Tikanga

Question 1

What is tikanga?

Answer 1

Comes from the root word tika - just, fair, correct, right. So tikanga is essentially ‘the right way of doing things’. It’s a way of putting cultural values into practice.

Question 2

What are three main values which effect tikanga?

Answer 2

Whanaungatanga = relationships
Manaakitanga = care and support
Aroha = love

Question 3

What are some challenges to tikanga?

Answer 3

Relocation (from different countries and regions.
Re-application (facial moku was suppressed and them was reapplied)
Real and pseudo environments (e.g. a funeral at a marae vs. at home)
Social, political and economic changes all influence how tikanga is maintained.

Question 4

Describe Manaakitanga.

Answer 4

Comes from the work Manaaki = care and support.
Manaakitanga encourages people to make decisions and behaviour that shows the most care and ultimately aims to provide the best outcome for everyone.

Question 5

Describe aroha.

Answer 5

Love, Compassion, Empathy, Sympathy, concern for others.

for people, for the environment, for what you do.

Question 6

Which two values involve corrective action?

Answer 6

Manaakitanga and Aroha.

Question 7

List six Maori concepts.

Answer 7

Mana
Tapu
Noa
Mauri
Wairua
Utu

Question 8

Mana is…

Answer 8

Prestige, authority, status, power.

Question 9

Tapu is…

Answer 9

sacred.

Question 10

Noa is…

Answer 10

Neutral, normal state, balance, equilibrium.

Question 11

Mauri is…

Answer 11

My ‘allspark’ - that’s your life

Question 12

Wairua is…

Answer 12

The immortal spirit or soul

Question 13

Utu is…

Answer 13

Reciprocity of actions.

Question 14

How would you differentiate between Mauri and Wairua?

Answer 14

Mauri is a power invested in all living things from conception. Mauri dies when the person passes. The mauri is unique to an individual; it’s the life force that makes the heartbeat, the body temperature rise and fall etc. Mauri can be positively and negatively affected.
Wairua is largely concerned with the spiritual. The immortal spirit or soul, distinct from the body and the mauri. Begins when the eyes form on the foetus and is immortal. Leaves to the spiritual homeland when the individual dies. An imbalance in mauri may negatively affect the wairua which normally results in mental and physical deterioration.

Question 15

Whanaungatanga is…

Answer 15

the recognition of relationships

Question 16

There are different types of mana, what is mana atua?

Answer 16

The power that extends from the atua.
Each atua ha a different domain and they may extend their spiritual power to human agents, this mana would then manifest itself through skills or qualities.

Question 17

Aside from mana atua, there are four other types of mana, what are these?

Answer 17

Mana tupuna = mana inherited by one’s genealogy
Mana tuku = mana conferred by the people, in recognition of a person’s acquired skills, deeds or qualities
Mana whakatipu = mana procured through a person’s development and ability
Mana wahine = mana inherent in women

Question 18

What are some examples of agents of noa?

Answer 18

Agents that effect a noa state on tapu asserted by people mainly comprise food, water, karakia and women. They can neutralise tapu, or at least bring it to a safe, workable level.