Workshop 3 on Cultural Concepts in the Study

Introduction to the Paper

• Focus on learning about multiple knowledge systems and cultural lenses.
• Importance of understanding knowledge systems from their cultural origins.

Exploration of Tikanga

• Definition and significance.
• Explored through a bottom-up approach rather than top-down.

Pudako and Knowledge Transmission

• Definition of Pudako: Narratives that contain knowledge.
• Two prominent Pudako discussed:
• Cosmological Pudako: Transition stories (broad understandings).
• Maui and the Fish: Specific narratives about navigation and geography.
• Complexity of real-world applications of these narratives.

Concept of Mana

• Definition: A property without a direct English translation. Often associated with prestige, authority, power, and spiritual influence.
• Mana is felt through respect and importance attributed to people and artifacts.
• Examples include mentors and respectful elders.
• Properties of Mana:
• No absolute measure; always relative.
• Exists across individuals, places, and groups.
• Can be enhanced through selfless actions or diminished through selfish actions.

Concept of Tapu

• Definition: Sacred, prohibited, and situated outside of the mundane.
• Examples include burial grounds, parts of the head, and significant cultural documents.
• Tapu relates to mana; breaching tapu diminishes mana.

Concept of Nora

• Definition: Opposite of tapu; mundane and comfortable.
• Processes for Returning to Nora:
• Commonly involves water (whakanoa process) or food sharing.
• Examples: Funeral processes, cleansing rituals.

Concept of Modi

• Definition: Life principle or essence; relates to the unique nature of something.
• Importance of understanding the context and how it is perceived collectively (e.g., bush vs. individual trees).
• Presents challenges in scientific correlation between material components and subjective experience.

Kaitiakitanga

• Definition: Guardianship, stewardship, and the mutual uplifting of mana between people and the environment.
• Responsibilities of people to protect the mana of the land and vice versa.
• Modern shifts in the role of kaitiaki (from nature protecting humans to humans protecting nature).

Whakapapa

• Definition: Genealogy and interconnectedness of all things.
• Concept signifies that understanding the past can inform present and future actions, and everything is interconnected.
• Emphasizes empathy and the collective identity shared among all beings.

Discussion Points

• Cases/examples of mana perceptions.
• Discuss practical benefits of tapu/mana processes.
• Differences between mana and authority as explored by Tama Ity.
• Sustainability and kaitiakitanga relationship.
• Philosophical exploration of being a good ancestor and its connections to mana, whakapapa, and kaitiaki.