Maori Identity

Slide 1: In Pre-European times, before colonisation Maori had their own unique identity. Tribes of Maori were called Iwi and everybody belonged to one. Your iwi name was usually the name of a person who ranked highly within the tribe, a rangatira. E.g. Ngati (meaning, belonging to) Porou are the descendants of Porourangi who ruled most parts of the East Coast of the North Island. Iwi Much like other people, Maori identity could be defined as having certain qualities that made them unique.

Slide 2: Maori had a language unique from any other country in the world. Although there were slight differences in dialects between tribes, the messages and meanings were never lost. Proverbs and genealogy were transferred through song, prayers and chants. Native speakers were great orators and story tellers. The native language was described by some as a ‘poetic’ language. Iwi Reo

Slide 3: Maori had a strong and unique culture. Customs and protocols of the people, influenced their way of thinking and their way of living. Tribal differences were very slight. Visiting tribes always followed the tikanga of their hosts if they wished to return home safely and be welcomed again for a return visit. The language is the vehicle which drives tikanga and kawa. Without it, what is our culture? Iwi Kawa / Tikanga Reo

Slide 4: Maori had their own laws. Maori had control and They had a system in which power over their destiny. rules were made. They had They were their own lines of authority from the authority. They had their Rangatira (Chief) and dignity, power and Tohunga (Expert*) to the prestige intact. Mokai (slave). Iwi Kawa / Tikanga Mana Reo Ture

Slide 5: Maori had a system of learning that ensured that every person in the tribe became loyal and hardworking members of the tribe for the benefit of all. The system valued both male and female genders and at times separated learning areas to cater for extensive or sensitive learning of their gender roles and responsibilities within the tribe. Iwi Kawa / Tikanga Mana Reo Akoranga Ture

Slide 6: Maori had their land. To the Maori, your genealogy doesn’t start from your grandparents and ancestors but to which mountain you bow to. What river/lake or sea you feed from. What marae shelters you. What sub-tribe you wear the cloak of. And what tribe you will one day stand to fight for. Land was and is owned by the tribe. It was never for personal gain but more for the welfare of all members of the whanau, hapu and iwi. Iwi Kawa / Tikanga Mana Whenua Reo Akoranga Ture

Slide 7: As tribal numbers grew, some families broke away from the main village to build their own. This became a sub-tribe and was named after the ancestor that moved away. E.g. Ngati Konohi based themselves at Whangara, a tiny settlement in the East Coast of the North Island. The people there now are descendants of Konohi who moved his wives and children away from the main tribe. Porourangi is the first ancestor so this sub-tribe is still part of the larger tribe, Ngati Porou. Some Iwi have more than twenty different sub-tribes whilst some have as few as two. Hapu Iwi Kawa / Tikanga Mana Whenua Reo Akoranga Ture

Slide 8: Within each hapu a family exists. This is the whānau. Unions between men and women by arrangement were generally to defuse a war, trade for land or integrate into another tribe thus gaining land and resources (much like a dowry). Marriages of choice were rare but great love stories have been important enough (and told enough) to become part of the Maori myths and legends of today. whānau Hapu Iwi Kawa / Tikanga Mana Whenua Reo Akoranga Ture

Slide 9: Mauri is the life force. Maori believe that it exists in all things. Carvings, food, physical objects all have their own mauri, their reason for being. When Tane Mahuta breathed life into Hineahuone, part of his mauri passed through to her and she came to life. Hence the Tihei Mauri ora at the end of Mauri speeches. The sneeze of life. whānau Hapu Iwi Kawa / Tikanga Mana Whenua Reo Akoranga Ture

Slide 10: Maori had their own spiritual beliefs. They believed in a supreme being and also that each area of the universe was under the guardianship of a caretaker. They prayed (Karakia) to the different guardians for good crops, safety, well- being, to give thanks etc, and sang their own waiata (songs) in chants much the Mauri same as other religious groups. Wairua whānau Hapu Iwi Kawa / Tikanga Mana Whenua Reo Akoranga Ture

Slide 11: Maori showed great respect for each other and their tribe. Men, women and children all knew their place. Elders were considered very wise and were cared for until their death. Their knowledge was passed down via oral stories and waiata. Mauri Wairua Whakaaute whānau Hapu Iwi Kawa / Tikanga Mana Whenua Reo Akoranga Ture

Slide 12: Maori believed that whakamā played a major part in the discipline process and many proverbs are based around this concept. Whakamā has many meanings such as shy, embarrass, shame, guilt, sensitive, degrade, remorse etc… depending on how it is used in a sentence. Mauri Whakamā Wairua Whakaaute whānau Hapu Iwi Kawa / Tikanga Mana Whenua Reo Akoranga Ture

Slide 13: Like whakamā, aroha also has many meanings. The most common is love. Some other meanings are: sorry, compassion, charity, mercy, pity, tenderness, endearment. Aroha was another value that Maori treasured. Mauri Whakamā Wairua Aroha Whakaaute whānau Hapu Iwi Kawa / Tikanga Mana Whenua Reo Akoranga Ture

Slide 14: Tino Rangatiratanga Mauri Whakamā Wairua Aroha Whakaaute whānau Hapu Iwi Kawa / Tikanga Mana Whenua Reo Akoranga Ture All of these qualities remained strong under the umbrella of Tino Rangatiratanga. Tino Rangatiratanga means independence. Maori were an independent race with strong values and an identiy.

Slide 15: What Happened? What effect has colonisation had on Maori Identity?

Slide 16: Tino Rangatiratanga Mauri Whakamā Wairua Aroha Whakaaute New laws were set by European, whānau changing at whim to suit Hapu the Iwi European. Maori laws were Kawa / Tikanga disregarded . e Tur Mana Whenua Reo Akoranga

Slide 17: Tino Rangatiratanga Mauri Whakamā Wairua Aroha Whakaaute whānau Hapu Land confiscations Iwi saw Maori lose millions of acres Kawa / Tikanga of land. W he e Tur Mana Reo Akoranga n ua

Slide 18: Tino Rangatiratanga Mauri Whakamā Wairua Aroha Whakaaute The mana of the whānau Maori was weakened with Hapu the loss of a major part of Iwi their sense of belonging. Kawa / Tikanga W he Ma e Tur Reo Akoranga n na ua

Slide 19: Tino Rangatiratanga Mauri Whakamā Wairua Aroha Whakaaute Missionaries were opening whānau Native schools and Maori were Hapu being trained (hardly Iwi educated) to become Kawa / Tikanga ‘domestic’ help. W a he ng Ma e Tur ra Reo n na ua o Ak

Slide 20: Tino Rangatiratanga Mauri Whakamā Wairua Aroha Whakaaute whānau Hapu Iwi Kawa / Tikanga W a he ng Re Ma e Tur ra n na o ua o Ak It becomes ‘illegal’ to speak Maori language in schools and Maori children were being punished for speaking in their native language.

Slide 21: Tino Rangatiratanga Mauri Whakamā Wairua Aroha Whakaaute Customs and traditions were being whānau compromised as the language was Hapu diminishing. The Iwi less Maori language, the nga less the transfer Tika a/ and Kaw W understanding of a he ng Re these qualities M e ana Tur ra n o became. ua o Ak Maori Identity and their foundations are becoming unstable.

Slide 22: Tino Rangatiratanga Mauri Whakamā Wairua Aroha Whakaaute As land is confiscated or sold, iwi head for whānau the towns to work or to try to take Hapu their grievances to court. While Iwi ikanga away from their homes, more /T a land is lost. They Kaw W fight as a he ng Re Ma independents e Tur ra n na o and the ua o Ak connections between the people start to unwind.

Slide 23: Tino Rangatiratanga Mauri Whakamā Wairua Aroha Whakaaute Hapu almost become non- whānau existent as tribes struggle to stay together. Many sub- Iwi tribes go back nga Tika to the larger a/ Kaw tribe and some W become a a he ng Re Ma forgotten e Tur ra n na o ua o people. Ak Hapu

Slide 24: Tino Rangatiratanga Mauri Whānau become Whakamā Wairua Aroha Whakaaute independent of the tribe and continue to co- exist in towns whānau and cities with the many new immigrants coming into the country. A Iwi ikanga whole generation /T a Kaw misses the W a teachings of he ng Re Ma e Tur their elders due ra n na o ua o to the Ak assimilation into the European world. Hapu

Slide 25: Tino Rangatiratanga Mauri a The old spiritual Whakamā iru Aroha Whakaaute a world of the W Maori is almost lost. Only the Maori who didn’t whānau leave their homelands have maintained some of the ‘old ways’. Iwi ikanga Esteem and pride of Maori are /T faltering. a Kaw W a he Missionaries ng Re Ma e Tur ra n na continue to oust o ua o Ak the ‘heathen ways’ of the Maori and teach them to be ‘civilised’. Hapu

Slide 26: Tino Rangatiratanga Mauri a Whakamā iru Aroha a Pu W Ma kuri ma ri e whānau Respect has been replaced by anger Iwi ikanga and hurt. /T a Kaw W a he ng Re Ma e Tur ra n na o ua o Ak Hapu

Slide 27: Tino Rangatiratanga Mauri a Whakamā iru a a oh Pu W r Ma kuri A ma ri e whānau Aroha only means LOVE and SORRY Iwi ikanga now. But there is little to give /T a Kaw outside of the W a nuclear whānau. he ng Re Ma e Tur ra n na o ua o Ak Hapu

Slide 28: And what of Independence? Tin o Ra nga tira tan ga Mauri a Whakamā iru a a oh Pu W r Ma kuri A ma ri e whānau Iwi ikanga /T a Kaw W a he ng Re Ma e Tur ra n na o ua o Ak Hapu

Slide 29: To ponder… Tin o R away, what happens to With all of the qualities of Maori falling a nga • tira Independence? ta and Tino Rangatiratanga has no foundation, no solid walls n only • ga a life force holding it up…. But can it do it alone? Mauri a Whakamā iru • Can Independence be supported by Shame and P a a oh W u Ar Ma kuri Embarrassment? Should it? ma ri • And what of the whānau. Are they able to maintain e the values whānau of their whole identity as a people without the beginning (tribe)? If we call the loss of culture Iwi • ‘Evolution’, who or what do Maori nga Tika a/ become? Kaw W a he • ng If we accept to call it Evolution, whose beliefs and values Re Ma e Tur a nu na o or become the ‘new’ Maori identity and will Maori be known by a Ak that new identity? Hapu