In P re- European ti mes,

bef or e coloni sati on

Maori had thei r own uni que identi ty.
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.
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
 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
 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

 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

 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

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

 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

 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

 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

 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

 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
Wairua Whakamā Whakaaute

whānau
Hapu

Iwi
Kawa / Tikanga

Mana Whenua Reo Akoranga Ture

 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
Wairua Whakamā Aroha Whakaaute

whānau
Hapu

Iwi
Kawa / Tikanga

Mana Whenua Reo Akoranga Ture

 Tino
Rangatir ata nga

Mauri
Wairua Whakamā 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.
 What Happened?

What effect has colonisation had on Maori

Identity?
 Tino
Rangatir ata nga

Mauri
Wairua Whakamā Aroha Whakaaute
New laws
were set by
whānau European,
changing at
Hapu whim to suit
the

Iwi European.
Maori laws
Kawa / Tikanga were
disregarded
.
Mana Whenua Reo Akoranga re
Tu
 Tino
Rangatir ata nga

Mauri
Wairua Whakamā Aroha Whakaaute

whānau
Land Hapu
confiscations
saw Maori lose
millions of
Iwi
acres of land. Kawa / Tikanga
W
h
e re
Mana n Reo Akoranga Tu
u
a
 Tino
Rangatir ata nga

Mauri
Wairua Whakamā Aroha Whakaaute

The mana of the

Maori was whānau
weakened with
the loss of a Hapu
major part of
their sense of
belonging.
Iwi
Kawa / Tikanga
W
Ma h
e re
na n Reo Akoranga Tu
u
a
 Tino
Rangatir ata nga

Mauri
Wairua Whakamā Aroha Whakaaute

Missionaries
were opening
whānau Native schools
and Maori were
Hapu being trained
(hardly
Iwi educated) to
become
Kawa / Tikanga ‘domestic’ help.
W
h g a
Ma e n
na n Reo a re
u or Tu
a
Ak
 Tino
Rangatir ata nga

Mauri
Wairua Whakamā Aroha Whakaaute

whānau
Hapu

Iwi
Kawa / Tikanga
W
h g a
Ma e Re n
na n o a re
u or Tu
a
Ak

It becomes ‘illegal’ to speak Maori language in schools

and Maori children were being punished for speaking in
their native language.
 Tino
Rangatir ata nga

Mauri
Wairua Whakamā Aroha Whakaaute
Customs and
traditions were
being
compromised as whānau
the language was
diminishing. The Hapu

Iwi
less Maori
language, the
a
less the transfer
Ti k ang
and a/
understanding of W Kaw
h g a
these qualitiesM e Re n
an n o a re
became. a u or Tu
a
Ak

Maori Identity and their foundations are becoming unstable.

 Tino
Rangatir ata nga

Mauri
Wairua Whakamā 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

I wi i k ang
a
away from their
homes, more
a/ T land is lost.
W Kaw They fight as
h g a
Ma e Re n e
independents
na n o a r
u r Tu and the
a
A ko connections
between the
people start to
unwind.
 Tino
Rangatir ata nga

Mauri
Wairua Whakamā Aroha Whakaaute

Hapu almost
become non-
existent as
whānau
tribes struggle
to stay together.
Many sub-
tribes go back I wi a
to the larger
Ti k ang
a/
tribe and some
W Kaw
become a
h g a
forgotten M e Re n
an n o a re
people. a u or Tu
a
Ak

Hapu
 Tino
Rangatir ata nga

Whānau Mauri
become
independent of Wairua Whakamā Aroha Whakaaute
the tribe and
continue to co-
exist in towns
and cities with whānau
the many new
immigrants
coming into the
country. A
whole
generation
I wi i k ang
a
a/ T
misses the
W Kaw
teachings of h g a
Ma e Re n
their elders due
na n o a re
to the u or Tu
a
assimilation Ak
into the
European
world.
Hapu
 Tino
Rangatir ata nga

Mauri
The old spiritual
i rua Whakamā Aroha Whakaaute
world of the
W a
Maori is almost
lost. Only the
Maori who didn’t
leave their
whānau
homelands have
maintained some
of the ‘old ways’.

I wi
Esteem and
pride of Maori a
are faltering. Ti k ang
a/
W Kaw
Missionaries h g a
Ma e Re n
continue to oust na n o a re
the ‘heathen u or Tu
a
ways’ of the Ak
Maori and teach
them to be
‘civilised’.
Hapu
 Tino
Rangatir ata nga

Mauri
i rua Whakamā Aroha
W a Pu
Ma kuri
ma ri
whānau e

Respect has been

replaced by anger
I wi i k ang
a and hurt.
a/ T
W Kaw
h g a
Ma e Re n
na n o a re
u or Tu
a
Ak

Hapu
 Tino
Rangatir ata nga

Mauri
i rua Whakamā
W a ha Pu
o
Ar Ma kuri
ma ri
whānau e

Aroha only
means LOVE
and SORRY
I wi i k ang
a now. But there
is little to give
a/ T
W Kaw outside of the
h g a nuclear
Ma e Re n e whānau.
na n o a r
u r Tu
a
A ko

Hapu
And what of Independence?

T in
Ra o
ng
a tir
ata
ng
Mauri a
i rua Whakamā
W a ha Pu
o
Ar Ma kuri
ma ri
whānau e

I wi i k ang
a
a/ T
W Kaw
h g a
Ma e Re n
na n o a re
u or Tu
a
Ak

Hapu
 To ponder…
• With all of the qualities ofRMaori falling away, what
happens to Independence? a n g
Tin
a o
t i r no solid
• Tino Rangatiratanga has no foundation, ata
walls and only a life force Mauri holding it up…. But n g can it
i rua
do it alone? Whakamā
a
a
Wa r oh Pu
• Can Independence be supported by Shame A Ma kurand
ma iri
Embarrassment? Should whānau it? e
• And what of the whānau. Are they able to maintain
the values of their whole identity as a people
without the beginning (tribe)? I wi ikanga
• If we call the loss of culture a w a / T ‘Evolution’, who or what
W K
do Maori become?
h g a
Ma e Re
na n o r an u re
• If we accept to call u it Evolution, whose o T
beliefs and
a k
A
values become the ‘new’ Maori identity and will
Maori be known by that new identity?
Hapu