199103 - L21 - Kaitiakitanga

Def: Kaitiakitanga

Obligation (arising from kin relationship/everything is connected) to nuture or care for a person or thing

Def: Taonga

Treasure/treasured species

- Kaitiaki obligation exists for taonga

- Species that are important and hold meaning for māori

Archaic vs classic period

Archaic

(1300-1500)

- Hunter gatherers

- Māori mainly in South Island

- Less direct warefare (no fortified pā)

- Moa went extinct (due to large amount of hunting)

^Because big game species went extinct there was less food

this lead to more conflict and the...

Classic period

(1500-1642)

- Large modification of landscape (especially North Island)

- Mass migration & perminant housing

- Fortified pā (more conflict)

- Warfare and slavery more common

What species were introduced by Māori?

• Throughout Polynesian migration the waka travelled around with a ‘suite’ of taonga species.

- Kiore

^ thought to have been farmed as a food source

^ NZ birds hadn't had small mammalian predator since 100, 000mya (no defense mechanism, devastated pop.)

- Kuri (Pacific dog)-Extinct by 1860 due to inbreeding with European dogs ect.

- Taro

- Kumara

There is less food in NZ compared to Pacific Islands (e.g.. no coconut, natural taro - this meant diet changes from mainly carbohydrates to mainly protein)

- Karaka berries are associated with Māori settlements as they can be cooked in a specific way to be eaten (otherwise poisonous)

What role did Māori have in translocating species?

- Evidence shows that several plant species (karaka, hebe) occur outside of their predicted natural values (means they were translocated)

- Māori translocated a clam (toheroa) to the South Island

Describe the role of Mātauranga Māori

- Mātauranga Māori is Māori knowledge

- It's roots are from polynesian ansestors

- Understanding of the world that finds everything to be connected, and a clear emphasis on looking after the land and that humans are apart of nature, not above it

Def: Rāhui

- A temporary ban to certain resources or areas to protect taonga species

Describe modern day Kaitiakitanga

- Kaitiakitanga is how current conservation efforts are carried out

- These efforts are carried out not just to save the species but to save the culture and knowledge (mātauranga) around them

Traditional practice preserved the ability of the environment to provide.

Modern practice is to prevent further loss of the environment.

Recall the setting for these concepts in Mātauranga Māori.

• kaitiakitanga • taonga

• Māori have roots tracing back to East Polynesia, characterized by voyaging and trading culture.

  • East Polynesian people were distributed across multiple islands, thus there was a strong need to have an understanding of how you where related to people(Whakapapa), so that you can build connection with other islands and trade effectively with them.

  • Voyaging between islands was not because they had depleted resources, rather they had a culture familiar with resource management.

    • Active decisions to voyage; in order to manage population growth and ensure that resources weren’t depleted.

    • Thus we can see the origin of ideas like Katiakatanga.