Takiauē Flashcards
What is a takiaue or tangihanga?
The funeral process.
Who is the goddess of death?
Hine-nui-te-po
Why is Tane to blame for the permanence of death?
Tane, a demigod formed the female element = Hine. He fashioned her from the earth and then married her.
The had two daughters, the youngest being Hine-titama.
Tane has relations with his daughter, and shame causes her to flee to the darkness, becoming Hine-nui-te-po, the Goddess of death, and with this death becomes permanent.
How did Maui search for eternal life?
He’s a shape-shifter, he turned into a lizard and tried to reverse the birthing process. He tries to get inside Hine-nui-te-po while she is sleeping.
What happens before the Takiaue? (before the person dies)
Whare Tūroro: where they go before they die. After death the tapu is removed with an agent of noa, e.g. water.
Ōhakī: The final parting words/dying wishes.
What does Taki/Tangi mean?
To grieve, relates to sounds; wailing, birds singing
In terms of preparing the body how have things changed?
Before dressing and adorning the body, historically the body would be have been disembowelled and plants used to block orifices. Now we have embalming.
Where would you find the body during Takiaue?
Some Marae have whare mate, a building for the dead which separates the living and the dead, but most of the time the body will be placed on the porch, inside on a stage or inside on the floor.
If the body is inside the whare nui then it will be either at the far end or immediately to the right.
What’s the typical duration of a takiaue?
Typical duration is 3 days, depending on a few things (temperature, where people are travelling from and the mana of the deceased).
Who are the kirimate?
The blood relatives of the deceased.
Who are the wharemate?
Immediate grieving group. They could be relatives, friends, elders. While they are sitting into the wharemate they are also referred to as wharemate.
How do fasting and talking relate to the mourning process.
Widowers (Pouaru) will typically fast for the duration of the takiaue.
Kirimate do not speak during most of the takiaue, it’s seen as arrogant to speak so a representative will speak for them.
When the body arrives at the house or marae a pohiri ensues, accompanied by what?
Tangi hotuhotu: female wailing, sounds of mourning.
What is the Pō poroporoakī?
The last night/the night before the burial.
What happens during Pō poroporoakī?
It’s a celebration of the life of the deceased. The kirimate can now speak. They share stories and sing.
