“The Maori Worldview”the Maori Journey

Daryl Gregory16 November 2014City Campus

Toitū te kupu, toitū te mana, toitū te whenua “the permanence of the language, prestige and land.”• TeAoMāoridenotes‘theMāoriWorld’.• TheworldviewofMāorichangedimmediatelyaftertheyarrivedinNewZealand.• EncounterwithEuropeansettlersbroughtfurtherchange.• IntraditionalMāoriknowledge,asinmanycultures,everythingintheworldisbelievedtoberelated.• UntilthearrivalofEuropeansinthelate1700s,Māoriheldaworldviewthatoriginatedintheir

Polynesianhomeland.Thisgrewandchangedaccordingtolifeinthenewland

Themes in Māori creation mythsAllMāorinarrativesaboutthecreationoftheworldhavesomemajorthemesincommon.Theseinclude:• themovementfromnothingordarknesstosomethingorlight• theseparationofearthandsky• theworkofthegodsinfashioningthenaturalworld.Apartfromthesesharedthreads,thereisconsiderablediversityamongvarioustribalversionsofthecreationstory–particularlywithrespecttotheroleofasupremebeingThe Io traditionThepresenceorabsenceofasupremebeing,knownasIo,isoneofthedistinguishingfeaturesofdifferentversionsofMāoricreationtraditions.ThenotionofagodheadinMāorisocietyandcultureisthesubjectofgreatdebate.ThisismainlybecauseearlymanuscriptsofMāorimythologicalmaterialdonotcontainreferencetoIo,whoonlybeginstoappearinmanuscriptsandoraldiscourselateinthe19thcentury.

Whakapapa• “Papa”isanythingbroad,flatandhardsuchasaflatrock,aslaboraboard.“Whakapapa”istoplace

inlayers,layoneuponanother.HencethetermWhakapapaisusedtodescribeboththerecitationinproperorderofgenealogies,andalsotonamethegenealogies.Thevisualisationisofbuildinglayerbylayeruponthepasttowardsthepresent,andonintothefuture.

• Expertsrecitedthewhakapapaofpeople,birds,fish,treesandtheweathertoexplaintherelationshipsbetweenallthingsandthustoplacethemselveswithintheworld.Thishelpedpeopletounderstandtheworld,andhowtoactwithintheserelationships.

Te Kore – a world beyond• IntraditionalMāoribeliefthereissomethingbeyondtheworldofeverydayexperience:wedonotlivein

aclosedsystemwherewhatweseeisallthereis.ThisotherworldordimensionisknownasTeKore,the‘void’,inmosttribaltraditions.

• CleveBarlowhassuggestedthatTeKoremeanschaos–astatewhichhasalwaysexistedandwhichcontains‘unlimitedpotentialforbeing’.1Māori,Marsden,aTaiTokerauelderandAnglicanminister,hadasimilarbelief.HesaidthatTeKorekore(avariantofTeKore)was‘therealmbetweennon-beingandbeing:thatistherealmofpotentialbeing.’

• SomebelievethatTeKoreiswheretheultimaterealitycanbefound.OthersthinkthatitiswhereIo,theSupremeBeing,dwells.TheideaofTeKoreiscentraltonotionsofmana(status),tapu(sacredandrestrictedcustoms)andmauri(lifeforce).

Whanaungatanga• Theimportanceofconnection• Whakapapaconnectstothedivine,tolandandtopeople.• Theconnectiontolandgivesyouaplacetostand,belong,identity–turangawaewae

• Youarepartofawhanau• Rightsandobligationstopeopleandland

Maori experience in New Zealand• 1835-DeclarationofIndependence• 1840–TreatyofWaitangi• TheLandWars• PolicyofAssimilation• TwoWorldwars• Urbanisation• Bi Culturalism• Multi-Culturalism

The Ideology of Colonisation• Colonisationisbasedonthedoctrineofculturalhierarchyandsupremacy.Thetheoryofcolonialism

isthedominationbyametropolitancenterwhichrulesadistantterritorythroughtheimplantingofsettlements.

• Itistheestablishmentandcontrolofaterritory,foranextendedperiodoftime,byasovereignpoweroverasubordinateand“other”peoplewhicharesegregatedandseparatedfromtherulingpower.

• Featuresofthecolonialsituationincludepoliticalandlegaldominationoverthe“other”society,relationsofeconomicandpoliticaldependence,andinstitutionalisedracialandculturalinequalities.Toimposetheirdominancephysicalforcethroughraids,expropriationoflaborandresources,imprisonment,andobjectivemurders;enslavementofboththeindigenouspeopleandtheirlandistheprimaryobjectiveofcolonisation.

• Anothertechniqueusedtosubduethenativepopulationisthesackingofculturalpatterns;theseculturalvaluesarestripped,crushedandemptied.Thecolonialistsseetheircultureasasuperiorculture;usuallytiedtoeitherCulturalEvolutionaryorSocialDarwinisttheories.

• Inanattempttocontrol,reapeconomicbenefits,and“civilize”theindigenouspeoplesthecolonialistsdismantlethenativeculturesbyimposingtheirown.Thereisadestructionoftheculturalvaluesandwaysoflife.

• Settingupthecolonialsystemdoesnotdestroythenativecultureinitself;thecultureoncefluid,aliveandopentothefuturebecomesclassified,definedandconfinedthroughtheinterpretation,imposedoppression,andvaluesofthecolonialistsystem.

• Atthispointthenativecultureturnsagainstitsmembersandisusedtodevalueanddefinetheidentityofthenativepopulation.

• Theirconstantandveryjustifiedambitionistoescapefromtheircolonizedcondition,anadditionalburdeninanalreadyoppressivestatus.Tothatend,theyendeavortoresemblethecoloniserinthefrankhopethathemayceasetoconsiderthemdifferentfromhim.Hencetheireffortstoforgetthepast,tochangecollectivehabits,andtheirenthusiasticadoptionofWesternlanguage,cultureandcustoms.(Memmi,1965:15)

What is the Treaty of Waitangi? • ItisanagreementthatformsacovenantbetweenMaoriandtheCrown.• Itwassignedonthe6thFebruary1840• ItrecognisedtheprioroccupationbyMaori–tangatawhenua• Itensuredthatimmigrantscouldcomeandliveinpeace.• Itallowedthecrowntosetupagovernmenttoestablishlaws.TheCrownweretoguaranteeandactivelyprotectMaoritribalauthoritiesovertheirlands,fisheries,forests,villages,treasuresandextendtothemtherightsofBritishCitizens.TheTreatyallowedfreedomofreligionandMaoricustoms.

Mission Period—1840 to 1867ThefirstschoolsestablishedinNewZealandwerefortheMaoripeopleandtheirchieffunctionwasto

converttheMaoristoChristianity.TheseschoolswereestablishedbythevariousreligiousauthoritiesandatfirstreceivednofinancialsupportfromtheGovernment.Theschoolswereusuallyresidential.ThedeclaredpolicyofeducationatthattimewastherapidassimilationoftheMaoripeopleintotheEuropeanpatternofliving.WhenGovernmentdecidedtoprovidefinancialassistancein1858,theassistancewasconditionalontheEnglishlanguagebeingmadethelanguageofinstruction.

The Second World War and Maori Urbanisation • OntheeveoftheWWIIonly10%ofMāorilivedinurbanareas,comparedwithalmost60%ofPākehā.

TheManpowerActdirectedyoungMāorimen(whowereineligibleforthemilitary)andwomentoworkinessentialindustries,oftenlocatedincities.By1951thenumberofMāorilivinginurbanareashaddoubled.Withinagenerationofthewarending,68%ofMāorilivedinurbanareas.AsaconsequenceMāoriandPākehāwereinteractingonamoreregularbasis.

• Māorimigrantstothecityfacedmanydifficulties,notleasttheseparationfromwhānauandtraditionalstructuresofsupport.TherewerefearsthatyoungerMāoriwould‘losetheirway’inthecity.SomeMāoriattemptedtobringtraditionalinstitutionsintothecitiesbyestablishingurbanmarae.WithMāorifromavarietyofareasmovingintotown,tribaldistinctionsbecameblurred.

• Māorialsofacedproblemsacquiringsuitablehousing.SomePākehālandlordswerereluctanttorentpropertiestoMāoritenants.Theyfearedthatpropertieswouldbecomeovercrowdedthroughchain-migration–thiswasafamiliarprocesswherewhānaumovedtopropertiesestablishedbythefirstwaveoffamilymigrants.Olderinner-cityhousingwasoftenallMāoricouldaffordatatimewhensuburbandevelopmentwasseeingmorepeoplemovetothesuburbs(thistrendwouldlaterbereversedasthemiddle-classesmovedbacktotheinnercitytorestoretheseolderhousestotheirformerglory).

Native to MaoriIn1947PeterFraser’sLabourgovernmentofficiallyreplacedthegenericword‘native’withMāori.Thischangewasmorethansymbolic.ItclearlyacknowledgedtheuniqueplaceandidentityofMāori.

Maori Issues / LeadershipAnumberofissuesfacedbyMāoriduringthe1960sand1970sresultedintheemergenceofnewMāoriurbanleadershipandorganisations.IssuessuchasthehistoriclossofMāoriland,theretentionoflanguageandculture,educationandemploymentwereofparticularconcern.AnumberofhighlyvisibleprotestshelpedbringthesematterstotheattentionofmainstreamNewZealandsocietyandputMāoriissueonthepoliticalagenda.

Legislation• NZConstitutionAct1852:Europeanmaleswhoownedpropertyhadtherighttovote.Communally

ownedlanddidnotqualifyasproperty,therebydenyingMaorimenavote.• MaoriRepresentationAct1867:TheCrownwerebecomingalarmedthatasasideeffectof

individualisationoflandtitles,Maoriwithpropertyqualificationstovotemightoutnumbersettlersincertainelectorates.ThereforefourMaoriseatsweresetupinparliament,removingthethreatofMaorioutnumberingPakehainGovernment.Maoricouldonlyvoteintheseseats.

• MaoriAffairsAct1952:MaoriAffairsDeptwassetuptoactasaMäoriLandPurchaseAgentforthegovernment.Maorilanddeemed‘uneconomic’couldbepurchasedatstateevaluation.TheMaoritrustee,aPakeha,hadpowertobuyMaorilandworthlessthan50poundswithoutowners’consent.

UP, IN and OUT Questions:UP–Howdoesthisserieschallengeyou?IN–Howshouldyoualteranyattitudesyouhaveonthistopic?OUT-Isthereadifferentwayyoushouldbetreatingothersofadifferentculture?Ifyes,how?