LECTURE 21- Te ao Māori: Kaitiakitanga and Taonga

what is te ao maori

the maori world

what is matauranga maori

maori knowledge

what is whanaungatanga (whakapapa)

kinship, relationships with people and environment

what is kaitiakitanga

the obligation, arising from the kin relationship, to nurture or care for a person or thing.

what is taonga

where kaitiaki obligations exist, they do so in relation to tanga— that is, to anything that is treasured

what’s the difference between matauranga maori and the european knowledge system

european philosophy: humanity is above nature in a hierarchy

maori philosophy: humanity is placed within nature,  with recognition of connections and responsibilities

what are the polynesian origins of Maori

• likely from multiple locations

• voyaging and trading culture in east polynesia

what polynesian animals/foods became taonga in NZ

• Kiore (pacific rat)

• Kuri (pacific dog)

• Taro

• Uwhi (yam)

• Aute (paper mulberry)

• Te pore (pacific cabbage tree)

• Kumara

• Hue (bottle gourd)

what happened during the archaic period

• 1300-1500

• less landscape modification

• hunter-gatherer lifestyle

• little warfare and slavery

• many megafauna alive in this period in small populations. overharvesting led to extinction of many large species

what happened during the archaic period

• 1500-1642

• big cultural shift- more landscape modification

• mass migration and localised living

• shift in climatic conditions

what marked transitions between time periods

• loss of terrestrial megafauna

• significant shift in climatic conditions

• large earthquakes

• mataruanga maori developing as the environment develops

what were the environmental impacts of maori

• habitat modifications to support human populations

• extinction of vulnerable species

• integration of new species (kiore, kuri). caused endemic species extinction

• species distributions became human-mediated

why is kiore important

important source of food and protein. Considered both a pest and taonga

when did Kurī go extinct

1860s

what is passive translocation

animals moving in response to human impacts/actions

EXAMPLE:NZ sea lion

what is active translocation

humans purposely moving species populations around the country

EXAMPLE: Toheroa (animal), karaka and renarenga (plants)

how did matauranga develop before european arrival

• developed rapidly after archaic period

• strong ties to whenua and te taiao

• Development of knowledge and practices to conserve native species

what is rāhui

a temporary ban or closed season on an area or resource (e.g marine environment) to help maori manage resources

what changes occurred following European arrival

• environment degradation

• economics and politics changing

• introduction of new species (pigs, chicken, horses, potatoes, etc.)

• new species became taonga to Maori

• new matauranga and new understanding of natural resources

what does Kaitiakitanga look like in a modern setting

• science research incorporating Maori-led research

• The modern resurgence of te ao maori is progressively bringing matauranga maori into the cultural mainstream