Mātauranga of Māori Minds Flashcards
What is Pūtaiao?
Pūtaiao is the conceptualization of Māori knowledge and science about the natural world framed through a Kaupapa Māori lens.
What theory is Pūtaiao grounded in?
Kaupapa Māori Theory, which affirms Māori identity, values and worldviews in research.
What does the term “pū” refer to in Pūtaiao?
The origins, rhythms and relationships with the natural world.
What does “taiao” refer to?
The life-giving waters/environment/natural world, including humans.
True or False: Pūtaiao separates humans from the natural world?
False, pūtaiao views humans as part of the taiao/natural world.
How is knowledge understood in the Pūtaiao framework?
Through whakapapa (genealogical relationships) and whanaungatanga (kinship connections).
What is the ontological stance of Pūtaiao?
A relational ontology - knowledge exists within te taiao to be revealed, not created by researchers.
What core Māori concepts does Pūtaiao integrate?
Te reo (language),
mātauranga (knowledge), and
tikanga (cultural principles).
True or False: Pūtaiao has a universal application across all iwi/hapū?
False, it is embedded in specific places and people.
What does Pūtaiao critique about mainstream science?
The misuse and mistranslation of te reo Māori concepts.
What positioning does Pūtaiao take towards mātauranga Māori?
That it is an equally legitimate scientific knowledge system, not subordinate to Western science.
What agenda does the Pūtaiao framework have?
Decolonising science by centring Indigenous Māori philosophies and methodologies.
How does Pūtaiao frame Western science?
As “Pūtaiao o te Pākehā” - the science of the Western world.
What worldview does Pūtaiao emerge from?
A holistic Te Ao Māori worldview integrating spiritual, ecological and genealogical dimensions.
What role does language play in Pūtaiao?
Centring te reo Māori by default as the worldview lens, not generalizing concepts.
