of women (women are men’s equal and contribute/ respected e.g. child bearing).
Mana whenua: associated with the customary occupation of tribal land
Tapu
- Simple definitions: sacred, set apart, special, restricted (tapu is much more than this)
-In some ways it is similar to mana
- Within people (everyone born with it) , places and objects
- Associated with the atua and the spiritual world
-Is layered (extrinsic can be layered onto intrinsic).
- ‘is the sacred state or condition in which a person, place or thing is
set aside by dedication to the gods and thereby removed from
profane use’ (Marsden, 1992:125)
Types of tapu
-Intrinsic tapu
-Extrinsic tapu
Intrinsic tapu
- Comes from the atua associated with a specific realm, e.g. the intrinsic tapu of the trees and forests descend from Tāne-mahuta.
-Someone inherits it through whakapapa
Extrinsic tapu
- Or extension of tapu
- Can be applied and removed e.g. when go into cemetery specific tapu placed on you and then removed.
- For the safety and wellbeing of people
- Rāhui = temporary restriction put in place to prevent people from going into a place, or doing a certain action in an area
e.g. on shellfish to stop people from depleting the resources (environmental), can be to do with death e.g. stop people going to a place where someone has just drowned/ dyid preventing people from engaging with tapu until it is deemed safe to remove.
—> tikanga determines when rahui is placed and should be removed and who has the power to do so.
Noa
- Free from restrictions (in a way opposite to tapu)
- Neutral state
- Balance
- Agents of noa: karakia, food, water and women
- Whakanoa
- Compliments tapu to create balance
Utu
- Reciprocity (achieving balance: key concept in Māori society)
- Positive
- Negative
- Binding principle: Balance
Mauri
-A life force that binds together the physical and spiritual elements
required for them to exist. Mauri is embedded in living beings from
their conception.
-Once something dies it no longer has mauri
-Mauri is unique to each person
-Can be embedded into inanimate objects e.g. “Mauri” stones in the Māori building on campus. Mauro stones in general have an important place in Māori culture. Can only be done by high priests because they know the tikanga associated with that practice.
Wairua
-“It is the non-physical spirit, distinct from the body and the mauri. To
some, the wairua resides in the heart or mind of someone while
others believe it is part of the whole person and is not located at any
particular part of the body. The wairua begins its existence when the
eyes form in the foetus and is immortal” (Te Aka Māori Dictionary).
-Can leave your body (during life time or after death returns to spiritual homeland).
-Emphasises a deeper connection with the world around us (key in Māori culture) : Acknowledging the whakapapa (genealogy) of our surrounding environment,
the past and the non-physical
Te ao Māori
-Holistic, cyclic and balanced
-Every action has a consequence and at times requires another action
to return to balance.
-Concepts provide the reasons and underpin the application for
tikanga.
Summary
-Concepts give understanding to tikanga
-Provide a glimpse into understanding te ao Māori
-Concepts provide guide for behaviour that are incorporated into
practices of tikanga
-Te ao Māori is holistic and cyclic whereby everything is connected
from the physical and spiritual worlds
Manaakitanga and Mana relationship
Mana= authority, prestige
Aki= to encourage
Manaakitanga (relationships) is how you encourage mana in others
Rahui
-temporary restriction put in place to prevent people from going into a place, or doing a certain action in an area
e.g. on shellfish to stop people from depleting the resources (environmental), can be to do with death
e.g. stop people going to a place where someone has just drowned/ died preventing people from engaging with tapu until it is deemed safe to remove.
—> tikanga determines when rahui is placed and should be removed and who has the power to do so.
